Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum proposed amendment incorporated President Mugabe’s draft clause 57 (see Chapter 2), despite its rejection at the referendum. It also created an Anti-Corruption Commission whose nine members would be appointed by the State President. The timing, with 30 days required notice, allowed the Zanu-PF government to put this amendment through, with the minimum 100 votes required, before the general election. Visiting German parliamentarians expressed their concern at this undemocratic behaviour, but the 16th constitutional amendment was signed and gazetted into law on 19 April 2000. Early political violence Political violence started even before the referendum. Despite state-owned media reports blaming the MDC, most of this violence was perpetrated by the Zanu-PF Youth League against activists urging a ‘no’ vote, including some distributing leaflets for the Women’s Coalition, one of whom was stripped down to her underwear. The state-owned press editorialised after the event that there had been ‘no violence’ despite clear evidence to the contrary.xl Notes xxii This statute, inherited from the settler-colonial government and never repealed (except for sections specifically challenged in the courts), remains arguably the greatest single statutory infringement of human rights in Zimbabwe. xxiii Daily News 17.1.00. xxiv The managing director of Probe Research also denied having spoken to the Herald (Daily News 20.1.00). xxv Herald 19.1.00. xxvi Herald 12.1.00. xxvii Herald 12.2.00. xxviii Herald 3.2.00. xxix Political Opinion in Zimbabwe 2000 pp. 9-10, 24-5. xxx Zimbabwe in Focus May 2000 p. 26. xxxi The maximum period for legal detention without charge is 48 hours. xxxii Government Gazette 78,12:220, General Notice 91/2000. xxxiii Herald 14.2.00. xxxiv Daily News 23.2.00. xxxv Commonwealth 2000 Report on Zimbabwe’s 2000 Elections (p. 8). A similar view was expressed by the International Crisis Group 2000 Zimbabwe at the Crossroads (pp. 1-2). xxxvi Some were clearly too young to have been genuine participants in the liberation struggle. xxxvii International Crisis Group 2000 Zimbabwe at the Crossroads (p. 3). xxxviii Daily News 21.8.00. xxxix Daily News 19.6.00. xl Herald 16.2.00. 20