1 zimbabwe election support network [zesn] - Nehanda Radio

It is also instructive to note that in provinces such as Mashonaland East, Manicaland and
Mashonaland Central, ZANU PF had a handful of constituencies where primary elections were
not conducted because “candidates were uncontested”. There were also media reports of
some senior ZANU PF members winning primary elections “unopposed” following the
disappearance of CVs of other aspiring candidates, cases where ZANU PF candidates dragged
their party to court after reportedly being barred from contesting in the primaries by the party’s
provincial disciplinary committee, as well as reports of violent clashes between ZANU PF
supporters during primary elections in areas such as Kadoma and Norton.
On a positive note, ZANU PF also abandoned its traditional selection process of making
supporters stand behind the leader of their choice for the secret ballot, a development that
could have contributed to the downfall of some of the party’s heavyweights.
Use of Public Resources
There were reports of widespread misuse of public resources for political campaigns by the
ruling party. Government vehicles, offices and other ancillary services were allegedly used for
political purposes. In Harare East, a City of Harare vehicle normally used for clamping badly
parked cars in the city centre was allegedly used at a primary election at Courtney Selous
Primary School. Harare council and community halls were also reportedly used by ZANU PF
for primary elections.
The Grain Marketing Board [GMB] was reportedly used to prop up ruling party campaigns. In
some provinces, GMB maize was allegedly used to entice voters to vote for some ruling party
both primaries and general elections. During the solidarity marches in Harare, two motor
vehicles belonging to the Chitungwiza Town Council were reportedly used to ferry ZANU PF
supporters to the “Million Man“ March while in Mashonland East and Central, ZUPCO buses
were reportedly used to ferry people to Harare for the solidarity marches. The farm
mechanization and the subsidized Grain Marketing Board maize allocation programs have
been implemented largely on a partisan basis with ruling party supporters as main
beneficiaries. Operation Maguta, a government farming program coordinated by the ZNA was
reportedly conducted on party lines in most provinces with reports of Gokwe Nembudziya
District Administrator reportedly assuring people who had received ploughs that they would not
repay the loan if the ruling party won the election while at a Unity Gala that was held at
Zimbabwe Grounds in Highfield, the presenter reportedly took advantage of the occasion to
urge the viewers and revellers to vote for President Mugabe in 2008.
Involvement of Security Forces
There were widespread incidents in which state operatives allegedly played partisan roles by
applying the law to unlawfully to detain opposition members as well as denying them clearance
to hold rallies. In Hurungwe North, the police are said to have detained two men on the 26 th of
February 2008 for five days, allegedly for holding a house meeting for MDC candidates. In
Mashonaland provinces the police denied MDC T officials clearance to hold rallies arguing that
there were inadequate police personnel to provide security.
Provincial reports generally showed that most cases reported to the police by the known or
suspected MDC supporters were rarely investigated, developments that may have seen a
number of cases going unreported. Prison Services Commissioner Retired General Paradzai
Zimhondi that he would not salute either Tsvangirai or Simba Makoni in the event one of them
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