Figure 2: MDC-T supporter attacked in Chinhoyi for wearing party regalia
As the balance of powers now appears more settled in Zanu PF
than in the MDC-T, it would appear there will be more cases of
intraparty violence in the MDC-T than in Zanu PF. At the same time, as
the general elections draw closer, cases of interparty violence between
these two dominant parties will likely increase also. ZPP will therefore
continue to monitor the cases of political violence, paying very close
attention to the early indicators of such violence, including inciting and
inflammatory language and hate speech, especially by senior officials.
Happily, there has been very little of that so far.
Discrimination: The cases of discrimination in the period under
review, as observed earlier, mainly related to the partisan distribution
of government aid, mainly agricultural inputs and food aid, in favour of
ruling party supporters. The cases, as observed earlier, have however
been falling gradually, from 57 cases in January to 22 in March. This
gradual decrease is however not by design. It reflects no penance on
the part of the perpetrators. Rather, it is directly connected to the
closing of the agricultural season, when the government hands out free
agricultural inputs. As the agricultural season has been coming to an
end, so too have the cases of discrimination declined.
What is more important to observe however is not the declining
nature of the discrimination cases but rather what the cases represent.
The discriminatory practices, which were implemented by Zanu PF
local leaders virtually across the whole country reveal an entrenched
system of political patronage. The practice suggests that Zanu PF’s old
system of political patronage, which also involves the traditional
leaders, remains intact and will likely fester as the harmonised
elections beckon. Going to the elections, the patronage system will
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