ZANU-PF, its supporters and leading figures are benefiting from the State resources. Anyone who tries to point out these issues is accused of harbouring the “regime change” agenda. The ruling party’s supporters enjoy State protection, and impunity from prosecution, while others are disadvantaged by the State and ZANU-PF led theft from national coffers, while, simultaneously, they are victimised for demanding accountability from the ZANU-PF led government. Furthermore, respondents indicated that the wider Zimbabwean society, not just the youth, believe they are only free and safe from victimisation when saying good things about the ruling party, and not demanding good governance, democracy and human rights. From this standpoint, ZANU-PF as a party is the risk to citizen freedoms and is the dominant consideration in people’s risk perception. According to some respondents, the only way? they can also enjoy their freedoms is if they join the ruling party and become active members. 3.8 Voting pressures Across the three locations, respondents were unanimous that Zimbabweans were not free to choose who to vote for, and asserted that Zimbabweans were pressurised to vote for particular candidates. They also believed that such pressures were heavier for rural voters than for voters in urban constituencies, who not as pressurized as much as those in the rural areas. Several respondents expressed that the concern that intimidation of rural voters had already begun even before the adoption/implementation of the Biometric Voter Registration exercise. Furthermore, the requirement for people to produce proof of residence as part of the voter registration was an intentional part of the process of disenfranchising massive numbers of eligible voters. We are not free. In some areas they go door to door intimidating voters. There are already threats-being told that we know who you will vote for. They change every election time- using different strategies to pressure voters. For voter registration one needs to get proof of residence from the village head, if one belongs to the opposition, they do not get that proof When voting the village head will be in the front, followed by his subjects hence people do not vote freely. Intimidation by being told that there will be cameras monitoring Some of the pressures exerted on voters included the food aid given to rural voters “for less than 6 months and they forget about the 4years and 6 months”. Rural voters are intimidated and threatened with withdrawal of food aid. To register to vote one is required to produce proof of residence which comes from the ZANU-PF-aligned Sabhuku.3 According to respondents this was different for urban voters who had a bit more freedom than rural voters there is freedom though some feared intimidation and violence It was interesting to note that some participants strongly believed that ordinary people were better off than security personnel and the police, in terms of voting pressures. They held the view that freedom was dependent on whether you were “inside or outside”. The army and police were under pressure to vote for ZANU-PF, especially those living in camps or barracks where they are monitored while voting to ensure they voted for ZANU-PF candidates. A case in point was the respondent who said, “Last election my brother was a police officer. My brother was asked to vote in front of the sergeant. He voted for MDC and he is now unemployed and has been blacklisted. ” Other discussants were of the view that the people on 3 Village heads 10