#PROVINCIAL OUTLOOK
MASH
EAST
MASH
WEST
MIDLANDS
Cases of intimidation escalated in Mashonaland East Province.
The majority of the cases were targeting CCC members by
individuals aligned to Zanu PF in Murehwa, Mudzi and Mutoko.
In Mutoko three CCC members were badly injured after being
attacked by Zanu PF activists. Although the case was reported
to the police and the perpetrators are known no arrests have
been made. In Murehwa, Zanu PF activists bragged that their
affiliation to the ruling party puts them above the law. At
Ruwa Business Centre in Goromonzi North, the local council
demolished structures, vending stalls and buildings at the
business centre. The demolitions affected almost 70 small
shops, furniture dealers, and vendors. It is suspected that the
shop owners affected were accused of being opposition
supporters.
In Mashonaland West cases involving the violation of political
rights and freedom of assembly and association also escalated
during the month of July. Zanu PF legislator Mary Chikoko Mliswa
was involved in two violations in which she forced villagers to
convene. On 16 July, in Chinokopota village under chief
Nyamhunga Ward 17 in Hurungwe West, Chikoko Mliswa forced
villagers to chant Zanu PF slogans during what is supposed to be a
non-partisan Ward Development Co-ordinating meeting. A CCC
member who had refused to chant the slogans was told to leave the
meeting.
On 23 July, at Yomba Farm in Ward 3 of Zvimba East, Zanu PF
Zvimba District Coordinating Committee (DCC) officials Goodluck
Mbiri and Spencer Murumahoko convened a meeting with about 80
A1 farmers. During the meeting, Mbiri and Marumahoko told the
farmers that it was the intention of the party to repartition the
farm to allocate some land to some Zanu PF supporters. The
farmers reportedly became violent threatening to torch the DCC
car resulting in the two fleeing.
In the Midlands there was heightened vote-buying in Gokwe
Kabuyuni ahead of the by-election scheduled following the death of
former legislator Leonard Chikomba in June 2022. With Zanu PF and
CCC gunning for the seat, there was vote buying, harassment and
intimidation. For example, the aspiring ruling party candidates
Mukuli, Spencer and Mukahla reportedly dished out money, soccer
balls and party t-shirts to supporters. After the closing of the
nomination court only Zanu PF and CCC will battle it out on August
27, 2022 the date proclaimed by the president for the elections.
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