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Monthly Monitoring Report: July 2006
Zimbabwe Peace Project
August 24, 2006

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Executive Summary
Incidences of politically motivated violence have continued unabated in all provinces. The arms of the state such as the police have reportedly continued to harass opposition MDC members and sympathizers. The month was characterized by cases of assault, intimidation and harassment, arson, malicious injury to property. In one extreme case a murder was recorded in Mashonaland East Province. The war veteran have given them selves extra powers are reportedly intimidating members of the opposition and rival Zanu PF members from the ruling party claiming exclusive rights to power. Throughout the country there were incidences of violence reported around the upcoming local government elections and some cases around the heroes’ day celebrations.

Exclusion from positions of authority is still being used as a political tool in some areas resulting in the dearth of meaningful participation in community based activities. A case in point was in Tsholotsho district where some members of the community were forced to resign from campfire posts because they belonged to the MDC by the headman. As in the reported in the preceding months headmen are increasing losing their credibility as traditional leaders as they have now become political figures. In some cases councillors and headmen, kraal heads have become the chief perpetrators of the structural violence against opposition members. The councillors, members of parliament have thwarted freedom of association by threatening to victimize those attending MDC meetings and those not attending Zanu PF meetings.

In some provinces including Harare, Manicaland and Masvingo the cases of politicization of food and other aid have been reported. In Masvingo, for instance it was alleged that food aid is also being hijacked for political ends. It was reported that in Masukume village, a Zanu PF councillor Mrs M. allegedly took the food donated by an N.G.O DachiCare and started using it for campaigning. Access to food aid is being seen as the prerogative of Zanu PF members and other community members are being victimized for benefiting from food aid on accusations that they are relatives of persons who do not belong to the ruling party. Other members have also been excluded from benefiting from buying food from the Grain Marketing Board. In Manicaland, Makoni West constituency members are being asked to produce party cards before they can buy maize.

The July reports also reflect a high incidence of youth being perpetrators of violence in all provinces. The youth mostly from Zanu PF have harassed and intimidated fellow party members accusing them of causing division within the party,. Other have been victimised for contesting against the youth's preferred candidate in the ruling party primary elections to select ward councillors. They have also been perpetrating violence against opposition youth and other community members.

Some cases of arson were reported in Midlands Province, a case in point was in Mapfungautsi village were a house was burnt down because the house belonged to an opposition member. It is alleged that OM’s new home was torched to ashes by Zanu PF’s BM when it was discovered that he was an MDC supporter in Zvishavane, TM an MDC businessman reportedly had all his property at home destroyed by fire after he had announced his intentions to contest in the forthcoming local government elections on an MDC ticket. Intimidation and harassment continue unabated as the local government elections draw closer. In Gokwe residents were threatened with unspecified action if they did not vote for the ruling party.

Displacement has also been reported in some provinces sometimes as a result of personal interests by political authorities in victim’s houses and other persons’ properties. In Gokwe Senga some kraal heads have evicted persons known to be MDC supporters from their homes.

Freedom of association and expression continues to be thwarted unabated as some of the Zanu PF members are forcing people to attend rallies and meetings. Members of the public who attend MDC rallies were also being harassed by Zanu PF supporters. Zanu PF continues to label those attending MDC meetings as sell-outs or traitors resulting in impunity for the perpetrators.

The state continues to repress civil society activities, in Mutare North, members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police arrested and assaulted more than 15 members of the NCA who were marching demanding a new constitution in the city centre. About one hundred and twenty NCA members demonstrating for a people driven constitution along Nelson Mandela Avenue, were purportedly arrested by police who detained them and later charged and released after about two days in custody. In Manyame, 19 July 2006, in the city centre about three hundred Combined Harare Residents Association took to the streets demanding improvement in service provisions and the immediate reversal of the appointment of the illegal commission running the affairs of Harare and the subsequent holding of mayoral and council elections, near town house about nineteen people with two journalists were allegedly arrested by police.

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