Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum Special Report Enforcing the Rule of Law in Zimbabwe Herbert Murerwa (previously minister of Finance, and of Higher Education and Technology, and now of Industry and International Trade). Defence Minister Moven Mahachi (deceased) reportedly told a crowd on 2 June 2000 that ‘we will move door to door, killing like we did to Chiminya. I am the minister responsible for defence therefore I am capable of killing.’1 Former minister Didymus Mutasa reportedly warned civil servants in Chimanimani that they risked being shot dead if they supported the MDC.2 Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge reportedly told staff and students at Masvingo Teachers Training College: “You are going to lose your jobs if you support opposition political parties in the presidential election. You can even be killed for supporting the opposition and no one would guarantee your safety.”3 While still Governor of Mashonaland Central province, Border Gezi warned opposition parties that ‘Zanu-PF is well known for spilling blood’.4 One newspaper ‘understood the late Zanu-PF political commissar Border Gezi was personally involved in establishing the Zanu-PF committee whose activities generated the current chaos pervading the industrial and commercial sectors’.5 Provincial Governor Josaya Hungwe was quoted as telling people ahead of the Masvingo mayoral election, ‘If you do not vote for Zanu-PF in the coming mayoral election people are going to be killed. I want to tell you that someone is going to die.’6 In May 2000, Hungwe had threatened white commercial farmers with war if they did not vote for the ruling party. “We do not want another war. If you want peace you should support me and the ruling party . . . If you want trouble vote for another party.”7 The Government Tender Board chair was reportedly instructed by the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Development to direct the PTC to open a tender previously closed to Japanese firm Itochu. A truckload of tender documents, including Itochu’s, for the Z$5 billion digitalisation of telecommunications in Manicaland and Mashonaland, simply disappeared three years after being submitted. Although four officials were prosecuted, a full report was still awaited by mid-year and Japan as donor expressed serious concern about Zimbabwe’s international credibility before reportedly cancelling its funding.8 Further questions were raised over the award of a PTC fibre-optic cabling contract reportedly without going through normal tender procedures and after Vice-Presidential intervention.9 Former Minister of Local Government and National Housing and now Minister of Home Affairs, national chairman of Zanu-PF John Nkomo assaulted a Bulawayo human rights activist, Sakhile Nkomo on 13 October 1999. The ZRP did finally forward a docket to the State Prosecutor to try him on this charge, but the result of this action was not publicised. 1 Newsweek 11 December 2000. The Daily News 11.8.01. 3 The Daily News 18.7.01. 4 The Daily News 31.3.00. 5 The Zimbabwe Independent 18.5.01. 6 The Daily News 31.3.01. 7 The Daily News 12 May 2000 (PMV) 8 The Financial Gazette 22.3.01; The Business Herald 3.5.01; The Daily News 1.5.01, 5.6.01; The Herald 9.7.01. 9 The Daily News 14.6.01; The Financial Gazette 14.6.01. 2 26