Mashonaland Central
Bulawayo
There was a notable reduction in human
rights
violations
in
August
in
Mashonaland Central, as the province
reported 19 cases, compared to 29 in
the previous month. The rights to
personal security, malicious damage to
property, and freedom of assembly and
association were all infringed upon in
August. Notably, a ZANU PF conference,
at which the first Lady Auxilia
Mnangagwa was attending resulted in
municipal police and ZRP damaging the
stalls of informal traders in a bid to tidy
Bindura
town.
Vendors
operating
around
Chipadze
Stadium
were
instructed by vendors for ED Chairman
Mr. Tunje not to show their merchandise
to customers resulting in council
municipal police damaging the stalls of
vendors who did not comply. Around
thirty-five
women
were
affected.
Respecting vendors and figuring out
peaceful means of communication is
vital for the municipal police to avoid
damaging property or interfering with
business operations.
The province of Bulawayo recorded
13 human rights violations, up from
10 in July. Water shortages,
harassment and intimidation of
citizens and arbitrary arrests of
activists
were
among
the
noteworthy
breaches.
Former
senator Gideon Shoko of the
Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC)
in Bulawayo was taken into custody
on August 1 by law and order
investigators from the Criminal
Investigations
Department
in
Bulawayo. Shoko's detention, like
other activists, displayed the state’s
tactics of stifling local dissent by
targeting members of opposition
parties.
The
infractions
raise
concerns
of
the
country’s
commitment to constitutionalism
and the persisting abuse of the law.
Masvingo
The province recorded 29 human rights violations, a sharp rise from the 19
noted in July. Intimidation and harassment, partisan food distribution, and the
right to personal security were among the recorded infractions. In Gutu on
August 13, CCC Coordinator of the Gutu cluster Lloyd Mufudze fled after
discovering that police were planning to detain him on charges of planning a
demonstration. A disturbing trend has emerged where village heads have been
appointed as chairpersons of local cells, tasked with maintaining registers that
catalogue residents' political affiliations. In a climate of fear, many individuals
are coerced into declaring their support for ZANU-PF, a violation of their
political rights. This tactic is a blatant attempt to intimidate and suppress
opposition voices ahead of potential new polls.
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