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Violence on the rise
Community Tolerance Reconciliation and Development (COTRAD)
October 04, 2012

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and various stakeholders who set up a committee to deal with violence in the electoral cycle have a daunting task as violence is on the rise in most of the volatile areas of Zimbabwe including Masvingo as a province. Political parties in Masvingo are moving in at an alarming pace to clamp down the space in order to infiltrate with their various ideologies ahead of the constitutional referendum.

Masvingo North Constituency yesterday witnessed one of the black days as youth officers and recently graduated recruits from the Zimbabwe National army from 4.1 Battalion in Masvingo besieged a constitutional briefing meeting organized by community leaders in Masvingo North. One of the recruits was identified as Given Pamhirwa and the several youth officers who accompanied him are still at large as the matter is before Masvingo Central Police station.

The victim who had convened the meeting and was heavily assaulted by the alleged ZANU PF thugs is Alfred Lioke an MDC organizing Secretary for Ward 13 Masvingo North Constituency.

The rampant increase is cases of political violence comes at time when the nation is preparing for the stakeholders conference, referendum and possible general elections. Organ of National Healing and the JOMIC have not done enough to address the challenges being faced by communities as they remain marred by politically inspired violence. Furthermore young people continue to play a crucial role in the unleashing of political violence which suggest a lot of mechanisms needs to be implemented in order to mitigate harassment, intimidation, assault and threats. Such mechanisms will go a long way in demilitarizing the youth fraternity which remains highly vulnerable ahead of the elections.

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