teachers. When such individuals are “assisted” to vote, this casts suspicion on the
integrity of the vote.
The direct impact of fear can be explained by the unusually high numbers of assisted
voters in some constituencies. Unfortunately domestic, regional and international
organizations do not invest in documenting the actual reasons for such high numbers of
assisted voters. Some of the provinces that recorded high numbers of assisted voters in
2013 have also in the past correspondingly recorded high numbers of cases of violence,
torture, displacements and intimidation.
Causes and Indicators of Fear in Communities
In many of the rural communities, notable opinion leaders such as teachers, district
officials, councillors and village heads are also equally affected by violence. Teachers,
notably, have been victims of violence in previous years and some who worked for the
election administration body were arrested and charged with electoral fraud in 2008. This
instilled fear in teachers and civil servants. In some areas, conversations were dominated
by a few individuals or those that were mandated to speak. This was evident during the
Constitution reform exercise where a few individuals were coached to present key talking
points that resonated with ideas of certain political parties. As an example the Law
Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) protested that “coaching" people stifled free participation
thereby negating the principles of inclusivity and openness. Effectively, the participation
in the Constitution-making process was not self-driven but coerced. The Constitution
outreach and the referendum were arguably precursors of what was to come in the
elections with political parties using the exercise to gauge the effectiveness of fear in
influencing the voting patterns of the electorate.
Instigators of Fear
The source of fear past and present is debated in Zimbabwe’s narrative. Victims and
perpetrators all have different narratives of the sources, reasons, causes and facts. From
the interviews, the main source or instigators of fear in rural communities are the
traditional leaders and traditional structures. Traditional leaders have a statutory
recognition passed in 2000 after years of being sidelined by the post independence
government. During their existence in the absence of central government interference and
increased political contestation, traditional structures appeared neutral and balanced.
Chiefs, village heads and kraal heads were respected and not feared. Increasingly in some
communities traditional leaders are feared while in a few communities they still remain
the vanguards of traditional practices and community cohesion.
During the elections and campaign periods, individuals not resident in those communities
are reportedly brought in by political parties. These external actors are also mentioned as
sources of intimidation but operating with the approval of local leadership. Individuals
employed by state institutions such as district officials, police officers, soldiers and
perceived intelligence operatives are also cited as instigators of violence. The use or
abuse of state institutions and individuals in carrying out acts of intimidation has eroded
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