candidate
Iden Wetherell
A ZIMBABWEAN Cabinet minister and three members of Parliament stood by as youth members of President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party beat up an independent mayoral candidate.
The incident, in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe’s largest township adjoining the capital Harare, reinforces fears that the country is reverting to its past habits of electoral intimidation, civil rights groups say.
Independent candidate Fidelis Mhashu was attacked earlier this month by 40 youths when he tried to inspect the voters’ roll at Chitungwiza council offices.
Police have statements alleging that Zimbabwe’s Minister of Sports and Culture, Witness Mangwende, told followers that “Zanu-PF members should see to it that the Mhashus are gotten rid of here in Chitungwiza.” Another MP, Joseph Macheka, said Mhashu’s “mere presence was provocative at election time”. To date, no charges have been brought.
Mhashu claims the assault was an attempt on his life, and that he has now been forced to hire guards to protect his property.
Parliamentary elections in 1985 and 1990 were characterised by assaults by Zanu-PF members on opposition supporters.
Mugabe subsequently pardoned those convicted of offences stemming from the assaults. Improved policing in 1995 prevented a recurrence, but civil rights bodies fear the Chitungwiza incident could signal a return to previous intimidation.
Mhashu was only able to contest the position after going to the courts to overturn the election of Zanu-PF’s mayoral candidate, Andrew Jiri. The court found there had been irregularities in the electoral roll. The election has been provisionally rescheduled for August 30.
Mhashu went to the council offices to check that Zanu-PF had not registered outsiders in the constituency — a tactic the party used to block independent candidate Margaret Dongo’s election to Parliament in 1995. Dongo only went on to win after the courts again stepped in, and in the face of intimidation from Mugabe’s ministers and party supporters.