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Trends of human rights violations: January-June 2012
Heal Zimbabwe Trust
September 11, 2012

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In January 2012, Heal Zimbabwe Trust embarked on an exercise to collect, analyse and verify cases of politically related human rights violations that derail peace building and national healing initiatives in selected districts in the country. On a weekly basis through its community structures, the organization compiled all incidences of human rights violations in a bid to inform stakeholders within and outside the concerned communities on violations that occurred. The trends that came out clearly from the weekly reports point to a resurgence of incidents of human rights violations spreading across the country and mainly concentrated in the Mashonaland East and Central, Manicaland, Masvingo and Midlands provinces. The most common forms of politically motivated human rights violations in the period January 2012 to June 2012 were intimidation and assault. The parties involved in most cases were MDC T and Zanu PF members. The 2008 political violence that left close to 250 people dead and thousands displaced was, in the period under review, used as a tool for continued intimidation and harassment. A number of communities reported that those who are responsible for the intimidation taking place continue to tell the targeted victims that a repeat of what happened in 2008 or worse victimization can happen to anyone perceived to be "hard headed and not prepared to repent".

In the period January to June, one politically motivated murder of Cephas Magura, an MDC member was recorded in Mudzi in Mashonaland East province. In a commendable show of force, state law enforcement agents arrested six suspected ZANU PF supporters implicated in the murder. Politicisation of food distribution and other Government support programmes in drought prone areas has been recorded every month especially in Zaka and Buhera. Political power struggles are then used to influence who gets the handouts and in some cases Non Governmental Organizations who would have donated these handouts are not aware of the underlying politicking that happens in beneficiary selection and assume all is well. Traditional leaders particularly village headmen and village heads have played significant roles in manipulation of food aid and other forms of support.

Areas Covered:

• Mashonaland Central - Chaona, Mt Darwin, Mazoe, Chiweshe, Muzarabani
  Manicaland - Mutasa, Makoni, Buhera, Nyanga
• Mashonaland East - Mutoko, Hwedza, Murehwa, Mudzi
• Matebeleland - Bulawayo
• Midlands - Gokwe, Kwekwe
• Masvingo - Mwenezi, Zaka, Gutu

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