Chantel Takudzwa Zambukira
Politics Reporter
The ugly head of political violence continue to rear its head as the nation draws closer to the 2023 plebiscite.
Political violence has been reported in recent months, mostly by supporters of the ruling party against Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) supporters.
The emergence of CCC at the beginning of this year has been giving ZANU-PF sleepless nights.
The young party led by Nelson Chamisa emerged after a breakaway from Movement for Democratic Change squabbles.
With a High Court ruling, Douglas Mwonzora dislodged Chamisa from the helm of the party that was formed in 1999 then led by the late former Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangurai.
After a while in the political wilderness, Chamisa and friends came back into the political arena as CCC. Ever since February this year, the yellow movement, as the new party is often referred to, has made the long standing revolutionary party run for its money.
CCC has been reclaiming parliamentary and council seats it lost through recalls by Mwonzora. The less than one year party has even grabbed council wards that had been a ZANU-PF reserve.
This has not gone down well with those who follow ZANU-PF.
In February Chamisa was forced to abandon his rally address in Kwekwe after alleged ZANU-PF hooligans attacked CCC supporters in Mbizo that left one person dead.
Similar violence followed Chamisa in Gokwe where CCC supporters played cat and mouse with police as well as ZANU-PF supporters.
CCC legislator Job Sikhala and 15 others have been denied bail and are languishing in Chikurubi Maximum Prison after violence broke out in Nyatsime when the body of a CCC activist Moreblessing Ali was found mutilated and hidden in a well.
Ali is said to have been gruesomely murdered by a ZANU-PF supporter.
At a ZANU-PF rally in some rural setting, a member of the ruling party is heard clearly threatening to kill CCC supporters.
In Harare, two CCC legislators and fourteen others are languishing in Chikurubi Maximum prison after political violence broke out in Nyatsine were a CCC activists was murdered and mutilated.
A ZANU PF supporter, Abton Mashayanyika, was video recorded blatantly urging ruling party supporters to kill Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) president Nelson Chamisa, his children and supporters.
Mashayanyika, who was recorded while addressing supporters at Rampopo hills in Mberengwa North took time to explain a Zanu PF party slogan ‘Pasi’, that has over the years been used to incite violence on opposition supporters.
“When we say down with Muzorewa we mean he should be killed, when we say down with a witch, we mean they should be killed, when we say down with sellouts, we mean they should be killed and when we say down with Chamisa, we mean he should be killed.” Mashayanyika is heard explaining in the video.
Last week political violence, allegedly perpetrated by ZANU-PF supporters broke out in Matobo district of Matabeleland South.
Two CCC women voter mobilisers were stripped half naked by ZANU-PF activists.
Soon after the stripping of the women a video of ZANU-PF members driving visibly branded vehicle with ZANU-PF logos are seen attacking a convoy of CCC supporters.
In the video, an unseen CCC supporter is heard reading the number plates of the ZANU-PF vehicles, while people who seem to be drivers or occupants of these vehicles are seen advancing towards CCC supporters in a threatening manner.
The woman is heard calling
The attack happened in Matobo last Sunday evening when the ZANUPF youths shot at the opposition leaders. The vehicles that were involved in the shootings are AFX1433 white pick up truck inscribed: “ZANU -PF Mash Central” Youth League, where the shots came from, ACU3256 Mazda white truck, Grey Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger ACI.
” You have no monopoly over this ward,it’s an election period and everyone is allowed to campaign,” shouted one of the victims. This is in line with section 67 of the constitution under the Political Rights Association which states that ‘everyone should be given equal chances to campaign’. However, one of the perpetrators was captured saying “hazviiti zvemachinja” meaning they can not allow oppositional parties to campaign whilst they are there.
As if that was not enough, the perpetrators went on to hit those people as a way of silencing them.
This calls for a question of whether they misquote their leaders as youth or they just do what they feel like. This have been happening, the youth League was also involved in the Chinhoyi shootings. It contradicts ZANUPF Moto of ‘free and fair elections