Zanu PF official threatens party members for working with MDC-T

A Zanu PF official John Moyo of Bubi Constituency ward 18 threatened two female Zanu PF members with unspecified action for working for a top MDC-T official.

Moyo accused the two women of being sell-outs as they were known Zanu PF card carrying members and yet they chose to work for the MDC-T official who is considered an opponent of Zanu PF.

Zimbabwe Peace Project revealed the stand off between Zanu PF members  indicating that Zanu PF members continue to harass community members by forcing people to attend their party meetings and also demand money to support party activities.

"On 11 February 2015 a Zanu PF chairperson Artwell Ruwizhu addressed a meeting at Kitsiyatota in Bindura in Mashonaland Central province," reads ZPP's report. "He demanded that people who were operating at the site should pay $5 for President Robert Mugabe's birthday."

Kitsiyatota is a site where people are flocking to do artisanal gold mining under unsafe conditions with no interference from the authorities. There was an influx of gold panners at Kitsiyatota after the First Lady Grace Mugabe made a statement encouraging gold panning to improve people's economic status.

"In another incident on the 21st of February 2015 taxi drivers in Bindura town were forced to drive their cars in a single file from Bindura town to an area called Progress to celebrate the President's birthday," reads the ZPP report. "In another incident, in Mashonaland East province, on 6 February 2015 Gilbert Makazhu, a strong Zanu PF member ordered residents at Kotwa Growth. The culture of impunity for perpetrators of violence is ubiquitous in the Zimbabwean society and state agents and well known Zanu PF members are beneficiaries of this culture."

ZPP indictaed that on the 22nd of February 2015 Philemon Ndlovu a Zanu PF senior official pulled a gun threatening to shoot gold panners at his mining concession just outside Gwanda town in Matabeleland South province.

"The panners reported the incident to the police but no arrest was made. It is alleged that when the

police heard that Ndlovu was a Zanu PF senior official they just left him alone," stated ZPP. "In Matabeleland South province ZPP closely followed the goings on at Maleme Ranch where Central Intelligence Organization (CIO) officer Rodney Mashingaidze took over the Ranch previously owned by the Cunningham family in Matobo North. Mashingaidze and his workers moved on to the farm and they were accused of harvesting butternuts. The ranch provided livelihoods to over 800 villagers and also houses a Christian camping site as well as a college offering agricultural training to over a hundred students. The takeover of the farm by Mashingaidze was met with unprecedented resistance by the communities of Matobo and Gwanda North who are beneficiaries of the farming activities."

 In the process of resisting the farm invasion twelve villagers were arrested as they picketed at the farm to defend their rights. They were granted bail and they are due to appear again in court on April 2 2015. The Maleme issue was eventually taken up by Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko who at one of the meetings with the traditional leaders announced the victory of the community in resisting the occupation of the farm by Mashingaidze. This was after the Bulawayo High Court ordered that Mashingaidze pull out of the farm.