details. Their reaction reflected the issue of intimidation, fear and the trauma experienced from the previous elections. 4.12. Primary Election Environment in Matabeleland South 4.12.1. In the areas observed in Matabeleland South, there was peace and order. Voting started late with some polling stations beginning the voting process after midday. Section 67 (2) (a) of the Constitution stipulates that every Zimbabwean citizen has the right to join and participate in the activities of a political party of their choice. The right of Party members to participate in the activities of the MDC-T primary elections was not fully enjoyed as there was a lack of coordination by the Party administration. Turnout was generally low and members of the electorate interviewed cited that some voters were still waiting to be transported to the polling stations. In Shangani, Gweru district, the ZHRC team established that the voting process was delayed due to unavailability of a proper venue to enable the electorate to cast their votes in a conducive environment. The team learnt that MDC-T had to seek an alternative venue to allow the voting process to commence. Upon interviewing the candidates, the team found that those who were in charge of administration of the voting process also had vested interest in the voting process since they were also candidates. In areas such as Dula, Gweru District, the low turnout of the electorate was attributed to lack of proper communication as to the exact dates of the primary elections. Furthermore, there were no security personnel to safeguard the electorate in the event of eruption of violence. The majority of the electorate were females in Dula and Mathendele save for Shangani, where males were more dominant. 5. CHALLENGES During the monitoring mission, ZHRC came across the following challenges; 5.1. Lack of communication The team encountered challenges acquiring information with regards to statistics of those who actually voted at the polling stations in Matabeleland South. Page 13 of 16