Zimbabwe Peace Project

October 2016
Human Rights Violations
MONTHLY MONITORING REPORT

Intimidation and vote buying: Precursor to the
2018 elections

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2016_10 October Monthly Monitor Report

Monthly Monitoring Report

Executive Summary: Clientelism, political intimidation and vote buying in Zimbabwe have become a structural phenomenon, part of the local political culture as demonstrated in the by-elections that have taken place this year. In most cases campaign irregularities are targeted at the urban and rural poor who have limited access to resources like land and basic commodities like food. The Norton pre-election environment points to a disturbing trend of vote buying and intimidation which is a dangerous precursor to the 2018 elections. The trend has been noted in most of the by-elections that have taken place between 2013 and 2016. The by-elections were largely necessitated by the MDC-T booting out members of parliament that had defected to People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and dismissal of Zanu PF legislators that were accused of joining Joice Mujuru’s faction. ZPP has, through its monitoring mechanisms, realised that some of the elections have not been marked by overt physical violence but almost all have recorded a large number of cases of intimidation, harassment and discrimination prior to a by-election. ZPP has noted that the use of intimidation has been juxtaposed to clientelism and vote buying. The ruling Zanu PF has created and sustained a complex web through which ruling party officials (as patrons) offer land and food to voters (clients) in exchange for votes and political support. Voters who share opposing views or are suspected to be sharing opposing views are denied access to land and food. Zanu PF officials in most cases took advantage of their access to food aid, agricultural inputs and residential stands to lure voters. This was the case in the Norton by-election where independent candidate Temba Mliswa won the election against Ronald Chindedza of Zanu PF and David Choga from the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) in an election marked by interparty violence, intimidation, discrimination, abduction and assault. Prior to the election, ZPP noted various cases of vote buying through the use of food aid and residential stands. Food aid and residential stands were distributed and witnessed by senior government and ruling party officials and benefitted only Zanu PF supporters. The by-elections across the country have set a bad precedent ahead of the 2018 elections and have also heightened political tensions. Previous elections have been characterized by overt violence but the covert forms of violence which characterized some by-elections are equally worrying as the intimidation can escalate to open violence. The use of residential stands and food also distorts the electoral field and denies those in need (but with differing political views) equal access to much needed resources. In spite of the violations related to the Norton by-election, ZPP recorded a sharp drop of 655 victims of politically motivated violence from 1320 in September and 1416 in August. The drop resonates with the June and July statistics that stood at 356 and 647 victims respectively. The violations documented at provincial level also show that there has been a decrease. During the month of October nine provinces reported less than 30 cases with Mashonaland West reporting the highest violations ranging between 30 and 60 cases. In August, however, seven provinces reported less than 30 violations and in September there were six. During August and September Harare had the highest violations as over 90 cases were reported during both months. While the victims by political party have not remained constant, MDC-T has had its members as the majority of victims. In August MDC-T had 13.5% victims and in October the number has grown by 5.1% while Zim PF victims have reduced from 6.4% in August to 2.1% in October. Zanu PF victims have also reduced from a constant 2% in August and September to 0.8% in October. The list of identified perpetrators still comprises of groups such as war veterans, Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) and Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO). This month ZRP perpetrated 6.1% of reported violations as compared to 34.2% in August and 46.7% in September. ZNA as perpetrators also reduced from 8.3% in August, 7.3% in September to 5.2% in October. Zanu PF stood out as perpetrator of 61.5% of cases having increased by 21.8% in the previous month. The number of perpetrators took a sharp dip from 578 and 967 in August and September, respectively, to 330 in October. The violations recorded in October totalled 186 having reduced by 110 from 296 violations reported in September and 321 reported in August. October recorded the least number of of violations (186) compared to 253 in July, 321 in August and 296 in September. On the contrary, during October, a time when most parts of the country were receiving food aid from the Department of Social Welfare delivered at Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depots in some areas, there was reportage of the largest number of food violations. It is unfortunate that such a rise in food violations is coming at time when Zimbabwe faces one of the most severe lean seasons in the last few decades due to the impacts of last season’s El Niño-induced drought. The numbers have increased to 52 cases of unfair food distribution in October from 28, 21, 35 and 37 cases in June, July, August and September, respectively. It is anticipated that as the lean season has set in and Zimbabwe heads towards the 2018 elections and Zanu PF persists with vote buying, the food violations will continue to increase. On October 24, the Minister of Public Service Labour and Social Welfare, Prisca Mupfumira, convened a multi sectoral meeting meant to address deficiencies in the mitigation response to the effects of the El Nino induced drought. In her address to the participants she acknowledged that the Ministry had thought it best to convene the meeting as there were growing concerns about the modalities of distribution of food to those who required it. Although the Minister disputed the authenticity of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission Report on politicisation of food some participants in the meeting advised the Minister to seriously consider such accusations as a growing number of people were complaining of the practise. Prior to the meeting, ZPP had written to Minister Mupfumira seeking clarity over the criteria used to determine beneficiaries of food aid in Norton. In response, the minister said that the distribution was impartial and added that ZPP would get the fuller details at the stakeholders’ meeting. There were fourteen (14) prominent rights that were recorded as breached during October. The most commonly breached, in descending order, were freedom of association, right to food, right to personal security, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. The least violated rights in the month under review were the right to demonstrate and petition, right to education, right to access information, freedom from torture and the right to human dignity. The right to freedom of association was violated 50 times, right to food 40 times while the right to personal security, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly were violated 12, 8 and six times. The most human rights violations were recorded in Mashonaland West and East with Bulawayo, Manicaland and Masvingo also recording a high number of human rights violations. In September the most violated human rights were right to food (25 cases),freedom of association (24 cases), freedom of expression (16 cases) freedom of assembly (11) and the right to personal security (5 cases). Cases where the freedom of assembly, expression and association are violated where high in October partially because of the interruptions that were witnessed at public hearings. The Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Portfolio Committee led by Hon Jessie Majome held the public hearings that were facilitated by the Election Resource Centre (ERC) after it led the filing of a petition on electoral reforms in parliament. Gwanda and Gweru reported peaceful meetings while the ones held in Bulawayo, Mutoko and Mutare were disrupted by mainly Zanu PF supporters.

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2016_10 October MMR.pdf
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