OPPOSITION political parties and electoral watchdogs yesterday welcomed the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission’s (ZHRC) report on Hurungwe West by-elections that chronicled electoral violations by Zanu PF officials.
BY OBEY MANAYITI
The ZHRC report directed Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri to investigate the violations.
The report was commissioned after losing independent candidate Temba Mliswa raised concern over the manner senior Zanu PF officials including the party’s secretary for administration Ignatius Chombo were perpetrating violence against his supporters during campaign time.
MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu said the report vindicated their long-held view that Zanu PF had engaged violent tactics against the opposition parties during elections.
“The report by the ZHRC vindicates, in several material respects, the MDC’s long-held argument that the electoral playing field in this country is very uneven and thus, not conducive to the holding of free and fair elections,” Gutu said.
“Ruling party activists can literally get away with murder since the police are also afraid to arrest them even in instances where there is strong and irrefutable evidence of physical violence and intimidation.”
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MDC Renewal spokesperson Jacob Mafume said it was ironic that senior Zanu PF officials were being accused of perpetrating violence.