In Lupane, Gomoza area, on 10 May, ZANU PF officials told people at a public meeting that according to the constitution only a war veteran can be president of Zimbabwe. People were also told that soldiers were watching to see the polling station returns. For every vote for MDC, one person would be shot dead, execution style, within the vicinity of that polling station after the elections. People were reminded such shootings had happened during Gukurahundi and could happen again. Lists have been compiled of MDC position holders, and these people have been visited and told they will soon be beaten and left for dead and/or have their homesteads burnt down. In Lupane, two homesteads of MDC leadership have been burnt, in Sibombo area. The threats in Lupane and elsewhere have been sufficiently intimidating to displace scores of people in the MDC leadership in most districts of Matabeleland North, many of whom were personally victims of violence in the 1980s and who take such threats seriously. E. Victims 1. Affiliation of victims MDC: Prior to elections: • 82% of victims claimed MDC affiliation. (N = 44) • Of these, 7% were in leadership positions in their communities. (N = 4) While targeting of MDC supporters can be seen to have been deliberate by the state prior to the elections, the same cannot be said of their leadership. Since the elections, this balance has shifted dramatically. • 77% of victims since 30 March have claimed simple MDC affiliation (N = 324) • A dramatic 22% of all victims, or 29% of all MDC victims, were in leadership positions in their communities and supported the MDC. 78 (N = 135) This indicates a clear strategy of targeting leadership figures and opinion makers in the wake of the elections. Sadly, families including parents and children of candidates and position holders have not been spared in these attacks. The following interviews are typical of scores on our records: I don’t want to go into too much detail but will tell you in brief what has been happening in Mutoko. All of my council candidates’ homes have been burned. One of them Mr G is here and also councillor N. I have just come from Mutoko. I had to sneak out. I came with my father who also had his home destroyed. I had put some of his stuff at my house thinking some of his property could be preserved. My father’s 78 years old and is at the Avenues (hospital) at the moment. My young brother has severe injuries on the side of his head. Right now in Mutoko the war vets are shooting their guns. I took an old man my neighbour who is 74 years old. I’m the 78 People are counted here only once – they are either an MDC supporter or a leader. Included in the definition of “leadership” are any position holders in MDC structures, any candidates who stood for election, as well as those who traditionally form opinions and take a lead role in rural settings, such as traditional headmen, headmasters, shop owners and pastors. The last four categories also need to have declared their MDC affiliation to the interviewer in order to be included in the MDC leadership group. 39