Constitutional meetings rendered pointless by ZANU-PF intimidation

Written by Swradio africa

Thursday, 29 July 2010 07:16

Many participants and observers have lost faith in the constitutional outreach meetings that were meant to gather the opinion of Zimbabweans on constitutional issues, due to intimidation and violence perpetrated by ZANU-PF sponsored elements. (Pictured)

The presence and aggressive behaviour of ZANU-PF supporters, youth militia, CIO agents and soldiers at the meetings is frightening those who want to express ideas opposed to the philosophy of Robert Mugabe's party. This intimidation has rendered the largely donor-funded exercise pointless and any result from it will not reflect the true wishes of Zimbabweans.

Although no specific date for elections has been announced yet, MDC officials and party supporters are already beginning to show the same symptoms that they displayed before the March 2008 elections, when ZANU-PF unleashed its campaign of violence against the opposition.

Fearing reprisals by ZANU-PF, many MDC have said that they prefer to keep quiet at the meetings and that they don't bother reporting incidents to the police. Some MDC officials are also beginning to withhold their names when reporting incidents to the press.

In their latest report, the Zimbabwe Peace Project observed that many torture bases had been reactivated, particularly in Manicaland, since the outreach programme began. Torture bases have been reported in Headlands, Mugadza Village 19B; Matezwa in Chipinge South; and in Chimanimani West at Mutidzawanda and Cashel Valley. The report also said that the losing ZANU-PF candidate for Nyanga South has set up a torture base at Sedze.

An MDC official in Mazowe, who chose to withhold her name, said the fear was tangible at the outreach meeting that took place on Tuesday at Concession.
She told SW Radio Africa that ZANU-PF youths from outside the area demanded that the meeting be stopped so that they could interrogate a male participant, who had stood up to ask for a pen. Eventually one of the women questioned who the youth were and what area they had come from. Faced with a reversal of fortune, the youth got into several cars and drove off.

More reports of harassment at constitutional outreach meetings were received from Pishai Muchauraya, the MDC-T spokesperson for Manicaland. He said the outreach meeting scheduled for Tuesday at Mutambara High School in Chimanimani West was cancelled when war vets and ZANU-PF supporters blocked students from participating. They caused so much disruption that officials were forced to reschedule it for another day.

Soldiers and youth militia were bussed to a meeting at Chakohwa Business Centre. The MDC co-chairperson at the meeting, Senator Chabuka, objected to their participation. When she asked that they identify themselves, they
produced membership cards for the Border Gezi youth militia.

A lot of money has gone into funding the teams that are conducting the constitutional outreach meetings countrywide. Facilitators are paid a fee, and their hotel, food and travel expenses are also paid for.

As always, it is ZANU-PF that is sponsoring the violence and causing disruptions.

It remains surprising that so far donors who have sponsored this outreach have not expressed more concern about what is happening and why the MDC continues to be part of what is now so clearly a pointless exercise.

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