ZANU PF has allegedly oiled up its coercive machinery in Harare and is now targeting domestic workers in the leafy suburbs, forcing them to attend meetings at times during the night and to buy party cards, NewsDay can reveal.
Report by Moses Matenga
Zanu PF, which recently admitted that it was “working with the police” to get votes in Harare’s low-density suburbs like Mt Pleasant and Avondale, is reported to be calling meetings “at any time of the day or night, telling the domestic workers to declare their allegiance to party.
In a survey yesterday, many domestic workers confirmed the development, saying they were being forced to attend the meetings.
Disgruntled domestic workers in Borrowdale, Chisipite and Umwinsdale, among other suburbs, said Zanu PF district leaders were threatening them with unspecified action should they fail to attend.
“They say if you don’t come for those meetings you would have confirmed you don’t drink coke (Zanu PF), but you take beer (MDC-T),” said another one domestic worker in Borrowdale.
The youths are said to be sponsored by Zanu PF sympathisers in their respective areas and today the workers said they have been called for another meeting at a garage in Umwinsdale before another one in Borrowdale later in the day.
“They are going round forcing us to attend meetings against our will. They gave us forms they want us to fill so that we declare our allegiance to Zanu PF,” said one worker in Umwinsdale.
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“They have a register of names and if you don’t attend the meetings, they threaten unspecified action. On Saturday (today) they have also summoned us to a meeting at the garage where they want to give us party cards,” said another worker.
However, contacted for comment, Zanu PF provincial chairman Ambassador Amos Midzi denied knowledge of the intimidation campaigns saying mobilisation issues were dealt with by the provincial commissariat.
“I can only refer you to the mobilization department to check with them,” he said.
The alleged campaigns are against calls for tolerance and peace ahead of elections by President Robert Mugabe at Independence celebrations on Thursday, when he said Zimbabweans have to be free to support political parties of their choice.
