In May, the Zimbabwe Peace Project documented a total of 132 violations of human rights down from 145 in the previous month.

Similar to violations recorded in April, there were continued trends of partisan distribution of food aid and agricultural inputs, assault, harassment and intimidation, 88 this month, and violations of the right to equality and non-discrimination.

Other violations include unlawful detention, theft, displacement and malicious damage to property.

Human rights violations were also recorded during the Private Voluntary Organisations Amendment (PVO) Bill public hearings held between the 13th and the 17th of May countrywide.

Twenty two violations of human rights violations were documented in Masvingo Province. Midlands and Harare provinces both recorded 20 violations each.

In Manicaland, there were 19 violations, 17 in Mashonaland West, 12 in Mashonaland Central and 11 in Mashonaland East.

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 In Bulawayo, five human rights violations were documented with Matabeleland North and South Provinces recorded three violations each.

At least 61.83% of the perpetrators were affiliated with the ruling party Zanu PF.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and Municipal Police were attributable to 13.36% and 9.54% of the perpetrators respectively.

Perpetrators unaffiliated to any institutions constituted 8.02% while traditional leaders constituted 5.73% of offenders.

Other perpetrators of human rights violations included state security officials and the Citizens Coalition for Changes (CCC) both at 0.76%.

At least 87% of the victims of human rights were ordinary citizens while citizens affiliated with the CCC party constituted 8.79% of the victims.

Informal traders were among the victims of human rights violations making up 3.49%. Citizens supporting politician Nelson Chamisa constituted 0.65% of the victims documented by ZPP while 0.07% were affiliated to Zanu PF.

Female victims made up 41.25% of the victims with the remaining 58.75 being male. Persons with disabilities, 0.44% female and 0.29% males were among the victims of human rights violations.

The Zimbabwe Peace Project continues to monitor and document human rights violations across the country and strongly urges institutions such as the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC), the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), the Integrity and Ethics Committee of Chiefs and all government institutions concerned to investigate and take decisive corrective measures to bring justice to victims whose rights were violated.

This includes supporting victims who need medical, psychosocial and other services for their well-being.

In May, the Zimbabwe Peace Project documented violations of the right to sufficient food as enshrined in Section 77 of the constitution of Zimbabwe.

Responding to public outcries and reports on partisan distribution, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Muzvezve Constituency legislator, Vangelis Haritatos claimed that “There is no way we (the government) can distribute food on party lines, kana kune nzara kune nzara (if there is hunger there is hunger).”

However, incidences documented during the month show a continued trend of maladministration of food aid and agricultural inputs.

 Victims have been discriminated against and denied food either during the exercises of beneficiary selection or denied aid even after they have been shortlisted to receive the allocated rations.

A male farmer in Muvhaki village, Ward 14 of Zaka North Constituency, was discriminated against and denied agricultural inputs by Livison Mbita, a Zanu PF Ward chairperson. Livison Mbita of Muvhaki declared that the victim must not be given fertilizer because he is a member of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).

Mbita further asserted that the victim, being a non-ruling party member, must not be allowed to have a plot in the irrigation scheme.

Beneficiaries received four kilogrammes of fertilizer to support their growing of winter wheat.

 In Chiwundura Constituency, Gweru District, Midlands Province, 47 beneficiaries from Wards 13 and 14 were deprived of food aid.

The government-sponsored food aid lot was intended to benefit 30 beneficiaries per ward in wards 13, 14 and 15.

While all 30 beneficiaries from Ward 15 received their allocated rations, only 13 beneficiaries from Ward 13 and 14 received their rations.

Forty seven beneficiaries were denied their right to food because they were not members of the ruling party.

The distribution was coordinated by Moyoza, a Zanu PF councillor who was assisted by the ruling party ward committees.

Beneficiaries were allocated sorghum or maize meal, each person receiving either 25kgs Sorghum or 10kgs maize mealie-meal.

The deprivation in Wards 13 and 14 was supposedly because the ward councillors were members of the CCC.

Zanu PF Councillor Moyoza was recorded saying members of the opposition parties must “repent and join the ruling party” for them to be given food.

In Chimanimani West, headman David Mudyanga instructed opposition CCC supporters not to attend government aid distribution programmes citing food shortages as an excuse.

Mudyanga declared that there was no food to cater for opposition supporters during this time of hunger.

He made the remarks during a village meeting convened at Rufaro Growth point in Chimanimani West ward 8.

In some instances, such as in Mt Darwin East, beneficiaries who reside in Mutyandaedza, Jongwe and Nyamuraradza villages were compelled to contribute money to transport food aid from the social welfare offices to respective distribution points.

The trends in the politicisation and maladministration of food aid have contributed to a host of human rights violations such as violations of the right to food, right to personal security as some victims were assaulted as well as violations of the right to equality and non-discrimination.

Violations of the right to personal security were documented in May 2024.

The constitution of Zimbabwe, Section 52 states that “Every person has the right to bodily and psychological integrity, which includes the right (a) to freedom from all forms of violence from public or private sources”.

In Kadoma Central, a male CCC activist was brutally assaulted by Zanu PF youths during a community distribution of government-sponsored food aid at Bereguru Hall in Ward 8.

Zanu PF ward chairperson Susan Mvula assigned six ruling party youths to force the victim out of the hall and in the process the youths assaulted him accusing him of supporting Nelson Chamisa.

In Mazowe Central, Ward 10 of Rusere Village, Zanu PF activists Tafadzwa Kunaka and Lawrence Mhako assaulted a male victim accusing him of constantly benefiting from the Social Welfare Department coordinated food aid schemes.

The perpetrators took turns to assault the victim, unlawfully interrogating him on why he always received food aid.

The incident was a violation of personal security and that of freedom from degrading treatment or punishment as enshrined in Section 53 of the constitution.

In Samabwa village in Zhombe, a 30-year-old male of an unknown party was a victim of political violence after he was assaulted by Eddies Ncube and Thomas Moyo for denouncing Zanu PF.

The victim was accused of denouncing the ruling party citing high levels of corruption committed by its members after which Ncube and Moyo dragged him out of the public sight and beat him with logs.

The victim sustained injuries on his back.

Two incidents of violations of personal security were also recorded in Epworth South relating to victims who participated in a public hearing on the PVO Bill in Harare.

Two male victims were brutally assaulted on separate occasions by ZANU PF youths around Overspill Cell towers in Ward 7.

A 31-year-old male was brutally assaulted by seven to 10 Zanu PF youths on his way home from the hearing held at the Ambassador Hotel in Harare.

He was accused of making submissions opposing the bill. He sustained serious injuries.

 On similar accusations, another victim was assaulted by sticks and logs leaving him with a sore arm.

The victims were referred to service providers for medical and psycho-social support.