Transitional Justice Group Calls for Urgent Action
By Grace Mutandwa
Harare – Tomorrow Zimbabwe goes to the polls amid fears that the country might be headed for a fluid and fragile political environment if the election is not properly managed.
The National Transitional Justice Working Group (NTJWG) says both the opposition and the ruling party were promising real change, equating the plebiscite to the 1980 elections that ushered in majority rule.
“As the momentum rises, the tension rises as well, creating fears of social unrest and protest in days ahead. This situation raises transitional justice questions that we beg the nation to reflect on,” said a statement from the NTJWG.
The organisation said Zimbabwe was walking a tightrope, a space that was as fluid and fragile as it was fragile. It said the fact that the election was being held after the 17 November 2018 military coup which overthrew President Robert Mugabe was in itself a threat to democracy.
“The military element, now in government, has made pronouncements to the effect that the upcoming elections are a conclusion of the ‘operation restore legacy’. Such statements when coupled with the admission by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission that 15% of its staff are from the military, are a cause for concern. Human rights monitors have reported an unprecedented military presence in the communities,” noted the statement.
The transitional justice body said that despite the semblance of calmness and peace prevailing in the country, the military involvement posed a serious threat to the integrity of the election.
“Senior government officials, including the Deputy Minister of Finance, Terence Mukupe, and Advisor to the President, Christopher Mutsvangwa, are reported to have told different meetings that the military will not agree to hand over power to the opposition if it wins.
“The Zimbabwe Defence Forces held a press conference on 4 July 2018 where they were asked if they would hand over power in the event of an opposition victory and they said they will follow the constitution. This is a position that civil society says is not an assurance of neutrality since in November 2017 the military removed Robert Mugabe in a military coup while waving the constitution,” said the NTJWG statement.
The organisation also expressed concern over the way the electoral body has run the electoral process so far. It said ZEC had managed the process in a way that was as opaque as possible, in flagrant violation of the SADC Guidelines on Elections. It also noted that this had resulted in several court challenges being brought against ZEC.
Many Zimbabweans, said the organisation, did not believe the country’s judiciary systems were independent.
It also noted an escalation in language that promotes violence.
The NTJWG reasoned that “Wherever hate speech goes, violence follows. Leaders of the main political parties in this election have perfected the language of violence. The emergence of social media has created an army of social media activists determined to fan tensions day and night. This is despite the signing by the parties to the Peace Pledge.”
The organisation called on ZEC, SADC and AU to ensure that elections were conducted in a manner that would promote a smooth transition