via Zanu PF feuds spare MDC people violence – New Zimbabwe 29/09/2015
THE Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) says since the intensification of Zanu PF infighting last year violence against MDC supporters by ruling party activists has decreased.
ZPP said this in its human rights report of August where it noted that the general number of people who fell victim to politically motivated violence in the month under review decreased (383) compared with that of July (441).
“However the total number of perpetrators recorded in the two months remained relatively unchanged for both July (337) and August (336),”said the report which was published on Monday.
The Jestina Mukoko-led human rights watch dog, which has 420 community-based peace monitors in all the country’s 210 electoral constituencies, said MDC-T supporters who over the years were persecuted by Zanu PF have of late been spared because of the internal feuds.
Zanu PF factionalism was fuelled by the First Lady Grace Mugabe last year when she was campaigning to lead the party’s Women’s league.
During that time, Grace could publicly denounced Joice Mujuru and many other later to be sacked party members allied to the former deputy President calling them names thereby inciting violence.
“Historically…Zanu PF targeted the opposition, but since the start of the ‘gamatox’ purges it is no longer accurate to assume this.
“In terms of recorded figures of perpetrators of violence, Zanu PF stands at 82%”.
“In one instance of intra-party violence a woman who was seen wearing a wrap cloth with the face of former vice president, Joice Mujuru, was slapped in the face and had her cloth torn up by a fellow Zanu PF member who took offence at the woman’s perceived loyalty to the VP who has since fallen out of favour within the rank and file of the ruling party,” ZPP reported.
ZPP also said about 7% of the recorded perpetrators of violence were state officers, comprising the Zimbabwe Republic Police, (ZRP) and the Central Intelligence Organisation, (CIO).
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