South African President Thabo Mbeki’s optimism that the 2008 parliamentary and presidential elections will  be free and fair does not immediately resonate with events on the ground amid reports that certain areas within Zimbabwe’s geo-political space have been declared no-go areas for certain political parties

.According to media reports ruling Zanu PF militia have declared Gutu North constituency in Masvingo Province a no-go area for civic rights activists, suspected opposition MDC members as well as the media. In its issue of 31 August – 6 September 2007, The Mirror which is based in Masvingo reports that on 11 August 2007 a team from Restoration of Human Rights Zimbabwe (ROHRZIM) which was headed for Mupandawana in the same constituency to donate soccer balls had been barred by the police from proceeding to the venue.

According to the organisation’s vice president Sten Zvorwadza, their mission was to support a planned soccer match as part of initiatives to promote tolerance in marginalised communities by raising awareness on issues of human rights.

Zvorwadza described the police action as reflective of “sate paranoia” and a violation of constitutional provisions and regional instruments on the right to freedom of movement and association.

This came barely a week after heavily armed police and other state security agents reportedly barred hundreds of people from proceeding and congregating at the homestead of the late opposition MDC national chairman Isaac Matongo for his memorial service.

On 23 August 2007 Godfrey Mutimba, a reporter with the privately owned Standard was detained for four hours by ruling Zanu PF militia at a shopping centre in Masvingo Province’s Gutu district.

During their four-hour ordeal, Mutimba and his friend who were detained at Mushayavanhu business centre, were pushed and shoved by the militia who were armed with sjamboks and sticks. The militia was reportedly on patrol in the area during Matongo’s memorial service which was disrupted by heavily armed police.

Mutimba was following up reports that several villagers who defied orders by traditional leaders not to attend the memorial service were being victimised by Zanu PF officials. This came amid reports that Zanu PF militia had declared Gutu North a no-go area for MDC supporters.

“They ordered us to sit down and produce our IDs (identification documents). Their leader, Joe Masanga, claimed he had seen us earlier at Matongo’s memorial service. He said we were back (in the area) on a spying mission. They wanted to beat us with sticks and sjamboks and for a moment I thought that was the end of my life,” said Mutimba.

The two were only released following the intervention of Benson Dandira, the Zanu PF councilor for Ward 35 who ordered their captors to set them free as Mutimba was an accredited journalist as required under the repressive Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).

Back to President Mbeki’s optimism. His optimism sounds rather discordant in view of these disturbing developments which should be nipped in the bud before they take root and spread to other areas ahead of the elections.

Mbeki as the mediator in the talks between the opposition MDC and ruling Zanu PF should openly and frankly discuss the violence, intimidation, threats, torture, harassments and abductions that stalk the Zimbabwean political landscape especially in the run-up to elections. This should be done with the aim of extracting firm and binding commitments and undertakings by political parties to rein in their supporters.

There should also be firm and tangible commitment from the government of Zimbabwe guaranteeing that the police and other state security agents will be professional and non-partisan in the execution of their duties and that those found on the wrong side of the law will be dealt with accordingly regardless of their political affiliations.

Mbeki’s advance optimism should be preceded by ensuring that concrete steps are taken, sooner rather than later, to secure or deal with the political fundamentals that allow or curtail the right to  free and unhindered political campaigns, freedom of association, assembly, media freedom and freedom of expression.

The obvious first step towards that eventuality is to take very serious note of these worrying developments in Masvingo province as a contextual agenda item during the Pretoria-mediated talks to resolve the Zimbabwean crisis.

Without that, Mbeki’s optimism in the absence of visible benchmarks, indicators and pointers to that effect, will  not be shared by many coming as it does against the backdrop of the events in Masvingo.

2.             Summary of Media Alerts: Month of August 2007