others of the 60 or so ZANU-PF supporters allegedly involved in the beating of the PTUZ members. Intimidation and Violence by ZANU-PF Supporters against Teachers in 2007 and 2008 The beating of the PTUZ members is not a new phenomenon. In the past, attacks on teachers in Zimbabwe by ruling party supporters have often intensified in the period before elections. In previous elections, ruling party supporters, youth militia, and war veterans44 targeted teachers because they perceived them as being supporters of the opposition and of having an influence on local communities.45 In the run up to elections in 2008 this has not changed. In one incident in early August 2007, seven youth militia attacked a primary school teacher with clubs in Bikita, Masvingo province, and accused him of belonging to the MDC after they heard him encouraging people to register to vote.46 He was hospitalized for two days and the scars on his head were still visible when a Human Rights Watch researcher interviewed him.47 He reported the case to the police, who took note of the incident (he showed Human Rights Watch the police docket) but they had not found the perpetrators. Human Rights Watch interviewed four other teachers in Masvingo who were concerned that incidents of intimidation and violence against them were likely to increase as the date of the elections drew closer.48 Human Rights Watch was also informed of cases of intimidation and violence early on in the voter registration process in a number of rural areas, in particular those believed to be strongholds of ZANU-PF. For example, in September 2007 Human 44 War veterans are former guerillas who fought for Zimbabwe’s independence against the Rhodesian government in the 1970s. The war veterans are widely seen as staunch ZANU-PF loyalists, and many were widely implicated in acts of violence during Zimbabwe’s fast-track land reform program. 45 Amnesty International, “The Toll of Impunity.” 46 Human Rights Watch interview with teacher (name withheld), Bikita, Masvingo province, October 4, 2007. 47 Ibid. 48 Human Rights Watch interviews with teachers (names withheld), Masvingo province, October 4, 2007. 21 Human Rights Watch March 2008