Resist, Reject and Report Violence, #RRRV2023
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Key Findings and
Mitigation Measures
Partisan Policing
CCC MPs reported that the police were banning their feedback meetings. They stated that the feedback meetings to
constituencies, which form part of government work, have been banned since last year with the police invoking the
Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MOPO). The feedback meetings are meant to inform constituencies of what
would have transpired in Parliament and pending government programmes thus providing a key opportunity for
representatives and the electorate to interface. On the other hand, Zanu PF MPs are said to be holding meetings and
campaigns undisturebed, not only in their constituencies, but also in areas represented by opposition legislators.
This was confirmed by Dangamvura legislator Prosper Mutseyami, who is the CCC chief whip in Parliament. Speaker
of Parliament Jacob Mudenda responded stating that he was not aware that opposition MPs were being denied a
chance to meet their communities on parliamentary business. One of the MPs, whose meeting was banned was
Mbizo MP, Settlement Chikwinya who received a police notification late last year on 22 December stating that his
application to hold a parliamentary feedback meeting at Mbizo Parliament Offices in Kwekwe was not cleared. Police
have reportedly banned over 50 constituency meetings organised by the CCC, citing MOPO. Towards the end of 2022
ZPP after visiting a number of provinces among them Matebeleland North, Bulawayo, Midlands, Mashonaland Central,
Mashonaland East and Manicaland established that opposition CCC was not being allowed to have meetings in local
communities. The citizens had been grafted into cell structures of Zanu PF and were expected to attend meetings
convened by traditional leaders. This situation from the wide-ranging interviews held was causing a lot of tension
and made most rural areas volatile with growing fear. This is corroborated by a report titled “Electoral
impregnability of the rural constituencies in Zimbabwe” that was published by the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute
(ZDI) on 13 March. The research revealed that opposition political parties and civic groups were struggling to access
rural constituencies due to the politicisation of traditional leaders. According to the research, 76% of the research
participants viewed the rural constituencies as not freely accessible to the opposition and civil society who want to
carry out their election related activities. This suggested that traditional leaders generally facilitate the
impregnability of the rural constituency.
Recommendations
1. There is need for Independent Complaints mechanism to be operationalised so as to deal with some of the
issues that citizens are facing when it comes to misconduct on the part of members of security forces.
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MARCH 2023
The Zimbabwe Peace Project Monthly Monitoring Report