Zimbabwe Peace Project

December 2015
Human Rights Violations
MONTHLY MONITORING REPORT

Supporting the Opposition in Zimbabwe
A Costly Ordeal

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2015_12 December Monthly Monitor Report

Monthly Monitoring Report

Executive Summary: THE price to pay for those who venture into, or are merely suspected of dabbling in or related to those in opposition politics continues to be severe. In a drought-stricken country, with perennial hunger which is expected to be even worse this season than before, most of those linked to opposition parties find they have to pay through their stomachs. With the majority of people in the rural areas, which is inhabited by over 60 percent of the country’s population, facing increased hunger this season; partisan food distribution which excludes those with political affiliations alternative to Zanu-PF has become a cruel tool of punishing those not amenable to the ruling party. Yet politicising food aid and agricultural inputs assistance has become a common phenomena. And the more hunger there is in the country due to drought that has hit the Southern Africa region and other macro-economic deficiencies specific to Zimbabwe, the more vulnerable those associated with opposition politics become. In December 2015 alone, Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) recorded a total of 62 instances of food violations where individuals linked to opposition politics and to a minor extent those Zanu-PF members who were not seen at party meetings were denied food aid. A persistent trend shows such cases being mostly common in the three Mashonaland provinces. With 15 out of the 62 cases, Mashonaland Central had 24% of the cases (almost a quarter). Mashonaland West’s 14 cases made up 23%; and Mashonaland East had 16% with 10 cases. Food and input distributions have opened up ways of exploitation by those in privileged positions who have taken to charging anywhere from US$1 to US$3.50 as transportation fees for either food aid of agricultural inputs donations. Yet, these goods are understood to be for free and in the past no fees have been necessary. This new manipulation has seen those linked to the oppositions in some instances being charged more than Zanu-PF members, which is another literal price they must pay for being associated with the opposition. If citizens linked to the opposition are not paying with their stomachs or for their stomachs for not toeing the Zanu-PF party line, those linked to the opposition do so when it comes to land allocations. Most land allocation in urban Zimbabwe is being undertaken by Zanu-PF cooperatives, a mechanism which systematically excludes those linked to the opposition. So not only are opposition members deprived of food, but they are also even deprived of homes. In certain serious instances some of them are evicted from their homes or land they would have been allocated. Nothing shines the spotlight brighter on the violation of the Freedom of Assembly and Association than these prices that have to be paid by those citizens linked to the opposition. Though the Constitution espouses this right in Chapter Four Section 58, with impunity the ruling party using its vanguards in the form of the youths, traditional leaders ensure unrelentingly that those associated with opposition parties pay and pay dearly. Even when they are elderly, orphaned or vulnerable in other ways as seen month in month out in reports from across the country, they are still made to pay. With such a hefty price to pay, it becomes clear that opposition politics in this country are not for the faint hearted. Reports in the country since the beginning of the new millennium are littered with many who have paid with their lives for diverse political leanings. Yet, an incident in this report shows that as precarious as it might be to resist the pressure to bow to Zanu-PF pressure some still dare. An elderly woman in Murehwa North Ward 5, even at the risk of going without food aid, refused to chant the Zanu-PF slogans she was instructed to do before receiving her allocation. Of course her share was given to others more compliant members of the community. Yet, such steel will exists even amongst the most vulnerable of society. Political intolerance continues to see other violations of harassment and intimidation and even physical assaults and verbal insults as this report shows. A total of 233 violations were captured by ZPP in the month of December alone with a majority of them perpetrated by Zanu-PF and with most cases occurring in Mashonaland West 68 cases(29%) followed by Mashonaland Central with 37 cases (16%). Midlands also rated quite highly with the third highest number of cases at 33 (14%). The month of December also saw the scourge of relentless demolitions persisting. Some 250 homes were razed to the ground by the Harare City Council in December in Budiriro and Aspindale areas leaving hundreds of citizens homeless and stranded. Clearly central and local government is failing in its bid to enable citizens to get secure housing. Yet no compensation is forthcoming from any quarter and many more remain vulnerable across the country in a nation where lawlessness has reigned supreme in the parcelling out of the pieces of land. With all these violations, a few million dollar questions beg answers: where is the protection of citizens supposed to come from? If that protection does not reside in the Constitution, where then?

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2015_12 December MMR.pdf
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