8. 2000 and 2002 Elections The launch of the new political party, followed by the “No” vote, increased the tension between government and groups pushing for democratic reforms. The 2000 elections were just a few months down the line. In the run-up to the elections, rule of law continued to break down. There were farm invasions, brutal murders, arson, rape, torture and robberies through out the country. It is estimated that in the run-up to the 2000 elections, 31 people were killed and over 500 were injured. Over 1 600 farms were invaded and over 400 000 farm-workers were displaced, making it impossible for them to participate in the elections. Over 400 farm-workers were hospitalized while 1 500 death threats were received. 250 schools were closed and 6 000 teachers were displaced. More than 500 homesteads belonging to suspected opposition supporters were destroyed through out the country.13 In Buhera, two aides to Morgan Tsvangirai the opposition leader, Tichaona Chiminya and Talent Mabika, were petrol-bombed by state agents in their vehicle. Opposition candidates were attacked, arrested, kidnapped or assaulted through out the country. Hate speech against the white farmers and supporters of the new opposition flooded the public media – print and electronic. An atmosphere of fear and anxiety pervaded this election period. The legal framework and the electoral management system in the run-up to the elections created considerable confusion. The Electoral Supervisory Commission (ESC), the Election Directorate, the Delimitation Commission and the Registrar-General’s Office, which were designed as independent oversight bodies, abandoned their mandate and appeared to act as agents of the ruling party. The voters’ roll was in disarray, for example, names of people who were dead appeared on the roll, and some living voters, especially the youths, had their names missing from the voters’ roll.14 A free and fair election was impossible in such an environment. At the end of the elections held on 24 and 25 June 2000, ZANU(PF) won 62 seats, MDC 57 and ZANU (Ndonga) won 1 seat.15 The electoral system had been unable to produce free and democratic elections and created an impasse between the establishment and the emerging democratic forces. The judiciary was flooded with election petitions with which it was not equipped to deal. Post-election violence rocked the nation and hate speech continued. The government crafted such restrictive legislation as the Public Order and Security Act [Chapter 11 : 17] (POSA) and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act [Chapter 10 : 27] (AIPPA), which signified a return to pre-independence repression. Farm invasions intensified in the weeks following the elections. On 10 November 2000, the Supreme Court granted an order by consent declaring that the entry of uninvited persons onto commercial farming properties was unlawful and that police must remove all squatters from the farms. The order was not implemented and on 24 November 2000, about 200 war veterans invaded the Supreme Court calling for the removal of the Chief Justice. The judiciary remained resolute and several judgments were passed against the government. The government continued to attack the judiciary for being “guardians of white commercial farmers”.16 This was followed by attacks on targeted judges leading to the forced resignation of Chief Justice Anthony Gubbay in February 2001. Such a development was a blow to any hopes that perpetrators of human rights violations would ever be held accountable. 8 Taking Transitional Justice to the People – Outreach Report