ZANU PF and its affiliate, Forever Associates Zimbabwe (FAZ), have allegedly threatened to suppress Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) supporters to disrupt planned opposition protests against disputed poll results. The CCC’s spokesperson, Promise Mkwananzi, said the party has received reports of its supporters being trailed and threatened by FAZ members. He told NewsDay on Thursday:
They are all over the place targeting our members and supporters. Some of them (CCC supporters) have gone into hiding.
ZANU PF must abstain from violence and other extra-judicial operations that are meant to harm or kill CCC supporters. CCC is a legal and leading party in Zimbabwe.
Muzarabani South CCC losing candidate Wellington Gweru claimed to have gone into hiding due to targeting by ZANU PF and FAZ members. He said:
I am worried about my polling agents, family, supporters, friends and relatives whom I think are targeted. I am failing to account for one agent.
I was attacked at Goromokwa Farm on my way to a polling station by agents known as Mandi and Rwodzi.
They tracked me everywhere and they attacked my car. I made a police report at Centenary Police Station under RRB 549762. I also failed to transport food to my election agents on polling day.
Reports of CCC supporters in hiding have emerged from various areas including Zaka, Bikita, Umguza and Sanyati. According to reports, Vutisani Mushinyi, the chairperson of the Chilonga irrigation scheme, had fled across the border prior to the August 23 and 24 harmonised elections.
The rise in cases of political violence against CCC supporters comes as the Masvingo Centre for Research, Advocacy and Development (MACRAD) said this week that victims in Chiredzi district have reportedly skipped the border. MACRAD said:
For the first time after independence, ward 6 in Chiredzi South was won by an opposition councillor. The ruling party structures in Chiredzi South are breathing fire and promising violence to all those who were behind the opposition councillor. This also resulted in most indigenous Shangaan youth migrating to South Africa, afraid of being victimised, as some are still nursing wounds and some have lost their homes to fire.
A WhatsApp audio obtained by NewsDay revealed alleged ZANU PF supporters discussing retribution against individuals who pretended to support ZANU PF but voted for the opposition in the Seke constituency. ZANU PF denied the allegations, emphasizing President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s call for peace. ZANU PF acting information director, Farai Marapira said:
Our President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been calling for peace and any violence should be condemned in the strongest terms.
The election period has largely been peaceful, and the ruling party wants to maintain that.
The CCC, citing irregularities and voter intimidation, has refused to accept the election results and plans to engage in protests. The opposition party intends to launch a 30-day campaign to demand a rerun of the polls.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi cautioned citizens against engaging in planned protests. He emphasized that the law requires obtaining police clearance for any political gathering, as stated in the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act. Nyathi also warned:
The law is very clear, anyone who wants to do any form of political gathering should get clearance from the police and this is clear in terms of the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act, anyone who contravenes the law should be able to face the consequences.
The police have taken note of offensive messages circulating on social media platforms openly agitating for violence and illegal gatherings, especially in Harare and Bulawayo.
During a discussion on resolving post-election conflict, citizens expressed diverse views on the planned protests. CCC activist Nimrod Zivhu warned that President Mnangagwa would face consequences if he continued illegitimately. Another participant, Bernard Muchemwa, believed the protests could lead to significant unrest and cautioned against escalating tensions. It is worth noting that in 2018, six civilians lost their lives in post-election protests.