10
There were a number of differences found in the two groups as regards the types of violations
reported. As can be seen from Table 8 [over], those who experienced multiple incidents were
significantly more likely to report having being arrested and/or detained, being burned, raped, or
having experienced indecent assault. More simply, those who had experienced multiple incidents
were more likely to have experienced serious torture.
Table 8
Single incident
Beatings
Unlawful arrest/detention
Threats
Sensory overstimulation
Harassment
Victim of Murambatsvina
Psychological torture
Witnessing violation
Electrical shock
Falanga
Burnings
Rape
Indecent assault
55%
10%
64%
33%
62%
19%
76%
64%
0
0
2%
7%
2%
*p=0.05
Multiple
incidents
67%
22%
85%
48%
71%
12%
81%
75%
3%
7%
12%*
20%*
12%*
Case Study:
Mary is a 28 year old female who fled to South Africa in 2004. She came from a family of MDC
activists. She attended an MDC meeting, and was targeted by Zanu PF youth. She was arrested
and taken to the local police station and beaten all over her body. She was released by the police
early the next morning. Her family was harassed by Zanu PF supporters. She was advised by her
father to leave Zimbabwe. She tried to visit her father who was living with her younger sister. En
route to her sister she was informed that her father had passed away. He had been murdered,
viz. stoned to death. She fled to South Africa as she feared for her life. X was accompanied by
another female. They were offered a lift by two truck drivers who raped them as they were being
smuggled into South Africa. She and her companion were dropped off on the highway in
Johannesburg. In South Africa she was raped by a policeman.
Elections
A consistent observation about the human rights climate in Zimbabwe has been that all violations
tend to increase significantly during elections, and this was also examined here. The sample was
sorted according to whether they had arrived in South Africa during an election year – 2000,
2002, and 2005. 72% came during one of these 3 years, but the majority came during 2005,
and, since this was both an election year and the year in which massive displacements took
place, it does not appear as if elections were a significant precipitant of moving to South Africa.