SIX out of 10 Zimbabweans say elections, political violence and intimidation are the biggest threats to peace, a new report has said, showing how polls have left citizens with scars.
Zimbabwe stands accused of holding disputed elections with the ruling Zanu PF party accused of employing intimidatory tactics to sway votes to its candidates, a charge it denies.
In its latest 2023-24 State of Peace report, ZimRights, which carries out surveys countrywide, concluded that, “there were striking similarities between the threats to peace identified in 2022 and those in 2023 and additionally drought and health-related challenges further exacerbated these issues, worsening living conditions for many citizens”.
The ZimRights report showed that 60% of people believe that elections, political violence and intimidation are the biggest threats to peace, while 35% attributed it to social and economic challenges and corruption, with the rest pointing to lack of social services and crime.
In the survey, citizens were asked to rate how safe and at peace they felt and the major- ity, about 80%, reported feeling either “unsafe and insecure” or “very unsafe and unsettled”.
“This troubling finding highlights a significant sense of insecurity among citizens. Only about 17% of respondents stated that they felt ‘safe and at peace’ or ‘very safe’” the report read.
To show the extent to which Zimbabweans are carrying the burden of the country’s multifaceted crisis, the report said most of the respondents (65,52%) said “they do not feel safe from physical harm or violence in their daily lives, with 68,82% saying they do not feel economically secure and 70,97% believing that they do not think their land and property are safe”.
According to the report, 77,42% of the citizens interviewed said they did not trust the government to protect them from all forms of harm, while a meagre 6,99% expressed trust, with an overwhelming 89,19% of respondents believing that people in their community are not treated equally and do not have equal protection under the law.
- Mbavara eyes to resurrect Matavire’s music legacy
- Zim exiles panic over SA permits
- Zim exiles panic over SA permits
- Social media platforms should act on hate speech
Keep Reading
These damning statistics, ZimRights said, “painted a stark picture, revealing that many Zimbabweans remain trapped in a state of perpetual insecurity”.
The report demonstrated how threats to personal security significantly hinder citizens’ ability to exercise fundamental freedoms, including the right to vote, it said. The report, the rights group said, underscored how this insecurity is deliberately manufactured and perpetuated by the ruling elite as a tool to coerce the populace and undermine free political choices.
“No meaningful security sector reforms were implemented to end partisan policing and the selective application of the law, which saw the judicial harassment of political opposition members, activists and citizens. The independence and impartiality of the Judiciary remained questionable, casting doubt on the equal protection of the law for all citizens,” the report said.
