Another major cause of conflict is lack of tolerance for political diversity in our society. It has
been reported that Tendai Biti of the newly formed People’s Democratic Party was humiliated
in St Mary’s after being booed as he tried to address a rally.
•
On 12 August 2015, a fight almost broke out between Zanu PF youths and MDC-T
youths when the latter wanted to attack a man who had fixed a community borehole in
Section 4, Kambuzuma. The man wanted residents to pay R5 (five South African
Rands) per household for drawing water from the borehole and MDC-T youths would
have none of it. The Zanu PF youths intervened and supported that the man should be
paid for the services. The man had been locking the borehole and would only allow
those who had paid to draw water from it. A vicious verbal altercation ensued which
almost led to a fistfight amongst members of the two parties over the matter.
•
A meeting was held in Kuwadzana by Western Suburbs Housing Union, which is made
up of Zanu PF housing cooperatives on 2 August 2015. The chairperson of the Union,
one Banda, indicated that no other political party should get land except for members
of the ruling Zanu PF. The meeting, which went on from 8:45 to 10:30 am, was attended
by about 70 people and Zanu PF slogans were chanted throughout the proceedings. At
the meeting Banda indicated that anyone found allocating land to MDC-T members
would be expelled from Zanu PF. Banda is reported to have also addressed members
of three housing cooperatives in July 2015 where he allegedly shared the same
message.
•
Glen View South Zanu PF legislator, Pius Madzinga, reportedly allocated residential
stands at Ushewokunze to youths who campaigned for him in the June by-elections
leaving out other youths who apparently he felt had not contributed to his electoral
victory. Youths who were not allocated stands are accusing Madzinga of discriminating
against them and giving stands to the ones that were violent during the campaign. One
of the youth is said to have confirmed that the youths who got stands are the violent
ones who are stationed at the terror base. One woman, who was left out, complained to
a ZPP monitor that Madzinga used them during the June election campaign. A total of
16 youths had stands allocated to them on 26 August 2015.
•
On 13 August 2015, some Zanu PF women barred Chipo (not real name) a resident of
the area from attending a meeting to discuss allocation of home industry stands in Area
J Mufakose. One, Thelma Hombiro, castigated Chipo accusing her of being an MDC-T
member.
Chipo pleaded with her accusers claiming that she was no longer in the
MDC-T party but the other women remained unmoved. The group of Zanu PF women
were meeting to deliberate on their take-over of the area that used to house home
industry before it was destroyed during the Murambatsvina clean-up of 2004. They
were plotting to share the stands amongst their numbers even though there was no
council approval to that effect.
•
On 14 August 2015, a council surveyor was turned away from Nyatsime area in St
Mary’s by Zanu PF members who have since allocated themselves stands. The council
worker was looking for pegs that are used by council to demarcate stands when
suddenly 10 people mobbed him and told him in no uncertain terms to leave.
Overpowered, the surveyor left. In the area Zanu PF members are illegally allocated
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