12
This links directly to the so-called land reform process, which, while it was clearly a major
propaganda issue for the Zane PF government, it was also a pretext for eliminating the support in
an enormous constituency for the MDC. The union representing the plantation workers, the
General Agricultural and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe (GAPWUZ), had been part of the
trade union support for the NCA, and the rejection of the draft Constitution in February 2000. It
is very clear in retrospect that the votes from this sector would have wholly overcome the
advantage that ZanuPF held in the agricultural, as opposed to the livestock, Provinces. Whatever
else the land reform campaign was, it was also a pretext for attacking the support for the MDC in
the commercial farm worker population. Here it is argued that the attacks upon the commercial
farmers were a pretext for the attacks upon their workers. Here all reports, both local and
international, have commented upon the support, both manpower and logistical, that the
government gave to the land invasions.
Table 9.
The 20 worst constituencies in the Parliamentary and Presidential Elections based on the total
number of human rights violations reported per constituency.
CONSTITUENCY
HURUNGWE
GOKWE
MBERENGWA EAST
HARARE
BINDURA
MUREHWA NORTH
BUHERA
MUDZI
UMP
GURUVE
MUTOKO
CHIKOMBA
MT DARWIN SOUTH
MUREHWA SOUTH
MAKONI EAST
HWEDZA
ZHOMBE
ZVISHAVANE
Total:
2000
184
80
119
119
22
37
9
72
15
0
45
28
42
36
30
16
0
34
958
2002
16
96
23
73
68
38
65
2
59
72
11
26
10
12
15
28
40
2
991
Total
200
176
142
107
90
75
74
74
74
72
56
54
52
48
45
44
40
36
1949
Table 9 shows the 20 worst constituencies for the Parliamentary and Presidential elections
combined. As can be seen from Table 7, some constituencies show consistent patterns for both
elections; for example, Gokwe, Harare, and Murehwa North had relatively consistent patterns for
both elections. Hurungwe, Mberengwa East Mudzi, and Zvishavane show higher violence for the
Parliamentary elections, whilst Bindura, Buhera, Guruve, and UMP show much higher violence for
the Presidential Elections.
There is obviously an association between the worst constituencies and the worst Provinces, and
also between both of these and the officials involved. For example, most of the MPs mentioned
are those from constituencies in Mashonaland Central, East and West, whilst the remainder
comes from constituencies where the reported violence and torture was high. In Mashonaland
Central, Border Gezi, Mark Madiro, Elliot Manyika, and Saviour Kasukawere were all frequently
mentioned: it takes no rocket science to discern the pattern, or to conclude that this was not
random but organized, and organized with the connivance of the government.
The Perpetrators of Gross Human Rights Violations in the current violence in Zimbabwe.