THE STATE OF HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT |ZIMBABWE I 2017 Traditional leaders continued to be partial in their conduct by openly declaring their allegiance to ZANUPF. At the official opening of the National Conference of Chiefs in Bulawayo on 28 October 2017, the President of the Chiefs Council, Chief Fortune Charumbira called upon all chiefs to campaign for the then President as the ZANU-PF 2018 presidential candidate. Such behaviour violates section 281(2) of the Constitution. In past elections traditional leaders have been known for shepherding villagers to the poll centers making sure that they voted ZANU-PF. There were also reports of ZANU-PF members forcing people to attend their meetings and to make contributions to national events such as Independence Day and Heroes and Defence Forces Day celebrations. The youth interface rallies convened by ZANU-PF were also characterized by forced attendance. A violent pre-election environment characterized the two by-elections that were held in Bikita West and Chiwundura constituencies in January and July 2017 respectively. The electorate was subjected to harassment and intimidation, assaults, partisan distribution of food aid and farming inputs, disruption of political gatherings among other forms of violence. the 18th to the 24th of January 2017. 39 In its findings the ZHRC noted that although the voting process was conducted in a peaceful manner, the pre-election environment was very hostile to the opposition political parties whose members were subjected to harassment and intimidation, assault, violation of freedom of conscience, forced attendance to ZANUPF rallies disguised as programs for distribution of food aid and agricultural inputs and minimal state media coverage for opposition parties. The Election Day witnessed a considerable number of assisted voters both young and the old. The Commission came up with a number of recommendations to political parties, the police, legislature, journalists, civil society, and the media commission which included a call to the ZRP to continue investigating politically motivated violence during election period, for ZEC to increase accessibility of polling stations especially by special interest groups such as the elderly and the disabled, and to expedite the alignment of POSA and AIPPA with the constitution amongst many recommendations. 40 38 In line with its constitutional mandate as stated in section 243 (1), the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) carried out a monitoring and investigation mission with regards to the Bikita West constituency by- elections from the 13-16th of January and from SABC TV crew running from Police water canon vehicle attack during a protest in Harare, 2016 Pic Shepherd Tozvireva See on Bikita West by –election report, Heal Zimbabwe, available on http://www.healzimbabwe.co.zw/wp-content/up loads/2017/01/Bikita-West-By-election-REPORT.pdf 39 See the ZHRC, Report on the Bikita west by-election, 21 January 2017, http://www.zhrc.org.zw/download/bikita-west by-election-report-21-january-2017/ 40 Ibid 38 31