The opposition party, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), has accused ZANU PF Members of Parliament of attacking its supporters in Gutu South after a visit by party leader Nelson Chamisa. In a statement seen by Pindula News, the party named John Paradza, ZANU PF MP for Gutu West, and Pupurai Togarepi, Gutu South MP, as members of the gang that attacked the supporters.
The CCC strongly condemned the actions of the ZANU PF thugs and deployed peace ambassadors to provide assistance to the victims. The party called for those responsible for the violence to be held accountable. Reads the statement:
We strongly condemn the deplorable actions of Zanu PF thugs, which include a sitting MP for Gutu South, Togarepi Pupurayi, who indiscriminately attacked innocent citizens in Gutu South following President Nelson Chamisa’s address to the community. In response, we have deployed our peace ambassadors to the area to provide assistance to the victims. The individuals responsible for the violence are as follows: Norman Wanga, Evans Mbizvo, Nyikayaramba, John Paradza, Zanu PF member of parliament for Gutu West, Togarepi Pupurai and his sons, Tadamwa Chiwara and Promise.
This incident of violence comes just 45 days before Zimbabwe holds harmonised elections scheduled for 23 August. Zimbabwe’s history of election violence dates back to the 1980s. The 1985 and 1990 elections were characterised by intimidation, beatings, and killings of opposition supporters. The most notorious election violence occurred in 2008 when violence erupted during the presidential run-off election between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai. The violence led to Tsvangirai’s withdrawal from the election and Mugabe’s controversial victory. The 2018 elections were also marred by violence, with reports of intimidation, beatings, and killings of opposition supporters after the voting process.
Political analysts argue that the causes of election violence in Zimbabwe include political polarisation, hate speech, voter intimidation, and the politicisation of security forces. They also cite the lack of an independent electoral commission and a level playing field for all political parties as one of the factors promoting election violence.
Source Pindula News
