National youth service training - Solidarity Peace Trust

Parliamentary by-elections: Insiza, October 2002; Kuwadzana and Highfields,
March 2003
In October 2002 in the rural district of Insiza, and in March 2003 in two suburbs of Harare,
parliamentary by-elections took place, predictably accompanied by violence. Once again, the youth
militia were among the main instigators of violence against the opposition MDC.
In Insiza, the election campaign took place in the context of the backlash after the RDC elections.
Three MDC candidates had won RDC seats in this district and a spokesperson for MDC, Albert
Mnkandla, stated that militia were terrorising MDC supporters in the district. 112 Youth militia had been
deployed from Hwange and Lupane in the wake of the RDC elections. He further stated that the MDC
winning candidates in Insiza had been told by youth militia that they were not eligible for government
seed packs being distributed ahead of the next rainy season. Reports of militia intimidating Insiza, and
also interfering with distribution of food, continued throughout October. 113 It was close to impossible
for MDC to hold rallies ahead of the by-election, and in one incident, the ZANU-PF candidate for
parliament shot a senior MDC official in a police station in front of police. 114 The election went ahead
at the end of October and was won by ZANU-PF.
Kuwadzana and Highfields by-elections were held in March 2002. Violence started well in advance,
from January onwards. Youth militia were deployed there from the beginning of the year, and imposed
an unofficial curfew, assaulting any resident who moved after dark. 115 The youth launched violent
attacks nightly. The MDC Mayor of Harare reported that youth militia had illegally taken over counc il
property, including the community hall and library, and that police had refused to evict them when
asked to do so. Zimbabwe Civic Education Trust issued a statement condemning the youth militia
activities and that “freedoms of expression, movement and association were being stolen from the
people of Kuwadzana” 116 ahead of the by-election. Angry MDC city councillors referred to them as
“ZANU-PF’s bussed in mercenaries”, and alleged that council property was turned into torture
chambers by the militia. 117 Apart from assaulting and torturing, they were alleged to be stealing food
from tuck shops.
As the election campaign reached its climax, violence peaked in the affected constituencies, with the
local clinics and hospitals being overrun with more than 200 serious assault victims. Youth militia and
army soldiers are alleged to have taken part in these attacks. Journalists and diplomats interviewed the
injured and expressed shock at the brutality suffered by citizens. 118
In spite of the widespread violence against their supporters, MDC won both these seats.
112 The Daily News, Harare, 14 October 2002: “Militia terror grips Insiza”.
113 Client interviews, Amani Trust, October 2002.
114 See Physicians for Human Rights, Denmark: Vote ZANU/PF or starve: Zimbabwe August to October 2002,
Johannesburg, 20 November 2002, for full details of the Insiza by-election.
115 The Standard, Harare, 19 January 2003: “Bombers set up camp in Kuwadzana”; Zimbabwe Independent, Harare, 31
January 2003: “Militia impose curfew in Kuwadzana”.
116 Zimbabwe Independent, 31 January 2003, ibid.
117 The Standard, Harare, 19 January 2003: “Bombers set up camp in Kuwadzana”
118 Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum violence reports, February and March; also documentation by Zimbabwe
Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) and interviews with diplomats.
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