Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum Report — Of Stuffed ballots and Empty Stomachs to leave Mbonje primary and secondary schools. “The teachers were chased away by ZANU(PF) people from Mahusekwa. The matter was not reported to the police. Eight of the teachers have since asked for redeployment saying they no longer feel safe. They have since been redeployed to other schools in Murehwa, Seke and Marondera”, said Kimbini. This is not the first time that teachers have been barred from carrying out their duties in Mashonaland East. Two days before the 31 March poll about 1 000 teachers from schools around Harare were ordered to leave Mudzi where they had been deployed to help with the running of the elections. The teachers were accused of being MDC sympathisers.94 5. In May 2005 groups of ZANU(PF) female supporters and youths reportedly threatened known and perceived MDC supporters with illegal expulsion from their homes. It is alleged that the women, who had been holding meetings daily in Nyamhuka 2 residential area, had intensified retribution campaigns against known or perceived MDC supporters.95 Traditional leaders exacting reprisals The ZLHR96 indicated in a statement in May 2005 that overzealous Chiefs and Headmen in rural Zimbabwe have proved to be “the chief drivers of the retribution machinery.” The organization reports one such incident involving Headman Samaringa of Hauna Mutare who has routinely held kangaroo tribunals at his homestead in order to try to eliminate MDC opposition membership from his area. “In a recent incident on 1 May 2005, the headman summoned fifteen MDC supporters to his homestead to answer on their MDC membership. Other MDC members were barred from attending this ‘trial’ and two police details were also present”. Evidence of these procedures has been captured on camera. Property damage Various reports of property damage have been received. 1. In April 2005 an MDC election agent at Sanya Primary School in Shamva and his wife, Patience Maungire, who was an election agent at Soma Resettlement area, had their tuckshop looted of goods worth millions of dollars.97 2. In April 2005 a thatched house belonging to an MDC supporter was burnt down by two named attackers. The two were arrested in connection with this incident after a report was 94 95 96 97 Daily Mirror 17 May 2005. ZPP 14 May 2005. ZLHR 5 May 2005 The Zimbabwean 10 April 2005 38