promised residential stands by the ruling party. What was different in these protests
was the manner in which the state responded to the demonstrations. The protests by
non Zanu PF aligned organisations were met with stiff resistance and state
machinery was deployed to crush dissent. However the Zanu PF youths and ‘war
veterans’ were accompanied by the police and no arrests or assaults were noted.
There was a by-election in Mazowe North during the month of July and this election
was symptomatic of the greater electoral challenges faced in the country. Election
days are usually peaceful but preceded by rampant intimidation and politicisation of
food aid. This particular election day was peaceful although on the days leading to it
people in Mazowe North were threatened with assaults and denied food aid if they
voted for the opposition party. Youths were promised residential stands on condition
that they voted for the Zanu PF candidate.
While the protests raged on, the politicisation of food aid continued across the
country. For instance, Member of Parliament for Hurungwe West Mr Keith Guzah
reportedly distributed maize to Zanu PF members of Mashuma district on 8 July
2016. The MP brought 60 bags of maize. It is said the MP told people that the maize
was for those who voted for his party. John Kempo* was denied food aid because he
is not in the party structures and he alleged that the MP said people who did not
support Zanu PF were going to starve to death. In a related case, in Buhera South’s
ward 24 on 23 July four MDC-T activists who had participated in food for work
program were denied access to their food allocation and had to grab the bags by
force.
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