Zimbabwe: Inciting violence

Statements from members of ZANU (PF)
Statements from ZANU(PF) members inciting violence

Statements by President Mugabe

During the election campaign:
“We are saddened that there are others who want us divided. But people must not listen to small, petty little ants which we can crush.” (March 1990)

White farmers are “hard-hearted, you would think they were Jews.” (1992)

At public gathering:
“Those who try to cause disunity among our people must watch out because death will befall them.” (March 2000)

Warning the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, that he was playing with fire:
“Let him not start the fire which may engulf him!” (April 2000)

Told the ZANU (PF) congress that the commercial farmers have “declared war” on the people of Zimbabwe. He says that the white man is “not indigenous” to Africa and is part of an “evil alliance.” He tells his audience “we must continue to strike fear into the heart of the white man, our real enemy.” His audience reply with chants of “hondo” (war). The courts can do whatever they want, but no judicial decision will stand in our way . . . My own position is that we should not even be defending our position in the courts. We cannot . . .brook interference court impediment to the land acquisition programme.” (December 2000)

Speaking in Bulawayo:
“Yes, there are hardships, but if they (white industrialists) leave, it’s a good thing, because we will take over the companies. To those of you who support whites, we say down with you.” (1 September 2001)
Speaking at a textile company, owned by a prominent Jewish family in Bulawayo:
“Jews in South Africa, working in cahoots with their colleagues here, want our textile and clothing factories to close down.”

Speaking at a ZANU (PF) party congress in Victoria Falls he urged his supporters to go to war against the MDC. “This is total war. We will have a central command centre. This is war, it is not a game. You are all soldiers of ZANU (PF) or the people. When we come to your province we must see you are ready. When the time comes to fire the bullet, the ballot, the trajectory of the gun must be true.” (15 December 2001)

Statement by Vice-President Msika
“Whites are not human beings . . .” (August 2001)

Statements by Government Ministers, Governors and Zanu (PF) Members of Parliament

Minister Mahachi:
“We will move door to door, killing like we did to Chiminya. I am the Minister responsible for defence therefore I am capable of killing.” (June 2000)

Minister Mudenge
Speaking at a teachers college:
“You are going to lose your jobs if you support opposition political parties in the presidential election. As civil servants, you have to be loyal to the government of the day. You can even be killed for supporting the opposition and no one would guarantee your safety.” (July 2001)

Minister Jonathan Moyo
Briefing a press freedom group he warned that Zimbabwe’s independent media must expect violence for “provoking” supporters of President Robert Mugabe’s regime. He said it was “understandable” that journalists who were seen as supporting an anti-ruling party agenda would be threatened with violence. (May 2001)

Deputy Minister Aeneas Chigwedere (now a full Minister)
His ministry would not provide security to teachers affected by violence perpetrated by war veterans and ZANU (PF) supporters for supporting the opposition. (June 2001)

Statements from Members of Parliament and high-ranking ZANU (PF) officials

Governor Josaya Hungwe
Hungwe said a war would be declared if ZANU (PF) lost the mayoral election. Hungwe said: “If you do not vote for ZANU (PF) in the coming mayoral election, people are going to be killed. I want to tell you, someone is going to die.” (April 2001)

Hungwe threatened white commercial farmers with war if they did not vote for the ruling party. He said “We do not want another war. If you want peace you should support me and the ruling party . . . If you want trouble vote for another party.” (May 2000)

C Hunzvi (the late war veteran and Member of Parliament)
“Whosoever is killed , it’s tough luck.” (December 2000)

Didymus Mutasa An ex-Minister and a high-ranking ZANU (PF) official
“Those who do not understand must be beaten until they do understand” (July 2001)

Philip Chiyangwa, ZANU (PF) MP
Chiyangwa was filmed by television cameras inciting party youths to commit acts of violence on commercial farms. He told the youths:
“If you get hold of MDC supporters, beat them until they are dead. Burn their farms and their workers’ houses, then run away fast and we will blame the burning of the workers’ houses on the whites. Report to the police, because they are ours.”
(August 2001)

Minister Ignatius Combo and Philip Chiyangwa addressed a meeting of farmers in Banket. In the course of the meeting, in front of 200 witnesses, Mr Chiyangwa said “…anyone who supports the MDC will be eliminated.” (October 2001)

Statements from war veteran leaders

Andrew Ndlovu
Threatened to use violence to overthrow the MDC if it won the upcoming election. He said that the war veterans would never allow the country to go back to Smith and if the MDC did come to power the war veterans would declare a military government. He said: “We will get arms to defence the government of ZANU (PF). We will invade military camps just as we have gone to the farms.” (March 2000)

Reiterating threat,
“We will not accept an MDC victory. If they win we will go back to war.” (August 2001)

Comrade Zimbabwe
Told farm workers that the opposition would pay dearly if it won the elections. He said “If ZANU (PF) loses this election, you will not say that I did not warn you. If we lose, we will get out our guns. We cannot allow the MDC to sell our country.” He also said “We will be at the voting stations. If ZANU (PF) loses, the way forward will be filled with war. You will witness our strength in the coming weeks.” He wore a T-shirt marked “No Monkey Business - Vote ZANU (PF)” (May 2000)

Edmore Hwarare
Said that the ex-combatants would not accept election results if any opposition party won the elections. He said the president of the MDC should train its own soldiers to fight ZANU (PF) if he wants to rule the country. “This country was won through the loss of blood and not elections. Therefore, if anyone wants to take it he should go to war with the ruling party. Even if other people accept the results, we will not. “We are married to this country and Mugabe. We are going to support Mugabe until we bury him.” He said that teachers who support the MDC must resign from the civil service and go full-time into politics. War veterans would ensure that salaries of teachers supporting MDC were cut before the elections. (June 2000)

Crisis Briefings are issued by the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, a broad based civil society platform established to find common responses to the political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe. The Coalition aims to promote freedom and democratic values through dialogue, tolerance and the shaping of ideas by Zimbabweans from all walks of life.
Contact: B. Kagoro, Coordinator. Tel: 263-4-793246/7. Email: [email protected]