Who was responsible?
Alleged perpetrators and their crimes
during the 2000 Parliamentary Election period
July 2001

Background
Political violence escalated in Zimbabwe when President Mugabe and Zanu (PF) turned their attention to reasserting control over the electorate, which was seen as having betrayed the President by voting "no" on the constitutional referendum of February 2000. Because the political life of both the President and Zanu (PF) was on the line, the possibility of failing to gain a parliamentary majority in the upcoming elections did not seem to be an option for Zanu (PF). The President made his intention and strategy clear in a statement in March 2000, at a ceremony for the opening of the water pipeline between the Pungwe River and Mutare. He said, "Those who try to cause disunity among our people must watch out because death will befall them". (The Daily News, 17 March.) Former South African President, Nelson Mandela has an opposing view. "Government violence can do only one thing, and that is to breed counter-violence," he said.

During the period between February and June 2000, Zanu (PF) was engaged in a systematic campaign of intimidation aimed at crushing support for opposition parties. There were occasions when violence was the result of unplanned clashes between groups of party supporters, but the majority of the violence appeared to be part of a strategy to diminish support for opposition parties. In campaign speeches, Zanu (PF) leaders and candidates seemed to sanction the use of violence and intimidation against political opponents and contributed substantially to the climate of fear that overshadowed the election campaign. Statements from witnesses, testimony in the High Court and various newspaper reports quoted Zanu (PF) candidates threatening MDC supporters with assault or death. Apparently the apples did not fall far from the tree.

Some of the politically motivated violence documented included dragging farm workers and villagers from their homes at night and severely beating opposition supporters. Independent reports estimate that there were 40 deaths in the run-up period, most of which were MDC supporters. Men, women and children were tortured and there are several documented cases of rape. The level of such violence drove many people from their homes to other constituencies, robbing them of their right to cast their vote or run for office. The violence was not random, evidenced by similar patterns in violence being perpetrated across the country.

The Electoral Act, Section 105, Part 20 states that "any person who chooses to use violence or any means of force to induce or compel another to advance his/her political interest shall be guilty of undue influence". Nevertheless, Zanu (PF) has appeared to use this tactic to secure the electorate’s vote unimpeded. Zanu (PF) Secretary for Information and Publicity, Nathan Shamuyarira later said," The area of violence is an area where ZANU (PF) has a very strong, long and successful history". (The Herald, 2 October 2000.)

War veterans seemed to be the primary tool used by Zanu (PF) to implement the "campaign by violence" strategy. There was a general fear of the war veterans and their capacity to instigate violence. They seemed to move from constituency to constituency in an organized and calculated manner. The President and Zanu (PF) leadership clearly supported the activities of these war veterans. In a speech in Bindura shown on ZTV on 8 April, President Mugabe said: "We were told to arrest them (war veterans) and remove them from farms. We refused because the occupations are justified. We said there would be no policemen who will go there. If the British want police to evict the war veterans then they must send their police."

The war veterans placed themselves on 1,500 commercial farms around the country, which were utilized as springboards to implement an effective campaign of organized violence. It also allowed the war veterans to control the thousands of farm workers that were part of the rural electorate, which Zanu (PF) saw as its lifeline to staying in power.  TOP