is Zanu (PF) and President Robert Mugabe in the country who should be supported ... because he has
done a lot for them,”
A disturbing trend noted in Mashonaland West has been the alleged harassment of civilians after the
discovery of gold deposits. In July gold was discovered in the Chakari area and the inhabitants of the
area where the deposits were discovered were displaced by gold miners with links to the Zanu PF
elites and with the backing and support of the police. After the locals we
were
re displaced, this cartel of
miners began looting the gold with no benefits accruing to the local people. A similar incident was
recorded in Raffingora in June 2015.
In the month under review 2122 violations were recorded by ZPP. This figure has to be analysed
together with the violations perpetrated against thousands of vendors as indicated earlier.
250
200
150
100
50
0
January February March
April
May
June
July
Figure 5: January to July 2015 Violations Figures
PROVINCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Bulawayo
In Bulawayo violations for July decreased
creased by twenty five percent compared to the June figures. The
majority of the incidents were mostly of threats of beatings, intimidation and harassment. Intra
party conflicts
cts within the main two parties Zanu PF and MDC-T continued to occur. Inter party
struggles between the two parties also caused violations of threats of physical harm and
intimidation. The issue of vendors in Bulawayo had not been a major problem as only a few were
selling from undesignated points.
·
·
On 11 July at Methodist Hyde Park village in Pumula’s ward 19
19, a chief election
ion agent for
independent candidate for Pumula was verbally insulted, threatened with beating and was
forced to run for dear life together with his friend by a group of Zanu PF activists who
accused him of lying that their party had rigged elections. Mr. K
Kawanga
awanga had told people who
were celebrating the victory of Zanu PF’s winning candidate MP Godfrey Malaba that he had
evidence of several dead people including his own mother who were still on the voters’ roll
which
hich was used in the June 10 by elections. The situation was later calmed by the arrival of
police details. No arrests were made.
On 16 July 2015 in Ward 10 Entumbane, Gladys Masuku, an MDC- T councilor
ouncilor was harassed
by Zanu PF members who insulted her and told her she should resign and be replaced by a
Zanu PF councilor as she was refusing to give preferential treatment to Zanu PF members in
the distribution of church stands and that she d
did not attend funerals of Zanu PF members.
The councilor denied the allegations of bias towards her party MDC
MDC-T and vowed not to
resign. The perpetrators promised to talk to their party officials to find ways of removing
5