Major Highlights
On August 17, a Zanu PF member and legislator for Gokwe-Nembudziya Justice
Mayor Wadyajena was arrested on fraud and money laundering allegations involving
the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe payments illegally used to purchase trucks worth
over USD$5 million. Another Zanu PF member and legislator for Chegutu West
Dexter Nduna was on August 24th arrested for leading and influencing a foiled land
invasion of Risboro Farm in Chegutu, Mashonaland West. Both Wadyajena and Nduna
were effortlessly granted bail not more than 2 days after their arrests. Members of
the opposition party CCC Job Sikhala and Godfrey Sithole’s application for removal
from further remand was dismissed on the 22nd of August and they have now spent
over 80 days in prison. Job Sikhala faces charges of inciting to cause public violence
under the Criminal Law and Codification Act as a result of a speech he allegedly
delivered following the discovery of the dismembered body of slain CCC activist,
Moreblessing Ali. Ali’s mutilated body was found in a well 18 days after she went
missing. On 19 August, the High Court of Zimbabwe dismissed the bail appeal for 14
Nyatsime detainees, denying them the constitutional right to bail. The prompt release
of Zanu PF-aligned individuals compared to the continued incarceration of members
of the opposition CCC shows the partiality of the justice system.
Between the 5th-12th of August ZPP recorded several cases whereby villagers were
forced to surrender their national identity documents (IDs) by village heads
following an instruction allegedly issued by Zanu PF. Village heads conducted various
community meetings where they made villagers surrender their identity cards or
birth certificates. This is in direct contravention of Section 281 of the Constitution
which states that traditional leaders must not be members of any political party or in
any way participate in partisan politics and must not act in a partisan manner or
further the interests of any political party or cause.
The Zimbabwe Peace Project
Monthly Monitoring Report
4