Party activists contributed 40% to human rights violations: Report

POLITICAL party activists contributed 40% to the human rights violations that community members of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) reported between July and September 2024, a new report from the organisation reveals.

ZimRights said the most common violations being recorded were restrictions on access to social services and the unfair distribution of resources, often manipulated for political purposes.

The report also highlighted how political party activists, mostly from Zanu PF, frequently manipulated and withheld food aid, water and other essential services from individuals perceived to be opposition supporters.

Statistics gleaned by NewsDay reveal that in some rural areas like Mazowe and Chivi, communities found themselves cut off from critical resources unless they demonstrated political loyalty.

The report stated that villagers were forced to attend political party meetings or purchase party membership cards in exchange for food or water access, with threats of punishment for non-compliance, a situation, the report concludes, created an atmosphere of fear, leaving vulnerable individuals with no choice but to comply.

The violations, which included the denial of access to social services, politically-motivated violence and forced displacements, were concentrated in key provinces such as Harare, Manicaland and Mashonaland Central.

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“The sheer number of violations that we are seeing is unprecedented. What is most concerning is the scale of political manipulation of basic services, where access to food, water and healthcare is being used as a tool to punish certain individuals for making constitutionally protected choices,” ZimRights national director Dzikamai Bere said.

“This is a violation of the Constitution of Zimbabwe and international human rights standards, and urgent action is needed to address these abuses.”

In addition to food aid manipulation, some of the major violations included intimidation and assaults.

Citizens Coalition for Change spokesperson Promise Mkwanazi yesterday blamed the ruling Zanu PF party for perpetrating human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.

“The main issue is that the alternative led by Advocate Nelson Chamisa has been systematically targeted and persecuted to try and decimate its base,” he said.

“All leaders aligned to President Chamisa are targeted and not spared persecution and prosecution. This report reflects that targeted violation of the alternative.”

Zanu PF director for information, Farai Marapira yesterday dismissed the ZimRights report saying the ruling party did not recognise their writings and findings.

“We as Zanu PF have never taken serious releases by ZimRights because they are politically-motivated and agenda-driven.

“So to comment on articles and purported findings whose veracity is neither here nor there is a waste of time. As usual, we don't take cognisance of their words nor findings,” he said.

In Guruve on July 12 this year, Zanu PF activists reportedly coerced villagers into joining party cell groups by threatening violence, while in Mazowe on August 4, activists organised rallies to promote the extension of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term beyond the constitutional five-year two-term limit, with threats of violence against those who refused to attend.

Local councils were also major perpetrators, accounting for 30% of the recorded violations, and in urban centres such as Chitungwiza and Harare, councils were implicated in restricting access to clean water and failing to provide adequate sanitation services, further exacerbating the hardships faced by communities.

Chitungwiza Municipality has since declared that the city has “run dry” following the decommissioning of the Prince Edward Water treatment plant because of depleted water levels in Seke and Harava dams, while in Harare, many parts of the city go for months without running water.

State security forces, including the Zimbabwe Republic Police and intelligence agencies, were responsible for 15% of the violations, with unjustified arrests accounting for 15% of the total violations recorded.

According to the report, the arrests often occurred without due process, and those detained were subjected to torture and degrading treatment.

The report said these forces were involved in unjustified arrests, assaults and torture, often targeting political activists and human rights defenders, before, during and after the run-up to the 44th Session of the Sadc Heads of State and Government Summit hosted by Zimbabwe in August this year.

“The arrests are a violation of the right to freedom of assembly and expression, which are protected under the Constitution of Zimbabwe,” Bere said.

Displacement was another significant issue identified, with 20% of the recorded incidents involving forced removals of individuals or communities.

In Hurungwe on July 5, villagers were displaced to make way for a Chinese-operated cement plant, with no consultation from the local council.

ZimRights, in its recommendations, called for urgent action to address the situation and has outlined several recommendations, including the establishment of independent investigative bodies to look into human rights violations and hold perpetrators accountable.

The movement has also called for the depoliticisation of social services, ensuring that access to essential services is based on need and not political affiliation.