South constituency. The thatched home was said to be under police guard at the farm
compound where Malukula’s parents were formerly employed as farm workers.
According to Malukula he has been taken twice to Bindura by Central Intelligence
Organisation (CIO) officers who tried to force him to withdraw his candidature in the
election where he was up against Advocate Martin Dinha of Zanu PF. Malukula said
he escaped twice by running away from the CIO offices. It is reported that the police
officers guarding his parent’s house tried to convince his parents to talk to him to
withdraw from contesting in the by-elections but he refused. Malukula’s right to stand
for election for public office was violated as the CIO was forcing him to withdraw his
candidature. His parent’s right to privacy was also violated by the presence of the
police.
On 16 June 2016, Mvurwi police detained the RDZ candidate Malukula over their
party's symbol. This was after the Zanu PF candidate Dinha lodged a complaint with
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to disqualify Malukula over the use of an eagle as
his party symbol. He was detained for 3 hrs and released after the intervention of a
lawyer. The RDZ through their lawyer asked ZEC and Zanu PF to approach the courts
as they said they registered the party with that symbol and had never had any
problems in other by-elections.
At Masembura Secondary School in Bindura South it is reported that Abraham
Mhembere the Zanu PF ward chairperson and Mark Chihuri a war veteran dismissed
Clara Mushonga from the School Development Committee (SDC). Clara is an MDCT supporter and was told by the two men that she was not fit to sit in the SDC because
of her affiliation to the MDC-T. The incident is reported to have happened on 8 June
2016.
It is reported that the voter registration of the Mazowe North by-election that ended
on 8 June was politicised. Letters of proof of residence in farms were issued by Zanu
PF chairpersons. This exercise was meant to instil fear in the electorate for them not
to exercise their democratic right. A resident Joe Shumba* went to register at Dhawe
farm and was asked to get a letter from the party secretary named Simon Chakanetsa
who perpetrated violence at his home in 2008. He refused to register and asked the
ZEC staff to give him an affidavit and also told the Agricultural Extension Officer
Mrs Magwenya who holds the farmers’ register for Dhawe farm to assist him but
she refused. Mrs Magwenya is reported to have told Shumba to get the letter from
Chakanetsa leading to a disagreement between the two until the ZEC official ordered
them to register him after Magwenya had confirmed that Shumba was a plot holder in
the area. An eyewitness Adel Moyo* confirmed the incident.
After the ZEC voter registration exercise, Zanu PF held a meeting at Pembi Chase
farm in ward 26 and the meeting was chaired by unknown party officials from
Guruve. The officials gave orders to the farm leadership to go into every household
to conduct another Zanu PF registration for all who are eligible to vote in the byelection. They also talked about listing the electorate who are mostly former farm
workers in their numbers who they should follow on voting day. The majority of the
farm workers are said to have started panicking as a result of the intimidation. The
farm workers were also threatened with eviction from the farm compound if anyone
was caught ‘offside’. They were told that they were staying at the farm because of
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