|
Back to Index
Monthly
Monitoring Report: October 2006
Zimbabwe
Peace Project
November 18, 2006
Download this document
- Word
97 version (1.15MB)
If you do not have the free Acrobat reader
on your computer, download it from the Adobe website by clicking
here.
Executive Summary
The month of October was characterised by an increase in violence
especially in cases of assault, intimidation and harassment due
to the local government elections which were scheduled for the 18th
of October 2006. The state has continued to thwart freedom of expression
and association with the ongoing arrests of NCA
members. Students who were demonstrating against the hike in tuition
fees were also arrested before they could submit their petition
to Parliament. In most provinces including, Manicaland, Matabeleland,
Harare, Mashonaland central, some villagers were victimised for
wearing party regalia such as T/shirts for the opposition or T-shirt
from non-governmental organisations.
The state has
also extended its hands into controlling the activities of kraal
heads while this has been going on for some time, the practice took
an ugly turn during the local government elections with some traditional
leaders being victimised for not being pro ruling party. A case
in point was in Gwanda at Sizeze Business Center, where Kraal head
SM of the MDC was taken to task for not organising a meeting which
was to be addressed by the chief and ruling party provincial chairperson.
The kraal head was paraded in front of about 200 people and labelled
a sell out.
Similar cases
were recorded in Gutu North where the MP told kraal heads that they
would be expelled from the area if any opposition candidates won
in any of the wards. In Matabeleland North kraal heads were also
threatened with evictions if Zanu PF lost in these elections. In
Chivi, for instance, villagers were asked to come and show the headman
their fingers as a sign that they would have voted and those not
obliging were threatened with expulsion.
Isolated incidents
of farm invasions were also recorded in some provinces indicating
that property rights continue to be violated. In Manicaland, at
Wolfgang farm some Zanu PF youths ordered VG the farm owner to vacate
the house within 30 days. This was done despite the fact that the
fast-track land reform programme is officially over. The farm has
been partitioned several times and VG had been left with the farm
house and a very small portion of land.
The local government
elections also indicated the resurfacing of post election violence,
in some provinces, for instance, in Chipinge South, WZ the winning
candidate in ward 20 Chibuwe was allegedly assaulted heavily by
Zanu PF activists GT, SC and WS as punishment for publicly celebrating
his victory during ward elections. Although the case was reported
it was not attended to as the victim was told by the police that
the case was ‘too political.’
In Mashonaland
Central and Manicaland, it is alleged that teachers were threatened
with dismissal from the teaching profession if they voted for the
opposition while drawing their salaries from a Zanu PF government.
In Mashonaland Central on the 2nd of October 2006, NC
of Zanu PF harassed United People’s Party (UPP) for contesting Chisoro
who has never been contested since independence.
Participation
in non governmental organisation workshops has also been viewed
with suspicion by Zanu PF watchdogs in the communities. In Mashonaland
West, incidences were recorded of people being victimised for attending
workshops of Non governmental organisations which are viewed as
the opposition platform for penetrating the grassroots.
Some isolated
incidences of displacement, murdered and torture were recorded in
some provinces. Skirmishes were also reported in Matabeleland North
and Midlands between the pro- senate and anti- senate factions.
Download
full document
Visit the ZPP
fact sheet
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
