Politically motivated violence in Zimbabwe 2000-2001
A report on the campaign of political repression conducted by the Zimbabwean Government under the guise of carrying out land reform
August 2001


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3. TARGETS OF VIOLENCE

3.4 Businesses and foreign aid organisations

In April 2001, ZANU (PF) appointed Joseph Chinotimba, a war veteran, as its political commissar for Harare30 and formed the five-member Harare Province Labour Committee to deal with "labour disputes". The committee members included Chinotimba and the ZANU (PF) Vice-Chairman for Harare Province, Chris Pasipamire.31 This action was taken in the wake of the election of a new ZCTU executive in which the key positions had gone to MDC sympathisers. Chinotimba unilaterally proclaimed himself the head of the ZCTU and the "war veterans" embarked upon a strategy to undermine worker support for the ZCTU and strengthen worker support for ZANU (PF). They sought to exploit a situation that had been created by the Government itself – a dysfunctional system of settlement of workers’ grievances, resulting from underfunding and understaffing. Their activities included:

  • Raiding commercial businesses, a private hospital, a private dental surgery, foreign development aid agencies, and charity organisations (including a children’s orphanage and a home for the elderly);
  • Assaulting and intimidating managers and executive officers of these organisations;
  • Extorting millions of dollars from these organisations;
  • Taking some managers and executive officers to the ZANU (PF) provincial headquarters where they were threatened, assaulted and tortured.

Initially, the Government-controlled press applauded the activities of the "war veterans" on behalf of workers. In most instances, the police refused to intervene to stop their activities and protect those affected.

The business community strongly condemned this wave of lawlessness, as did foreign Governments, especially after foreign nationals, foreign-owned companies and foreign aid organisations were affected. In one instance, the "war veterans" manhandled the Canadian High Commissioner to Zimbabwe when he tried to stop them taking away a Canadian national who was the head of a Canadian-funded aid organisation in Zimbabwe. In protest, several countries suspended aid to Zimbabwe or threatened to do so.

It was only when this campaign began attracting widespread international condemnation that the Government decided to rein in the "war veterans", to a limited extent. It claimed that rogue elements within the "war veterans" had perpetrated excesses instead of settling labour disputes, and it dissolved the Harare Province Labour Committee.32 Some people were arrested and charged with extortion, among them Pasipamire. One high-ranking "war veteran", Mike Moyo, was arrested but soon released. After his release he accused the Minister of Home Affairs of sanctioning the invasions and condemned him for ordering the arrest of minor players rather than the main instigators, Hunzvi and Chinotimba, who he said had made personal fortunes by taking large amounts of the money extorted from businesses.33

The Government’s token clamp down on the "war veterans" did not affect their core activities. In June 2001 they attacked the Shamva Gold Mine, destroying homes and attacking suspected MDC supporters.34 Thirty-five people were injured, five of them seriously.35

In July 2001 the ZCTU called a 2-day work stoppage to protest against the huge hike in petrol prices, economic mismanagement and corruption within the Mugabe Government. The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association (ZNLWVA) threatened attacks on foreign companies that closed during the stoppage. Chinotimba accused these companies of undermining the country and said on State radio: "We want to identify such people and if they are not citizens of this country we are going to deal with them… [and make] them evacuate our country within a day."36 Threats were also made against ZCTU leaders.   TOP

30 Standard 15 April 2001.

31 Herald 26 April 2001.

32 Herald 21 May 2001.

33 Independent 24 May 2001.

34 Financial Gazette 28 June 2001.

35 Daily News 30 June 2001.

36 Independent (UK) 4 July 2001.  TOP