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in a bid to not only trash the political environment to abet its call for poll postponement, but to also provide fodder for its Western allies to discredit the poll. Harmonised elections are scheduled for July 31, with nomination courts for contesting candidates sitting next Friday.
The terror campaign began last year, but was intensified from January, with over 45 cases being recorded countrywide since the beginning of the year.
In all the recorded cases, MDC-T supporters were at the forefront of attacking their colleagues or those from other political parties, especially Zanu-PF.
MDC-T intra-party violence increased early this year after the party announced that it would hold its primaries which have since been marred by infighting among supporters.
The party ended up suspending some primary elections and the verification process in parts of the country as the violence escalated.
Journalists have also not been spared, with Mashudu Netsianda of Chronicle and Herbert Moyo of The Zimbabwe Independent falling victim to MDC-T thugs in separate incidents in Harare and Bulawayo.
The attack on journalists followed threats issued by MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai who rapped journalists and media houses that do not toe his party line, saying they had no future in his perceived “new Zimbabwe”.
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“You cannot have a newspaper with six articles saying Tsvangirai this and Tsvangirai that every day,” he said.
“Regai vakadaro. But musi umwe gava richadambura musungo. That kind of a media has no future in a democratic Zimbabwe. I want to tell you this. Muchadya izvozvo.”
National police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi yesterday said among the recorded cases of political violence, there were some being orchestrated by senior MDC-T officials.
“As police, we will not hesitate to arrest anyone involved in either intra-party or inter-party violence ahead of the harmonised elections,” he said.
Chief Supt Nyathi said police would continue to maintain zero tolerance to violence.
He said most cases of MDC-T intra-party violence were recorded in the Midlands, Harare, Manicaland, Matabeleland South, Masvingo and Matabeleland North.
Chief Supt Nyathi said other cases were recorded in Bulawayo, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland West.
Some of the clashes targeted national executive members, a case in point being Ms Lucia Matibenga and six other senior party officials who were forced to run for dear life in Chipinge when intra-party violence broke out on May 5.
Ms Matibenga, who is also the Minister of Public Service, was in the company of Mkoba legislator Mr Amos Chibaya, Senator for Mutare Mrs Keresenzia Chabuka, Nyanga Senator Patrick Chitaka, the party’s Mutare provincial organising secretary Mr Prosper Mutseyami and provincial elections officer Julius Magarangoma.
Another incident of intra-party violence occurred at the party’s headquarters at Harvest House on March 20 after MDC-T national director for policy and research Fortune Gwaze was attacked by supporters who had confronted him while driving a vehicle with Zanu-PF stickers.
The supporters deflated his vehicle’s rear tyres and Gwaze retaliated culminating in a fist fight.
Last Wednesday, MDC-T activists Chipo Munyaki (39) Tamare Gomo (45) and Tecla Bomba (32), who allegedly severely assaulted their fellow party member after accusing him of prohibiting them from campaigning for their preferred candidate in the primary elections, appeared at the Chitungwiza magistrates courts.
An MDC-T activist Ernest Banda had his home in Highfield, Harare, petrol-bombed in the early hours of Friday last week in a suspected case of intra-party violence ahead of the party’s primary elections last Saturday.
Police in Mutare are investigating a case in which National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Giles Mutsekwa, who is also the party’s secretary of defence, is accused of assaulting an MDC-T councillor accusing him of trying to oust him from contesting the harmonised elections.
On May 5, 2013 MDC-T Manicaland province organising secretary Prosper Mutseyami and six others assaulted two party members during a restructuring exercise in Chipinge.
Two days later in Masvingo, the party’s ward one chairperson, Tendai Murambiwa, was beaten up for backing a rival candidate ahead of primary elections.
The MDC-T directed its violence to Zanu-PF in February when four of its youths from Chitungwiza assaulted a Zanu-PF supporter for wearing his party regalia.
In March, Zanu-PF cadre in ward 21 in Headlands Cde William Chapepa had his house petrol bombed allegedly by MDC-T secretary for Headlands, Samson Magumuru, while in May; Zanu-PF youth chairman for Masunda branch in Waterfalls Cde Cosmas Mutukwa was assaulted by four MDC-T youths for wearing a party T-shirt.
In April, a Zanu-PF district official in Chitungwiza was severely assaulted by more than 15 MDC-T officials for wearing the party’s regalia.
In March, MDC-T supporter Tsvaurai Mutandwa threw a stone at a car owned by a Zanu-PF supporter, damaging its windscreen in Mabvuku, Harare.
The intra-party violence rocking the MDC-T is in sharp contrast with Zanu-PF which has managed to hold its nominations over the weekend for primary elections set for Monday next week in a peaceful manner.
The revolutionary party’s supporters and aspiring candidates have been highly commended for showing maturity and following the tenets of democracy which allow people to freely choose their leaders.
The supporters have heeded President Mugabe’s call for peaceful co-existence, while Mr Tsvangirai’s has been issuing threats against rivals.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter