By Tendai Chisiri
Subject to the Section 67 (1) (b), (2) (b) (c) of the Declaration of Rights (Fundamental, Human Rights and Freedom) Act Chapter 4 part 2 in the Constitution of Zimbabwe, every Zimbabwean citizen has the right to make political choices freely but there is rampant intimidation by the ruling party ZANU-PF supporters towards the opposition party CCC.
The Constitution highlights that Zimbabwean citizen has the right to join or participate in the activities of a political party or organisation of their choice and this is not the case with Zimbabwe political arena as the opposition supporters find themselves living in fear of the ruling party supporters if they show which political party they are aligned which is not the ruling party.
Leslie Tafadzwa Lee aged 38 is another victim of political violence as he ended leaving the country in fear of victimisation. A football coach by profession Leslie Tafadzwa Lee encountered the ugly face of political violence in Kuwadzana 2 high-density suburb where he lived before fleeing for his life. Also his family which are the wife and children had no option but to find a safe house to reside.
“I never thought such an uncivilised behaviour could be still be happening in the 21st Century. My tenants supported Citizens Coalition for Change(CCC) and this angered Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front ( ZANU-PF) party supporters in the area. I was approached by the ruling party supporters who ordered me to evict the tenants”, Tafadzwa said.
“I didn’t see any harm with anyone supporting a party of his choice so I refused to comply with their order. They then threatened that if I keep on living with opposition party supporters, they where going to harm me. At first, I thought these was just a passing phase but they continued to intimidate me”, he added.
Before fleeing the place with his family going to live in safe hoouse, Leslie Tafadzwa had taken the intimidation as a light issue. However, when one day they knocked at his house midnight trying to talk to him that is when he saw that the issue was getting out of hand.
” I didn’t open the doors when they visited me at night. I feared that I may be abducted and harmed as no one would have witnessed what would have transpired besides my family. Early in the morning, I resorted to leaving my home in fear that they will come and harm me and my family”, he narrated his ordeal.
After knowing that I have fled, they sent me text messages saying that am a traitor who should not come back in the area or me and my family would be beaten. This happened this year around April and fled the country in May fearing they may know my whereabouts in the country and harm me. Also there was nowhere I could be engaged in my professional activities whilst hiding”, he said.
Political violence in Zimbabwe has become a cancer causing harm to citizens who would be atnitcipating to carry out their political activities peacefully. In another shocking incident that was even in the newspapers, a CCC party supporters was allegedly stoned to death in Tanaka community of Harare. The CCC supporters were attacked for holding a meeting in the stronghold of ZANU-PF. The meeting caught the ire of ZANU-PF spporters who attacked the CCC supporters leaving one dead and some severely injured.
Leslie Tafadzwa who has now immigrated to a foreign land in search of work says he fears for his life as he disagreed with ZANU-PF supporters. ” Even if the elections are over, my safety is not guaranteed because one way or the other they may harm me and my family”, said Tafadzwa in an interview from the foreign land he is living.
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