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Reports of people being forced to buy Zanu PF cards or else face possibility of being
excluded from government aid schemes were rampant in the month of September.
On 12 September 2015, some war veterans supposedly led by Clement Mkandla
allegedly threatened a businesswoman in Ward 5 with closure of her business and
other unspecified action for distributing the Ballot, a newsletter from the Zimbabwe
Election Support Network.
Throughout the month there were several reports of villagers being forced to buy Zanu
PF party cards. Villagers were warned that failure to buy the card would result in them
failing to get any government assistance or employment opportunities.
People around Siyansundu Business Centre were in July issued with eviction notices to
pave way for expansion of the centre. They were not offered alternative land or
compensation. The evictions were scheduled to commence soon.
Matabeleland South
Political parties increased their activities and visibility in the province in preparation of
election campaigns for the coming 2018 general elections. In all districts Zanu PF officials were
reportedly ordering people to buy party cards and threatening those who failed to do so with
exclusion from government aid schemes. People view this exercise as fundraising by extortion
as they say government programmes are not party issues, so they must not be forced to buy
party cards as a license to benefit from state initiatives. The Matobo conservancy area was a
major source of conflict as politicians attempted to take it over for resettlement.
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Zanu PF ward chairperson Charles Ncube who is based at Mlaja Area in ward 4
gathered people at Mlaja and told them he wanted them to register for drought relief.
He then told them they had to fill in personal data forms for his party and said only
those on the party register would benefit from future government aid.
Zanu PF activists are reported to have coerced people in ward 15, 16, 10 and 12 to
buy party cards and warning that those who did not have party cards would be left out
of food relief programmes. They said all people should buy the new cards with the
president’s photo on them, including those with old cards.
Midlands
Intra-party violence characterised the politics of Midlands in September in both the two major
political formations – Zanu PF and MDC-T. In Gweru urban and its surroundings two “warring”
factions exist in MDC-T. Amos Chibaya MP for Mkoba allegedly leads a faction nicknamed
“Jatropha” while Sesel Zvidzai supposedly leads the “Masowe” faction. The factions have on
several occasions exchanged verbal assaults.
In Zanu PF, Justice Mayor Wadyajena – MP for Gokwe Nembudziya is believed to front a
faction in the camp of Vice President Mnangagwa; while Jason Machaya, Minister for
Provincial Affairs for the Midlands Province is believed to be the face of “gamatox”. On 28
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