Role of traditional chiefs The National Council of Chiefs of Zimbabwe is a 36-member body which was established pursuant to Section 285 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. There are 286 chiefs in Zimbabwe. The chiefs play a significant role in Zimbabwean society, including the protection of the dignity and liberties of their people, ensuring the social security and access to a good livelihood for members of their communities, responsibility for the upkeep of public property, and to ensure there is good conduct and behaviour in the community. Each chief has jurisdiction over an average of 500 village headmen. The Group was briefed by the President of the Council of Chiefs and he explained that chiefs are expected to be non-partisan and stated that they sit in Parliament to ensure that no law is passed that is not in conformity with traditional values. While the role of the chiefs in relation to election campaigns is not explicitly defined, the chiefs informed the COG that good governance dictates that they be involved in voter education and public awareness about the need to vote. They claimed their support of political parties is issue-based and non-partisan. They informed the Group, however, that the perception of their alignment with the governing party is because of that party’s position in relation to the re-acquisition of land, which is the pillar of existence of their people, and they would support any party that supports the re-acquisition of land as part of their campaign platform. This has, however, led to a perception among stakeholders that the support of the chiefs could be skewed in favour of one party to the detriment of others. Traditional leaders are entitled to purchase vehicles under a ‘Chiefs’ Vehicle Revolving Fund’, gazetted in 2004. Their vehicles were delivered very close to the election date, which could have created the impression that they were an inducement for loyalty to the incumbent party. We were informed of another example of the incumbent party possibly benefiting unduly from a government programme, which was the Presidential Inputs Scheme. The Group was informed that seed and fertiliser was distributed during the campaign period, though noted that the main sowing season is from June to August. Women candidates in the campaign The Group was made aware of historic barriers to women’s participation in politics in Zimbabwe. This included incidents of intimidation and other forms of abuse. Of particular concern to the Group were reports of hate speech being used against women political candidates during the campaign.13 Hate speech incites violence or prejudicial action against a protected group or an individual. The Group notes that legislation can be effective in curtailing it, to preserve public order or protect human dignity. 13 This issue is examined in more depth in Chapter 4, Participation and Inclusion. 41