Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum Special Report Enforcing the Rule of Law in Zimbabwe • War veterans forcibly closed the offices of the Bulilimamangwe District Council in Plumtree after accusing workers of sympathizing with the MDC. (Source: Standard 11 January 2001.) • Workers at the Bulilimamangwe district and provincial offices were driven out by war veterans accusing them of supporting the MDC. (Source: Daily News 17 January 2001.) • War veterans and ZANU-PF supporters swooped on the Victoria Falls Town Council offices and ordered all workers out. They accused a number of ZANU-PF councillors of sympathizing with the MDC. (Source: Daily News 26 January 2001.) • War veterans closed government and council offices at Zaka in Masvingo, accusing most of the civil servants of working with the MDC to undermine State programmes. (Source: Herald 31 January 2001.) • War veterans closed the Umguza Rural District Council offices, accusing officials of supporting the MDC. (Source: Financial Gazette 21 February 2001.) • Was veterans closed the Nyamandlova sub-offices of the Umguza Rural District Council in protest against the presence from the MDC whom they believed to be frustrating land redistribution. (Source: Herald 17 February 2001.) • Two workers at the Post and Telecommunications Corporation (PTC) branch in Centenary were dismissed from their jobs and evicted from their homes by war veterans, who accused them of supporting and sympathizing with the MDC. (Source: Daily News 28 February 2001.) • War veterans in Redcliff, a mining town near Kwekwe, closed down four of the municipality’s offices alleging that the officers were supporters of the MDC. (Source: Daily News 7 March 2001.) • War veterans in Kadoma closed down three offices at the town centre over allegations that three of the council’s directors supported the opposition MDC party. (Source: Daily News 12 March 2001.) • War veterans and ZANU-PF supporters have “dismissed” 16 council workers in Marondera, accusing them of supporting the MDC. (Source: Daily News 19 March 2001.) • Pupils at Murambinda Secondary School thwarted efforts by war veterans to terrorise their headmaster because of his alleged support of the MDC. (Source: Standard 15April 2001.) • War veterans and ZANU-PF supporters have chased scores of teachers and civil servants from their jobs in rural Matabeleland North alleging that they supported the MDC. The “sacking” of the teachers comes at a time when the Matabeleland regional office is battling to engage qualified teachers to fill thousands of vacant posts in most schools. (Source: Financial Gazette 17 May 2001.) • War veterans and ZANU-PF supporters in Buhera sacked thirty-two teachers and deposed eight headmen for supporting the MDC. (Source: Daily News 20 June 2001.) Some 20 ‘war veterans’ charged with kidnapping and extortion reportedly told the court that they had shared money supposed to have been sent to Zanu-PF headquarters.1 Identical charges against Mike Moyo (former ZNLWVA vice-chairman of Harare province) were dropped ‘for lack of evidence’ after he had been unlawfully detained for a week.2 Political Parties Zanu-PF During the 2000 Parliamentary elections, Zanu-PF advertised an extraordinary threat, claiming that ‘“Your vote is your secret” but chaos and instability out of our secret votes will not be a secret - the referendum aftermath is clear testimony of that... Only Zanu-PF brought peace… Use your vote for peace and stability or else we kiss our country goodbye to the likes of Somalia, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone etc’.3 The Herald 19.5.01. The Herald 22.5.01. 3 The Herald 22.6.00. 1 2 49