Citizens now live in fear due to Zanu PF mobile messages - ZPP

The Zimbabwe Peace Project has said it recorded reports of terrified citizens based on two main issues.

"The first main source of fear are the messages that voters received on their mobiles asking them to vote for Zanu PF.

"The bone of contention by the terrified citizens is that they did not give their mobile telephone numbers to Zanu PF and they are perplexed as to how the party knew the areas they stay in correct to the constituency. After all the BVR threats, some villagers fear that they are under surveillance and their vote will not be secret," said ZPP.

"The second source of fear is unresolved cases of violence in some communities. In Mashonaland West a family is living in fear after their mother was killed. On the face of it, it seemed like a hit and run incident but failure by police to sufficiently investigate and provide a satisfactory postmortem has led the family to think the murder could have been politically motivated.

"The woman Laiza Marimo was running community programmes that were aiding independent candidate Temba Mliswa and the family alleges that might have angered Mliswa's rival in the contest for Norton Christopher Mutsvangwa."

ZPP said the woman was allegedly threatened several times by Mutsvangwa's campaign team.