Nine Masvingo Residents Forum members UNLAWFUL KILLINGS were arrested on 23 April for protesting about On 16 January, six soldiers shot at four the two-month water shortage affecting villagers on the outskirts of Gweru, killing one Masvingo. They were charged under Section and injuring others after the locals confronted 37 of the Criminal Law Codification with them for assaulting villagers during a search participating in an unlawful gathering with the for copper cable thieves. The six soldiers intent to promote public violence and were arrested, charged with murder and acquitted on 24 September. remanded on bail pending trial. Alice Kuvheya, director of Chitrest, a MDC-A supporter Nyasha Mawere died in residents’ trust, was arrested on 14 June and November after being beaten in Gutu by charged with “inciting participation in a suspected ZANU-PF supporters in October. gathering with intent to promote public His wife and other relatives were charged violence” and “incitement to commit public with defamation after they accused ZANU-PF violence”, after she had accused the local members of being responsible. No one was authority of colluding with the police to evict arrested for the killing. informal traders. Shortly before this, she had RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL won a court case which blocked the demolition of premises belonging to informal On 4 June the Supreme Court acquitted and traders. A court dismissed the charges on 28 ordered the immediate release of two MDC-A June and in November, respectively. supporters Last Tamai Maengahama and Forty war veterans, arrested on 26 October Tungamirai Madzokere from Chikurubi in Harare for protesting about meagre Maximum Security Prison. They had been monthly pensions of less than US$100, were sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2016 for charged with breaching the peace. They were the murder of a Zimbabwe Republic Police released on bail four days later. officer. FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION RIGHT TO HOUSING On 30 June, the Provincial Development Thousands were made homeless as a result Coordinator for Harare metropolitan province of the authorities’ demolitions of homes built issued a directive requiring NGOs to submit on what the government termed “illegal work plans prior to carrying out activities in settlements”. Harare. On 3 August, the High Court ruled In rural areas many communities were that the directive was unconstitutional. threatened with forced eviction or evicted for On 5 November, an amendment to the resisting “economic investment” initiatives. Private Voluntary Organizations Act For example, thousands of villagers were regulations was published in the official driven off their land in Chisumbanje in gazette, allowing for the closure of Manicaland province and their crops organizations suspected of funding of or destroyed to make way for a fuel company to campaigning for politicians during elections. expand its sugar cane plantation. After the Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in In March, the government published September, Nelson Chamisa (see above, Statutory Instrument 72A of 2021, Freedom of expression) began his meet-the- withdrawing its plans for the imminent people tour in October. In Masvingo province evictions of 12,000 residents from their land and other places, ZANU-PF supporters in Chilonga to make way for a company to disrupted the tour, damaging vehicles and produce lucerne grass (alfalfa). It was beating villagers who came out to support introduced one day before the High Court him. They forced his supporters, including was due to hear the community’s challenge older people, to publicly denounce him. On to the evictions. The government submitted 20 October, his car was shot at in opposing papers to the court acknowledging Manicaland province. it had not properly consulted with the Amnesty International Report 2021/22 414