In the same constituency, Chivi Central, an MDC-T party meeting was disrupted by
Wilson Runopanwa on 17 June at Gwitima Business Centre. The MDC-T members
who include Gilbert Kirosi* were discussing party issues when the actor who is a war
veteran approached them and allegedly threatened to beat them up if they continued
with their meeting. He instructed them to immediately disperse if they wanted to
remain alive. The victims complied due to fear although their freedoms of association
and assembly were violated in the process.
In an effort to clamp down on civil rights, the security agents led to an abandonment
of a civil society planned peaceful march on 18 June in Masvingo City. The Masvingo
Residence and Rate Payers Association and other civic bodies wanted to demonstrate
and hand over a petition to the Minister for Provincial Affairs Shuvai Mahofa. The
issues on the petition included high unemployment in the town due to company
closures, the many road blocks on the high way, poor service delivery by the town
council and the concern that the whole of Masvingo City was turning into Great
Zimbabwe University. Many buildings in the city have been converted to lecture
rooms. It is said that the night before the march, influential people including those in
civil society like Gilbert Sibanda of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU)
received threatening messages on their phones of dire consequences if they went
ahead with their march. The following day nobody appeared at Civic centre the venue
and meeting place. However, it must be pointed out the police had been notified of the
march.
On 26/06/16, a ZimPF member Kainos Keche* of Mhandamabwe Chivi Central
was verbally threatened and nearly suffered physical bodily harm at the hands of Zanu
PF members after he had ferried people using his truck from various parts of the
constituency to attend a ZimPF party rally at Mhandamabwe Business Centre that was
addressed by Dzikamai Mavhaire, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti and George Mudombi. The
actors who included Howard Mudungwe, Munashe Pwanyai and Francis Mhomho
accused the victim of aiding the enemy to penetrate the area and thus bring opposition
politics in the constituency.
A Youth Officer Benard Musukutwa (Zanu PF) on 28 June caused drama and
mayhem at Chisungo High school in Bikita East ward 20 when he brought back 20
students who had been sent home to collect fees or bring their parents to the school to
make school fees payment plans. The Youth Officer claimed that he could not allow
the MDC-T dominated School Development Council to abuse the school while they
watched. The students had been asked to collect fees by the school committee
chairperson Femberai Chinofunga who is a former MDC-T councillor for ward 21.
The two exchanged harsh words in the presence of students and the situation
disrupted lessons for a while. In this particular case while Musukutwa was seen as
going against the school, his actions actually demonstrated that he was aware that the
students who were not responsible for paying their own fees had the right to
education. It has been said in the past that schools need to find other means of
ensuring that parents met their obligations in terms of paying fees without denying the
child the right to education.
25