Key Findings and
Mitigation Measures
UNLAWFUL ARREST AND
TARGETING OF HUMAN RIGHTS
LAWYERS
Human rights lawyers constantly fight for the respect
of the rule of law and human rights, and as a result,
find themselves targeted while executing their
professional duties to protect victims of political
violence and assist them in accessing redress. The
arrest of human rights lawyers Douglas Coltart and
Tapiwa Munchineripi, who were representing victims
of abduction and torture, CCC elected Councillor
Womberayi Nhende, and Sanele Mukhuhlani, displays
how the state continuously tries to silence dissent. On
5 July, human rights lawyers Obey Shava and
Chamunorwa Chingwe were brutally assaulted by at
least four men driving a green Mercedes Benz sedan
and a Toyota GD6 in Harare. ZPP condemns the
attack on human rights lawyers and calls for the
respect of their rights, their well-being, labour rights
to execute their professional duties.
Recommendations
1. Reports on instances where the police showed
political bias should be compiled by civil society
organizations and submitted to the Zimbabwe Human
Rights Commission and the Parliamentary Portfolio
Committee on Defence, Home Affairs, and Security
Services for redress.
PARTISAN DISTRIBUTION OF
AGRICULTURAL INPUTS
Those who support the opposition often face
discrimination when it comes to receiving Pfumvudza
and other agricultural and food aid. ZPP has
established that after the elections, some Zanu PF
supporters have been utilizing discrimination and
denying CCC supporters access to developmental
schemes as a means of retaliating against them for
their alleged ties to the opposition party. ZPP has
received reports in Manicaland, Midlands, and
Masvingo where supporters of CCC were told that
they would never benefit from Pfumvudza and that
their names would not be registered on the
beneficiary list. A case was documented in Mutare
North on 30 September 2023. It is alleged that
agricultural extension (Agritex) officers were
instructed by the newly elected MP Admire Mahachi
not to give CCC supporters Presidential inputs.
Reports also indicate that traditional leaders were
instructed to furnish Agritex officials with names of
CCC supporters to have them removed from the lists
of beneficiaries.
Recommendations
1.
CSOs should engage the Ministry of Public
Service, Labour, and Social Welfare to address
incidences of partisan allocation of Pfumvudza inputs.
2. Political players must not be tasked to distribute
government aid rather independent players and nonpolitical players must be given such a role to ensure
that citizens enjoy their right to food freely as
enshrined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
4