Muresherwa is using every trick in the book to take over the seat as Member of Parliament in
the area.
Political intolerance has reached fever pitch levels with civic society groups such as ZPP and
the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum being victimised for doing some civic duties. ZPP
and NGO Forum had their officers held by the police for several hours after they were picked
up during International Peace Day celebrations at Chigavakava Business Centre, Buhera West.
The officers were released without charge. The peace games held on 22 September 2015,
were abandoned only for the organisations to be contacted to travel back to Buhera to finalise
the tournament.
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On 4 September 2015, Innocent Benza of Zanu PF allegedly forced people of wards
11 and 14 to gather at Mutasa District Council offices. Benza addressed about three
thousand people and announced that he was the new MP for Mutasa Central. Even
MDC-T supporters were forced to attend the meeting against their will. The actor
castigated Trevor Saruwaka, MP for the area, for supposedly neglecting people. He
said he was taking over since Saruwaka and MDC-T had failed to bring development
to the constituency. It is important to note that Saruwaka, Innocent Gonese (Mutare
Central) and Prosper Mutseyami (Musikavanhu) remain the only opposition party MPs in
Manicaland.
In a case of political intolerance, on 8 September 2015, Rhoda Muchinji (not her real
name) of Gandi Village Ward 18 in Makoni South was verbally assaulted and called
“spoiler” and sell-out when she appeared at a soccer tournament at Zuze Primary
School putting on MDC-T party regalia. The alleged perpetrator, who was identified as
Mavis Mudowaya, charged at the victim and nearly physically assaulted her before
being restrained by spectators. The soccer tournament had been organised by
Provincial Affairs Minister Mandi Chimene, legislator for the area. The incident took place
even though many people were putting on Zanu PF T-shirts, caps and other regalia.
On 8 September 2015, a non-governmental organisation was forced to temporarily
stop a road rehabilitation exercise on Chinhoro Road after Richard Kudyagura a Zanu
PF chairperson of Ward 9 Buhera North called the organisation and its workers
“puppets”. It is alleged that Kudyagura called all the people involved in the road
construction who included both MDC-T and Zanu PF supporters sell-outs. As a result
of the confrontation, the workers temporarily downed tools due to fear.
On 9 September 2015, Kelvin, Fairfield, Mhandara and Lesbury farms were invaded.
The organisers of the invasion were a Zanu PF “lands committee” parallel party
structure whose members are allegedly Vindex Mhuruyengwe Alphia Inglelesi, Samora
Sibanda and Tafadzwa Nyangobwa. The motive of the invasion was to distribute land
to as many people as possible rather than one person owning the whole farm and
keeping it under-utilised according to the “lands committee”.
On 27 September 2015, Jeffrey Matowe - a war veteran who resides in Nzvenga
Village, Ward 16 in Mutare West allegedly went to Cephas Mudanga’s (not his real
name) homestead at around 5 pm and told the victim that he did not want to see him
at the party restructuring meeting that was to be done the same evening in the village.
Matowe accused the victim of being a People First member. In Manicaland, as in most
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