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Report on politically motivated human rights and food related violations - September/October 2009
Zimbabwe Peace Project
November 27, 2009

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Overview

The report has a bi-monthly focus, covering the months of September and October.

The period under review witnessed resurgences in acts of politically motivated human rights violations. A breach toll of 1986 was recorded, 931 of which were cases recorded in September while 1055 were cases recorded in October, both months showing huge increases in the harassment and assault categories. Harassments and assaults accounted for 1587 cases of the total violations recorded, scenarios that cast a bad omen for the country's human rights profile.

2793 people were recorded as victims, the bulk [1513] being members of the MDC T while 730 were Unknowns, 529 ZANU PF, 19 MDC and 4 State. This trend maintained when the victim profile was analyzed in terms of gender spread by party affiliation. Of the 1932 male victims recorded, 1189 were MDC T, 314 were ZANU PF, 12 MDC, 3 State and 414 Unknowns while out of the 687 female victims recorded, 319 were MDC T, 66 ZANU PF, 5 MDC, 1 State and 296 Unknown. This victim spread should be viewed with utmost concern as within this pool are vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, the sick and the disabled.

The period under review also recorded a figure of 3918 perpetrators, the majority of which were members of ZANU PF. In fact, of the 3918 perpetrators recorded in the period under review, 2251 were ZANU PF, 414 MDC T,
10 MDC, 109 State and 111 Unknowns. This trend remained consistent when the gross figure was analyzed in terms of gender spread by party affiliation.

These statistical trends have to be understood within the broader picture of the unfolding macro level scenarios within the Inclusive Government which throughout the period under review went through extremely trying times as disagreements on outstanding issues between its major stakeholders, ZANU PF and the MDC T continued to widen by frightening margins. The MDC T ended up adopting the cabinet and council of ministers' meetings boycott route in a desperate attempt to nudge ZANU PF into action on outstanding issues.

Analysis of the circumstances under which most acts were committed in communities [micro level politics] show close links with macro level politics. Most of the violations committed in communities derive their inspiration from the conduct of political business at macro level. In the period under review, members of the public were victimized for commenting on most macro level issues such as the MDC disengagement, arrest of Roy Bennett, changes brought about by the inclusive government. When macro politics tensed up, members of the public in both rural and urban communities became highly protective of their political turf and even quick to resort to violence at the slightest provocation.

Macro level political dynamics also lent a polarized and partisan approach to constitution making and national healing programs, members of the public adopting political rather than issue-based positions on constitutional matters. Under such obtaining scenarios, ordinary disagreements quickly assumed political connotations. For instance an ordinary appreciation of some of the positive changes that have occurred since the formation of the Inclusive Government were generally interpreted as a snub on the political party that was in power before the formation of the inclusive government. For perpetrators it was tantamount to praising the MDC T.

Cases in which members of the public were assaulted simply because they were reported to be associating with their relatives or friends who are members of other political parties were also a common, an indicator of how political polarizations have soiled the entire fabric of social life.

The Kariba Draft issue continued to distract attention from real constitutional issues as pro-ZANU PF organizers were at most meetings quick to take it as an opportunity to instruct villagers to either accept the Kariba Draft or face unspecified actions.

Scrutiny of the specifics of most issues reported suggest the need to refocus human rights monitoring strategies as perpetrators have become more adept and cunning and quick to frame their political targets by falsely accusing them of having committed criminal acts such as cattle rustling. Cases abound where well known victims of the 27 June 2008 elections had tables turned against them by being accused as perpetrators. In Mutoko, there were reports that victims of last year's political violence from the Chimoi area appeared before a Mutoko Magistrate charged with robbery for trying to repossess property forcibly seized by ZANU PF party supporters. This as reported was despite that some of them had signed agreements with repentant former perpetrators who had looted their belongings.

The operational framework of NGOs in the human rights sector remained severely constrained with an almost systematic and uniform approach adopted towards them across the ten provinces. Reports made references to several cases in which constitution awareness workshops by Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights), National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) and others were frequent targets of disruptions by party youths, police and traditional leaders. Traditional leaders were reportedly under extreme pressure from war veterans and the local political leadership with several cases in which village heads were threatened with demotion whenever they were reported to have given permission to human rights activists to conduct workshops in their areas. Reports were also common of cases in which members of the public were summoned to the kraal heads/chiefs' courts for questioning after they were reported to have attended or participated in NGO-initiated workshops.

Unfolding scenarios suggest that forces opposed to the new-order were fast gaining ground and posing potent threats to the consummation of citizen social, political and economic basic rights. Fear remained a common feature in both rural and urban areas.

Since January 2009, a cumulative violations toll of 12 824 cases have been recorded. Since January, acts spread have been heavily leaning towards the harassment, assault, discrimination and displacement categories.

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