Wave after Wave
JUNE 2021
2.3
Provincial
highlights
Midlands | Coercive mobilisation
On 6 June 2021, Zanu PF representatives were moving around ward 4, section 12 and 13 of
Mbizo Kwekwe listing down people’s names to create Zanu PF cell groups. The group,
comprising of two women and a man informed residents that the lists were also going to be
used for future food distribution programmmes. This goes against food distribution principles
that provide that every deserving beneficiary must get aid regardless of political affiliation.
Masvingo | Health crisis
In Masvingo province, the right to health care was compromised through the lack of COVID-19
vaccines as the province grappled with the increasing number of COVID-19 new positive cases.
The province had one of its districts, Chiredzi, being declared a COVID-19 hotspot. The increase
in cases in Chredzi is attributed mostly to illegal border crossing where nationals from Somalia,
DRC Congo, Rwanda and Ethiopia were now regular users of the illegal route via
Chikwalakwala. More effort needs to be made to tighten the illegal crossing points and help
curb the spread of COVID-19 in the province.
Manicaland | Council hijacked
In Chimanimani, Zanu PF hijacked council works programmes by taking over the
recruitment processes.
Zanu PF local officials took over the recruitment of the general and casual workers for
a road rehabilitation programme that began early June in Chimanimani and they only
took in those who are in the Zanu PF branch structures. The partisan recruitment not
only interfered with the human resources procedures of the council, but also whittled
the power of the council over the workers, who were insubordinate, claiming they
owed their allegiance to Zanu PF and not the council.
All of this is clearly part of the scheme to use all available resources and platforms to
coerce people to join Zanu PF ahead of 2023 in violation of the freedom of
association.
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