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Tsholotsho community intensifies peace campaigns

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HEAL Zimbabwe community peace clubs in Tsholotsho North have intensified their campaign for peace ahead of the 2018 elections.

HEAL Zimbabwe community peace clubs in Tsholotsho North have intensified their campaign for peace ahead of the 2018 elections.

BY SILAS NKALA

Heal Zimbabwe Trust said the peace clubs organised a series of collaborative neutral platforms (Amalima) from May 1 to 4 with the aim of rallying community members to uphold peace ahead of the polls expected later this year.

“As part of community feedback, the peace clubs reported that they had been monitoring Zanu PF primary elections and urging community members to uphold peace during the process. Issues that came out during the collaborative platforms include the threat of withdrawal of food aid from people who fail to voluntarily submit serial numbers of voter registration slips to traditional leaders,” Heal Zimbabwe’s report reads.

A community member revealed that in Tsholotsho, the collection of serial numbers had been subtle, yet traditional leaders were only giving out food aid to community members who submit serial numbers.

The trust said community peace clubs also reported that as part of target advocacy, they had already started engaging community leaders, political party leaders and the youth, who pledged peace at previous sports for peace tournaments.

Heal Zimbabwe said it also used the collaborative platforms to give feedback on the issues that came out during the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) stakeholder meetings that were carried out early in the year.

“Community members hailed President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s call for peace ahead of the elections but, however, were quick to point out that such progressive calls needed robust follow up action such as a truth telling process, reparations, erection of public memorials, facilitation of birth and death records for victims, offering public apologies and compensation on key reconciliation issues such as Gukurahundi,” the report read.