Zimbabwe: 2008 Post-harmonised election violence (continued)

A modis vendi for intimidating rural people emerged over time. In some rural areas people were summoned to public meeting where they were threatened with violence and the destruction of their homes should they fail to vote for ZANU-PF's candidate in the presidential run-off, while MDC supporters and activists were told that they would be identified and dealt with in due course; in other areas the same threats were made by canvassing from door to door (Bulawayo Agenda 2008a; Bulawayo Agenda 2008c; Bulawayo Agenda 2008d). These threats were made good through beatings, torture or rape of those identified as opposition members or supporters, sometimes at their homes or, more usually en mass, after they had been abducted and taken to the base camps; on many occasions victims were denied access to medical treatment (ZPP 2008b).

Threats of violence, beatings and destruction of homes displaced many people, often entire families. In Chipinge East 50 families fled their homes, while in Chakari Mashonaland West attacks by a ZANU-PF aligned gang led to 50 people fleeing to the bush and hiding there, while death threats forced MDC activists in other areas to flee (ZPP 2008a; Bulawayo Agenda 2008d; Bulawayo Agenda 2008c; Bulawayo Agenda 2008a).

Between 18 and 25 May 16 people were abducted in various parts of the country, and one was tortured to death while another was hospitalised (Bulawayo Agenda 2008b; ZPP 2008b; ZPP 2008c). The destruction of homes and businesses by fire continued to be reported and between 8 and 25 May with at least 40 houses and a shop being destroyed in this way; nine of them, belonging to ZANU-PF supporters, in retaliatory attacks by MDC supporters (ZPP 2008a; ZPP 2008b; ZPP 2008c; Bulawayo Agenda 2008c). The ZPP reported the killings of a further 5 MDC members or suspected sympathisers, some beaten to death over an extended period of time, between 11 and 18 May (ZPP 2008a; ZPP 2008b). The bodies of four MDC activists abducted in Mashonaland were found dumped and mutilated days later (Bulawayo Agenda 2008b).

National observers deployed by ZESN continued to come under attack throughout the rural areas, being subject to the same treatment as MDC members and supporters described above (ZPP 2008e; ZESN 2008). Teachers, many of whom served as electoral officials during the harmonised election, have been subjected to public humiliation and beatings in front of their pupils resulting in many of them fleeing their areas and schools being closed as a result (ZPP 2008a; ZPP 2008d). In Manama, however, when faced with this threat, senior students armed themselves to ward off such an attack and so it failed to materialise (Bulawayo Agenda 2008c).

After the announcement of the date of the presidential run-off on 16 May (see Presidential run-off) Veritas (2008) expressed concern at the conditions under which the run-off would be held: "Both the extent and severity of post election violence are escalating alarmingly and the number of election-related deaths are increasing. There have been detentions and beatings of election agents from the March 29 poll. The displacement of large numbers of people is continuing and there are no facilities for internally displaced persons to vote. All this, together with the attribution of violence to State agents, does not make for an environment conducive to a free and fair election".

The leaders of the opposition MDC were subject to state harassment in the second half of May. On 12 May a member of the National Assembly was arrested on charges of public violence and on the 21 May two other members of the National Assembly were arrested for inciting violence and stirring revolt in the ranks of the police respectively (Sibanda 2008). On the 25 May two members of parliament and two civic leaders were arrested the Public Order and Security Act for holding an illegal political gathering after convening a community meeting (Sebatha 2008).

Senior members of the MDC were also abducted and some murdered. On 24 May the body of an MDC candidate for Senate who had been abducted on 22 May was found on a farm in Goromonzi, while a local council candidate who had been abducted in the same area in the same week remained missing (Karimakwenda 2008). The MDC claimed that by the 26 May 2008 number of members and supporters killed in violent attacks since the 29 March elections had reached 50 people (Mail & Guardian 2008). A spokesperson for the MDC said: "The perpetrators of this violence have devised a new strategy where they abduct key members of the party, and after some days you find the victims dead" (Mail & Guardian 2008).

References

BULAWAYO AGENDA 2008a "The Daily Agenda", 21 May.

BULAWAYO AGENDA 2008b "The Daily Agenda", 22 May.

BULAWAYO AGENDA 2008c "The Daily Agenda", 19 May.

BULAWAYO AGENDA 2008d "The Daily Agenda", 20 May.

SEBATHA, L 2008 "4 jailed for holding meeting without police clearance", 28 May, ZimOnline, [www] http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=3229 [opens new window] (accessed 29 May 2008).

SIBANDA, T 2008 "Two MDC parliamentarians arrested", SW Radio, 22 May, [www] http://www.swradioafrica.com/news210508/MDC210508.htm [opens new window] (accessed 28 May 2008).

KARIMAKWENDA, T 2008 "Zimbabwe: Abducted MDC Candidate Jani Found Dead", SW Radio Africa, 26 May, [www] http://www.swradioafrica.com/news260508/jani260508.htm [opens new window] (accessed 29 May 2008).

MAIL & GUARDIAN 2008 "MDC says 50 killed in violent attacks", 27 May, [www] http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=340306&area=/breaking_news/ breaking_news__africa/ [opens new window] (accessed 28 May 2008).

VERITAS 2008 "Bill Watch 20/2008", 17 May, Legal Brief [www] http://www.legalbrief.co.za/article.php?story=20080519095937766 [opens new window] (accessed 19 May 2008).

ZESN 2008 "ZESN Continues To Receive Distressing Reports On Observers Attacks", 23 May, [www] http://www.swradioafrica.com/pages/zesn260508.htm [opens new window] (accessed 28 May 2008).

ZPP 2008a "Information Alert 10", 16 May.

ZPP 2008b "Information Alert", 19 May.

ZPP 2008c "Information Alert", 25 May.

ZPP 2008d "Information Alert", 23 May.

ZPP 2008e "Information Alert 20", 1 July.