Although members of the MDC have been guilty of perpetrating violence against members of Zanu (PF), war veterans, youths and other supporters of Zanu (PF) have perpetrated most of the violence, especially the most serious acts of violence that have resulted in deaths or grave injuries.

Zanu (PF) is using terror tactics to try to eliminate support for the MDC. The leaders of the war veterans set the tone by their threats to overthrow by force the government if the MDC won the election. There has been a full scale onslaught against office bearers and ordinary members of the MDC and against ordinary people so as to intimidate them against lending support to the MDC.. This has involved murders, assaults, rapes, kidnappings and various other forms of intimidation. Not surprisingly in the face of such a reign of terror many MDC members are renouncing their MDC membership and joining Zanu (PF). Zanu (PF) meetings are being held at which MDC membership cards and tee shirts are publicly handed over and the persons concerned publicly join Zanu (PF). The use of extreme violence against white farmers who were supporters of MDC has led to some of them withdrawing their support or transferring their allegiance to the ruling party. Some white farmers are publicly announcing that they will now support Zanu (PF).

It is clear that many of former MDC members are joining Zanu (PF) out of fear and not because they genuinely feel that Zanu (PF) has more to offer the country than the MDC. The targeting of MDC candidates for Parliamentary elections and other local MDC office bearers for physical assaults, and attacks on their property, may well create a situation where in rural areas especially the MDC will find it difficult to find candidates to stand for the elections. The attacks upon MDC members going to or coming from political rallies in the rural areas has made it extremely dangerous to mount such rallies in these areas and is likely to lead to a scaling down of campaigning in the rural areas. Many areas are already so dangerous for the MDC that the only way in which MDC it can try to protect itself is to travel to the area with a large group of supporters. However, the police have now prohibited the bussing in of party supporters to rallies in another area unless the leader of the political party concerned is addressing such rallies.

A climate of fear and terror has thus been created throughout the country. The message has been sent throughout the country that supporters of MDC will be violently attacked. The objective is to force people to support the ruling party. When violence is being perpetrated in a district the further message is being transmitted that if the people in that area elect the MDC candidate, there will be hell to pay - the marauding mob threatens to come back and kill people and burn down their houses if they vote for MDC. The "war veterans are also threatening to use force to stop MDC forming the government if it wins the election. The intention is to scare people into voting for the MDC in order to avoid having a war in Zimbabwe.