GUNS
&ROSES
MAY 2021
Provincial
highlights
Mashonaland West
In Mashonaland West, there was a significant number of cases of inter-party violence targeting MDC
Alliance activists and all the 26 recorded cases in May were civil and political in nature.
Zanu PF activists disrupted several MDC Alliance meetings and mobilization processes and this
happened with collusion from law enforcement agents.
In some cases the MDC Alliance activists resisted the disruption of their processes and this only fueled
the conflict.
The Mashonaland West MDC Alliance Secretary Leader Tawanda Bvumo escaped what could have been
an abduction attempt near Chegutu.
Two off-road vehicles blocked Bvumo’s vehicle as he travelled between Musengezi and Chegutu and he
was forced to flee on foot, leaving his vehicle.
Other political activists who were the target of political intimidation and violence include MDC Alliance
officials, Emmanuel Chinazvavana and Edward Dzeka.
On 25 May, Zanu PF youths convened a meeting at Waze Business Centre in Chegutu East and forced
people to form cell groups, stating that their party was going to do everything to win the 2023 election.
Masvingo Province
In Masvingo Province, the highlight of the month is in Zaka, where there is an acute shortage of clean,
safe and potable water and villagers are having to share the few available water sources with livestock
and wild animals.
Eight villages, about 200 households are sharing a single water source that is Mupiri River, which only
flows during the rainy season.
As part of the 2018 election campaign, the current Resident Minister Ezra Chadzamira had promised to
drill a borehole to alleviate the water challenges but this was abandoned.
In addition, ZPP carried out an investigation which established that the Zaka Rural District Council is
grossly incapacitated to meet its obligation to provide water and this is largely because of the
politicization of local authorities, which has crippled service delivery.
Zaka West Ward 24 councilor, Stella Shambira said the area was depending on seasonal river water,
since the borehole installed in the 1980s had collapsed.
Shambira further said that people from the area walk a minimum of 7 km to neighboring wards in
search of clean water.
12