Inter-party violations rocks Bulawayo and Harare

The Zimbabwe Peace Project has reported that Bulawayo and Harare provinces were rocked by inter-party violations during the month of November.

ZPP said in Bulawayo there were not much inter-party violations recorded in Bulawayo for the month of November.

"However, intra party conflict within both Zanu -PF and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) continued unabated. Several Zanu-PF meetings were abandoned due to internal disagreements in Lobengula and Luveve," reads ZPP report. "On 13 November 2015, at Luveve Open Park in Ward 15, Nehanda District, during a Zanu-PF re-structuring exercise, aspiring chairperson, Kidwel Mujuru, who defected from the MDC-T in 2013, allegedly hired a group of drunken youths to disrupt the meeting. He was supposed to contest against the sitting chairperson, one, Sithole, who told him he was supposed to wait for some time as he recently joined the party. The elections were then abandoned after the rowdy youths hurled insults and threatened to beat up people."

In Harare ZPP reported that November was one of the most violent months in Harare in 2015.

"Violent clashes between Zanu-PF and MDC-T supporters took place in Harare South which left a number of MDC-T supporters injured. In a bizarre incident, a Zanu-PF supporter Proud Mupandwa axed dead two of his party colleagues in Manyame Park in Chitungwiza before it is alleged he took his own life in police custody before he even appeared in court," reads the report. "First Lady Grace Mugabe held a rally at Shawasha Grounds in Mbare on 19 November 2015. People were forced to attend the rally in Mbare as well as another one in Chitungwiza."

ZPP said Zanu-PF had elections in most wards to choose cell committee members and district chairpersons.

"These were elected in preparation for the party conference in Victoria Falls early December. Some of the elections were reported to have been chaotic as contestants accused each other of irregularities," reads ZPP report.

"Areas which recorded chaotic elections include Highfield, Epworth, Kambuzuma and St Marys. Zanu-PF colleagues fought among themselves."

ZPP said there were reports that people in Glen View South were forced to attend Zanu- PF meetings which were held three times a week during the period under review.

"Residents were also forced to take cell positions imposed on them in Glen View South against their will. In other developments, on 1 November 2015, Zanu-PF supporters stopped an MDC-T rally, following this the situation became very violent," reads the report.