waiver could have been sought until the health sector challenges had been addressed. Additionally,
government reportedly spent upwards of ZWL4 million to fund the anti-sanctions march on the 25th of
October 2019. These two aspects are just but a few actions by a government that seems to lack informed
decisions and is far removed from the issues affecting its citizens.
In October, intimidation and harassment were the most prominent violations with a total of 193 recorded
cases. These are mostly related to the anti-sanctions march as people were coerced into joining the march.
Discrimination mostly related to food and other aid distribution was the second leading violation with 36
cases. Mashonaland Central is the leading province in human rights violations with 46 cases recorded,
followed by Harare with 34 violations while Manicaland and Masvingo both recorded 23 cases.
Case File Highlights
The increasingly repressive state of affairs in Zimbabwe was clearly evident during the course of the
month, notably the swift and brutal manner with which state institutions suppress dissent. As has earlier
been highlighted, two people lost their lives in October at the hands of police officers who, according to
the constitution have a mandate to protect life and property. This heavy handed approach was also noted
when police discovered 256 Anti-Riot and municipal police helmets on the 12th of October 2019 at
Robinson House in Central Harare. Earlier, police had clashed with vendors the same day and some ran
into the basement of Robinson House leading to the discovery of the helmets. The accusations and counter
accusations emanating from that incident proved futile when it was discovered that they were legally
purchased at ABC Auctions by Michael Chibwe who owns a security company. Following this incident,
police barricaded Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Headquarters Morgan Tsvangirai House on
the 14 of October 2019, merely because Robinson House, where helmets were found, was close to MDC
building.
When the MDC spoke about a likely demonstration on 24 October the eve of the anti sanctions march, the
police also barricaded the area around the MDC headquarters. Police also set up roadblocks along major
roads such as Bishop Gaul and Samora Machel Avenue, in Kuwadzana along Bulawayo road and along
Chitungwiza Town highway. People were being searched and asked to produce national identity cards;
failure to produce resulted in some citizens being harassed and forced to go and collect their IDs.
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