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).
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