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Terror, error and the harvest of fear
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
November 30, 2010

As the 2011 elections draw close it has become apparent that ZANU PF has instituted its steal the vote strategy in the triple threat form of terror, error and the harvest of fear. Each of these moves complements one another respectively. This is the first of a three series of articles in which each of these aspects will be scrutinised.

The first part is that of terror. ZANU PF has, since independence, sought to consolidate its reign by means of terror. This is so if one is to take into account acts of abuse of human rights and state terrorism such as Gukurahundi in the 80s and the electoral violence which has characterised most, if not all elections in the post independent country. Terrorism is defined in terms of four characteristics which are:

• The threat or use of violence Gladiator
• A political objective; the desire to change the status quo.
• The intention to spread fear by committing spectacular public acts of violence
• The intentional targeting of civilians

It is the last characteristic which stands out to vividly explain ZANU PF's position regarding state terrorism. Declaring war and sending the military to fight other militaries is not terrorism nor is the use of violence to punish convicted criminals. It then becomes an issue of concern when ZANU PF as a party uses the states security apparatus to instil fear. Cases of politically motivated have been on the rise as ZANU PF seeks to consolidate its power. Masvingo province has been the most recent to experience this wave of violence. Jabulani Sibanda, Zimbabwe's war veterans' leader, is reported to be leading a terror campaign for ZANU PF by using aggression as well as intimidation.

A report by Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition titled "Cries from Goromonzi, Inside Zimbabwe's Torture Chambers" contains testimonies from 23 people who were beaten up, raped and maimed before during and after the March 2008 elections. Details of the victims' experiences are clearly spelt out in this report. The secret detention centres which were the harbour of political violence continue to exist and continue to operate outside the provisions of the law. Apart from this there is a rise of incidents in which alleged ZANU PF youths are forcing local clubs and pubs to play party jingles for a particular duration without interruption. This was noted in the high-density suburb of Mbare where reporters from an independent daily newspaper investigated the rumours. It became apparent to them that it was actually fact not fiction.

The aforementioned need to be addressed and nipped in the bud. There are two strategies to address the issue of political violence. These are from "above" and from "below" approaches. The from above part would encompass the involvement of the regional block with actors such as SADC and AU taking a proactive role in enforcing peace and stability in Zimbabwe. The from below aspect involves non state actors mobilising each other and committing to a coordinated effort to pressure the government to play a "fair game" during the 2011 elections as well as forming protection communities in rural areas to protect each other from perpetrators of violence.

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