On 27 October the Mutoko Registrar General's department
was at Masitsi Primary School assisting villagers to secure
national
identification
cards and
birth
certificates
in
preparation for the Biometric Voters Registration. Zanu PF
youths known as village development officers were tasked to
mobilise villagers for the exercise. The Zanu PF youth
(VIDCOs) were led by Givemore Chirova and Patience
Chimuriwo. The VIDCOs started forcing people to pay $0.20.
Those who had successfully secured new documents were
forced to pay $0.20 on the pretext that the money would be
used to buy lunch for the Registrar General's staff. Winston
Jumbe and Stempasi Nyazure felt short-changed and
confronted the Registrar General who told them that their
office had given them lunch. Jumbe and Nyazure were
threatened by Chimuriwo for asking why people were being
forced to pay for a free service.
Mujai villagers in Mudzi ward 8 were forced to produce their
voters’ registration slips on 28 and 29 October by Zanu PF
district members. It is alleged that Memory Nyatsine and
Lelien Jim forcefully took down serial numbers from Mujai
villagers voters’ registration slips. Villagers were intimidated
and were told that the serial numbers taken would help Zanu
On 25 October Agrippa Kazingizi a Zanu PF supporter and
PF to weed out opposition supporters in the village, after the
farm manager at Warrendale Farm ward 17 was intimidated
2018 elections. Among the villagers who were forced was
by Smart Phiri an MDC-T supporter. It is alleged that
Marcia Raradza* and Cosmas Mombe*. Nyatsine and Jim are
Kazingizi was intimidated and threatened by Phiri because he
said to be part of the Zanu PF syndicate charging villagers to
is said to be a Zanu PF member living in an MDC-T
secure proof of residence.
stronghold.territory. Kazingizi was verbally threatened with
eviction. He was told that he should either join MDC-T or
leave the farming area and failure to comply would result in
him meeting his fate after the 2018 elections. Kazingizi did
not comply with Phiri’s demands.
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