EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
ABOUT ZPP
The Zimbabwe Peace Project recorded an increase in the
total number of political violence cases from 178 in
September to 189 in October. Cases involving intimidation
and harassment contributed to the tally as there was a rise
from 119 to 126. These were spurred on by the ongoing
Biometric Voters’ Registration (BVR) exercise where
political activists, traditional leaders and other political
players
have
been
intimidating
people
through
misinformation that BVR is a surveillance tool that will be
used to smoke out people who do not vote ‘wisely’ in the
2018 elections. Cases of harassment have been mainly
around the demanding of voter registration slips to record
serial numbers or forcing of people to register to vote or
attend political meetings.
The approaching farming season has also contributed to an
increase in cases of intimidation and harassment as well as
discrimination as cases of discrimination have increased
from 21 to 31. Most cases involve Zanu PF activists or
drop of intra-party violence from 7 to 3 and all cases were
traditional leadership omitting opposition supporters on lists
reported in Zanu PF.
for farming inputs food assistance.. There has been a
complete politicization of government aid programmes.
Nearly sixty nine percent (68.9%) of the perpetrators were
Those implicated include party district chairpersons, village
said to be affiliated to the ruling Zanu PF party which is a
heads and youth officers.
slight decrease from last month’s almost seventy percent
(69.5%) while approximately ten percent (9.6 %) of
In October Harare had the highest number of violations at
perpetrators had unknown affiliations. At least twenty one
37 cases followed by Manicaland at 25. The unusual rise of
percent (20.6 %) of perpetrators were Zimbabwe Republic
violations in cases of violence in Harare is a reminder that
Police officers an increase from about fourteen percent
political violence in not just a preserve for the rural areas
(14.1%) in September. This is because police were very
and is indicative of the tensions lying ahead in the campaign
active in October in ‘Operation’ restore order which targeted
period. This escalation however is most likely as a result of
vendors for removal from the streets of most urban areas.
the running battles between police and vendors and also the
The heavy handed tactics used by police resulted in an
Chitungwiza political violence case where people were
increase in human rights violations. Police were also active
assaulted and had their properties destroyed. There was a
in denying citizens their right to freedom of assembly and
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