On September 23, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga's ailing ex-wife
Marry Mubaiwa had part of her right arm amputated at a local healthcare
institution, after several unsuccessful appeals to the courts to have her
passport and get specialised treatment abroad. Mubaiwa is accused of
violating the Marriages Act and attempted murder. The continued targeted
persecution through the prosecution of Marry Mubaiwa shows the failure of
the state to promote and uphold women's rights, including the right to
health. In a case at the Siansundu Clinic in Binga, the persisting water
shortage has led to women bringing buckets of water to access healthcare.
On September 11, a hand grenade is reported to have exploded close to
Gadzema Stadium in Chinhoyi, where CCC leader Nelson Chamisa was
scheduled to address a rally. The opposition party stated that the grenade
thrown from a moving vehicle was an act of intimidation by suspected state
agents and Zanu PF activists. Such acts of violence display high levels of
political intolerance as the country enters into the shadows of the next
election, signifying how potentially violent the election will be.
Religious leaders have become major instigators of human rights violations.
These leaders abuse their congregation members primarily in apostolic and
pentecostal churches. During community activities, the ZPP learned that
several apostolic leaders in Chiredzi Ward 7 take young underage girls to
pray for many days, exposing them to sexual assault and forced marriages at
a young age. In the Mahenye area in Chiredzi, a 13-year-old girl was married
to a prophet named Madzibaba Terminate. While religion unites people from
various backgrounds, it is disheartening that people blindly accept their
leaders' orders despite violating their rights.
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