ZIMBABWE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service
25 March 2011
ZIMBABWE 25 MARCH 2011 Contents
Preface
Latest News
EVENTS IN ZIMBABWE FROM 22 FEBRUARY 2011 TO 24 MARCH 2011 Useful news sources for further information
REPORTS ON ZIMBABWE PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED BETWEEN 22 FEBRUARY 2011 AND 24 MARCH 2011
Paragraphs Background Information
1. GEOGRAPHY ...... 1.01 Public holidays ...... 1.06 Map ...... 1.07 2. ECONOMY ...... 2.01 Remittances ...... 2.06 Sanctions ...... 2.08 3. HISTORY (19TH CENTURY TO 2008)...... 3.01 Matabeleland massacres 1983 - 87 ...... 3.03 Political events: late 1980s - 2007...... 3.06 Events in 2008 - 2010 ...... 3.23 Parliamentary elections: March 2008 ...... 3.23 Presidential elections: March – June 2008...... 3.27 Global Political Agreement and formation of the Government of National Unity: September 2008 – February 2009 ...... 3.29 MDC disengages from the transitional government ...... 3.32 Mr Tsvangirai calls off MDC boycott of GNU...... 3.34 GNU reaches an impasse – early 2010...... 3.36 Constitutional Outreach Programme ...... 3.37 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS (1 OCTOBER 2010 – 21 FEBRUARY 2011)...... 4.01 The power-sharing government and possible elections...... 4.01 Electoral roll outdated...... 4.05 Mr Tsvangirai faces potential treason charge ...... 4.06 Mugabe’s health ...... 4.08 MDC-M elects a new leader ...... 4.09 Violence in Harare ...... 4.13 5. CONSTITUTION...... 5.01 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM ...... 6.01 The executive branch...... 6.03 The legislative branch...... 6.04 Political parties...... 6.05 Human Rights
7. INTRODUCTION ...... 7.01 8. SECURITY FORCES ...... 8.01 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 21 February 2011. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 24 March 2011. 25 MARCH 2011 ZIMBABWE
Police...... 8.07 Armed forces ...... 8.12 Central Intelligence Organisation ...... 8.14 Other government forces...... 8.19 National Youth Service (aka ZANU-PF youth militia) ...... 8.19 War veterans...... 8.27 Human rights violations by security forces and pro-ZANU-PF groups ...... 8.29 Arbitrary arrest and detention...... 8.33 Torture, ill-treatment, harassment and use of excessive force ...... 8.37 Extra-judicial killings...... 8.48 Disappearance ...... 8.52 9. MILITARY SERVICE ...... 9.01 10. JUDICIARY...... 10.01 Organisation ...... 10.02 Independence & fair trial...... 10.04 Penal code ...... 10.14 11. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS ...... 11.01 12. PRISON CONDITIONS ...... 12.01 Children...... 12.07 13. DEATH PENALTY ...... 13.01 14. POLITICAL AFFILIATION ...... 14.01 Freedom of political expression...... 14.03 Constitutional outreach programme ...... 14.09 Freedom of association and assembly...... 14.12 Opposition groups and political activists ...... 14.21 Teachers ...... 14.23 Politically motivated human rights violations ...... 14.28 Level of incidents: 2008 – 2010...... 14.28 Incidents in early 2011 ...... 14.33 Perpetrators of political motivated human rights violations...... 14.39 Mobilisation of security forces and ZANU-PF supporters...... 14.45 Distribution of politically motivated human rights violations in 2010 ...... 14.53 Demography...... 14.53 National overview of human rights violations in 2010...... 14.54 Human rights violations by province (1 October 2010 to 21 February 2011)...... 14.62 Bulawayo ...... 14.64 Harare...... 14.69 Manicaland...... 14.82 Mashonaland Central...... 14.91 Mashonaland East ...... 14.99 Matabeleland North...... 14.105 Matabeleland South ...... 14.111 Mashonaland West ...... 14.117 Masvingo...... 14.121 Midlands...... 14.135 15. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA...... 15.01 Media law and monitoring ...... 15.07 Print media...... 15.11 Television and radio...... 15.16 Internet ...... 15.21 Journalists ...... 15.23
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 21 February 2011. iii Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 24 March 2011. ZIMBABWE 25 MARCH 2011
Journalistic corruption ...... 15.28 16. CIVIL SOCIETY AND HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS ...... 16.01 Human rights defenders/activists...... 16.07 Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) ...... 16.10 17. CORRUPTION...... 17.01 18. FREEDOM OF RELIGION...... 18.01 Witchcraft...... 18.11 19. ETHNIC GROUPS ...... 19.01 Shona ...... 19.02 Ndebele ...... 19.03 Whites ...... 19.05 Asians ...... 19.10 Albinos ...... 19.12 Other ethnic minorities ...... 19.16 20. LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS ...... 20.01 Legal rights ...... 20.01 Gay and bisexual men...... 20.03 Lesbians and bisexual women ...... 20.08 Transgender persons ...... 20.10 LGBT Groups ...... 20.11 Treatment by, and attitudes of, state authorities...... 20.12 Lesbians and bisexual women ...... 20.21 Societal treatment and attitudes ...... 20.22 Gay and bisexual men...... 20.31 Lesbians and bisexual women ...... 20.36 LGBT social scene ...... 20.43 21. DISABILITY ...... 21.01 22. WOMEN ...... 22.01 Overview ...... 22.01 Legal rights ...... 22.06 Political rights...... 22.07 Social and economic rights...... 22.10 Family law: Marriage, divorce and inheritance ...... 22.15 Prostitution ...... 22.18 Reproductive rights – access to abortion ...... 22.19 Violence against women...... 22.23 Politically motivated violence...... 22.27 Domestic violence ...... 22.32 Rape...... 22.33 Assistance to women...... 22.35 23. CHILDREN ...... 23.01 Overview ...... 23.01 Basic legal information ...... 23.03 Legal rights ...... 23.05 Violence against children ...... 23.07 Childcare and protection ...... 23.15 Child labour ...... 23.20 Education ...... 23.23 Health and welfare...... 23.31 HIV/AIDS...... 23.33 Documentation ...... 23.35 iv The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 21 February 2011. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 24 March 2011. 25 MARCH 2011 ZIMBABWE
24. TRAFFICKING...... 24.01 25. MEDICAL ISSUES...... 25.01 Overview of availability of medical treatment and drugs...... 25.01 Private health care facilities ...... 25.10 Health care professionals...... 25.16 Access to drugs...... 25.22 HIV/AIDS – anti-retroviral treatment...... 25.27 Overview...... 25.27 Availability of treatment...... 25.30 Waiting time for treatment...... 25.34 Shortages and political influence in the availability of ARVs ...... 25.35 Cost and availability of ARVs...... 25.38 Women and children ...... 25.41 Gay men and sex workers (Male and female) ...... 25.46 Mental health ...... 25.47 26. HUMANITARIAN ISSUES...... 26.01 Overview ...... 26.01 Land reform ...... 26.03 Recent land confiscations ...... 26.08 Food shortages...... 26.12 Politicisation of humanitarian aid ...... 26.16 27. FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT...... 27.01 Internal relocation ...... 27.03 International migration...... 27.05 28. INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS (IDPS) ...... 28.01 Operation Murambatsvina ...... 28.06 29. MARANGE DIAMOND FIELDS...... 29.01 30. CITIZENSHIP AND NATIONALITY ...... 30.01 31. FORGED AND FRAUDULENTLY OBTAINED OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS...... 31.01 ID cards and official documents ...... 31.06 32. EXIT AND RETURN ...... 32.01 33. EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS ...... 33.01
Annexes
Annex A – Chronology of major events Annex B – Political organisations Annex C – Prominent people Annex D – List of abbreviations Annex E – References to source material
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 21 February 2011. v Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 24 March 2011. 25 MARCH 2011 ZIMBABWE Preface i This Country of Origin Information (COI) Report has been produced by the COI Service, United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA), for use by officials involved in the asylum/human rights determination process. The Report provides general background information about the issues most commonly raised in asylum/human rights claims made in the United Kingdom. The main body of the report includes information available up to 21 February 2011. The ‘Latest News’ section contains further brief information on events and reports accessed from 22 February 2011 to 24 March 2011. The report was issued on 25 March 2011. ii The Report is compiled wholly from material produced by a wide range of recognised external information sources and does not contain any UKBA opinion or policy. All information in the Report is attributed, throughout the text, to the original source material, which is made available to those working in the asylum/human rights determination process. iii The Report aims to provide a compilation of extracts from the source material identified, focusing on the main issues raised in asylum and human rights applications. In some sections where the topics covered arise infrequently in asylum/human rights claims only web links are provided. It is not intended to be a detailed or comprehensive survey. For a more detailed account, the relevant source documents should be examined directly. iv The structure and format of the COI Report reflects the way it is used by UKBA decision makers and appeals presenting officers, who require quick electronic access to information on specific issues and use the contents page to go directly to the subject required. Key issues are usually covered in some depth within a dedicated section, but may also be referred to briefly in several other sections. Some repetition is therefore inherent in the structure of the Report. v The information included in this COI Report is limited to that which can be identified from source documents. While every effort is made to cover all relevant aspects of a particular topic, it is not always possible to obtain the information concerned. For this reason, it is important to note that information included in the Report should not be taken to imply anything beyond what is actually stated. For example, if it is stated that a particular law has been passed, this should not be taken to imply that it has been effectively implemented unless stated. vi As noted above, the Report is a compilation of extracts produced by a number of reliable information sources. In compiling the Report, no attempt has been made to resolve discrepancies between information provided in different source documents though COIS will bring the discrepancies together and aim to provide a range of sources, where available, to ensure that a balanced picture is presented. For example, different source documents often contain different versions of names and spellings of individuals, places and political parties, etc. COI Reports do not aim to bring consistency of spelling, but to reflect faithfully the spellings used in the original source documents. Similarly, figures given in different source documents sometimes vary and these are simply quoted as per the original text. The term ‘sic’ has been used in this document only to denote incorrect spellings or typographical errors in quoted text; its use is not intended to imply any comment on the content of the material.
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 21 February 2011. 6 Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 24 March 2011. 25 MARCH 2011 ZIMBABWE vii The Report is based substantially upon source documents issued during the previous two years. However, some older source documents may have been included because they contain relevant information not available in more recent documents. All sources contain information considered relevant at the time this Report was issued. viii This COI Report and the accompanying source material are public documents. All COI Reports are published on the UK Border Agency website and the great majority of the source material for the Report is readily available in the public domain. Where the source documents identified in the Report are available in electronic form, the relevant web link has been included, together with the date that the link was accessed. Copies of less accessible source documents, such as those provided by government offices or subscription services, are available from the COI Service upon request. ix COI Reports are published regularly on the top 20 asylum intake countries. UKBA officials also have constant access to an information request service for specific enquiries. x In producing this COI Report, COI Service has sought to provide an accurate, balanced summary of the available source material. Any comments regarding this Report or suggestions for additional source material are very welcome and should be submitted to UKBA as below.
Country of Origin Information Service UK Border Agency St Anne House 20-26 Wellesley Road Croydon, CR0 9XB United Kingdom Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/policyandlaw/guidance/coi/
INDEPENDENT ADVISORY GROUP ON COUNTRY INFORMATION xi The Independent Advisory Group on Country Information (IAGCI) was set up in March 2009 by the Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency to make recommendations to him about the content of the UKBA’s COI material. The IAGCI welcomes feedback on UKBA’s COI Reports and other country of origin information material. Information about the IAGCI’s work can be found on the Chief Inspector’s website at http://icinspector.independent.gov.uk/country-information-reviews/ xii In the course of its work, the IAGCI reviews the content of selected UKBA COI documents and makes recommendations specific to those documents and of a more general nature. A list of the COI Reports and other documents which have been reviewed by the IAGCI or the Advisory Panel on Country Information (the independent organisation which monitored UKBA’s COI material from September 2003 to October 2008) is available at http://icinspector.independent.gov.uk/country-information-reviews/
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 21 February 2011. 7 Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 24 March 2011. ZIMBABWE 25 MARCH 2011 xiii Please note: it is not the function of the IAGCI to endorse any UKBA material or procedures. Some of the material examined by the Group relates to countries designated or proposed for designation to the Non-Suspensive Appeals (NSA) list. In such cases, the Group’s work should not be taken to imply any endorsement of the decision or proposal to designate a particular country for NSA, nor of the NSA process itself.
Independent Advisory Group on Country Information contact details: 5th Floor, Globe House 89 Eccleston Square London, SW1V 1PN Email: [email protected] Website: http://icinspector.independent.gov.uk/country-information-reviews/
Return to contents
8 The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 21 February 2011. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 24 March 2011. 25 MARCH 2011 ZIMBABWE Latest News
EVENTS IN ZIMBABWE FROM 22 FEBRUARY 2011 TO 24 MARCH 2011
The Latest News provides a non-exhaustive selection of significant events since 22 February 2011. Further information may also be available from the list of useful sources below.
The Home Office is not responsible for the content of external websites.
23 March 2011 Zimbabwean authorities yesterday postponed indefinitely a vote to choose a new speaker of Parliament, a move that effectively suspends the House of Assembly until further notice, while also signaling deepening strife within the Harare coalition government. Under the country’s laws the House of Assembly must first elect a Speaker before it can contact any business.
ZimOnline Election of Speaker cancelled, 23 March 2011 http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=6629 Date accessed 25 March 2011
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Tuesday retracted his stinging attacks against the judiciary amid unconfirmed reports that the [ZANU-PF] Attorney General was considering charging him for labelling Zimbabwe’s judges functionaries of President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party.
ZimOnline Tsvangirai backtracks on judiciary, 23 March 2011 http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=6628 Date accessed 25 March 2011
21 March 2011 Six of Zimbabwe's 10 provinces face severe food shortages, and the government has ordered the country's grain marketing board (GMB) to send grain to the affected areas.
RadioVop Zim facing severe food shortages in six provinces, 21 March 2011 http://www.radiovop.com/national-news/5876-zim-facing-severe-food- shortages-in-six-provinces.html Date accessed 25 March 2011
Heavily armed soldiers have been deployed in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces, a development which human rights organisations fear will revive memories of the massacres in which 20 000 civilians perished. Human rights groups say the soldiers have been deployed to intimidate villagers into supporting Zanu PF ahead of elections which Zanu PF insist will be held this year.
Zimbabwe Metro Heavily armed soldiers deployed in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces, 21 March 2011
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 21 February 2011. 9 Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 24 March 2011. ZIMBABWE 25 MARCH 2011
http://www.zimbabwemetro.com/news/heavily-armed-soldiers-deployed-in- matabeleland-and-midlands-provinces/ Date accessed 25 March 2011
20 March 2011 Churches in Bulawayo (CIB), a grouping of church organizations in the city, have been elected to chair multi-party peace liaison committees that will handle issues related to election violence. The multi-party peace liaison committees are made up of the country’s political groupings including those that form the unity government. The Zimbabwe Victims of Organized Violence Trust (ZIVOVT) has since late last year been facilitating meetings between the country’s main political parties to form the peace liaison committees.
RadioVop Parties form committees to deal with violence, 20 March 2011 http://www.radiovop.com/national-news/5866-parties-form-committees-to- deal-with-violence.html Date accessed 25 March 2011
18 March 2011 A group of soldiers raped two women, and assaulted and robbed guests at a Harare lodge two weeks ago, in a disturbing show of riotous behaviour by Zimbabwe’s soldiers once famed for their discipline.
ZimOnline Zim soldiers rob, rape women, 18 March 2011 http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=6620 Date accessed 25 March 2011
Events in many rural areas have clearly demonstrated that Zanu-PF does not enjoy a monopoly of support there. In many other rural areas there is open and fierce opposition to Zanu_PF.
SW Radio Online Zanu-PF unpopular even in rural areas, 18 March 2011 http://www.swradioafrica.com/pages/zpfunpopular180311.htm Date accessed 25 March 2011
Political party ZAPU issued a statement on 18 March accusing ZANU-PF officials of human rights violations against its members. The party noted that recent events, particularly in their stronghold of Mashonaland West province, was a repeat of the events preceding the atrocities committed in the 1980s. ZAPU members, particularly in Hurungwe district, were reportedly subjected to “… systematic threats of violence, displacement and death”.
SW Radio Africa ZANU-PF Top official threatens ZAPU members with death, 18 March 2011 http://www.swradioafrica.com/pages/zpfterror170311.htm Date accessed 25 March 2011
17 March 2011 Police in Harare have banned MDC-T rallies scheduled for this weekend, saying ZANU-PF had either booked the venues or were holding its own 10 The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 21 February 2011. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 24 March 2011. 25 MARCH 2011 ZIMBABWE
rallies in close proximity to where the MDC-T wanted to assemble. The article went on to note a number of other occasions where the police had banned the MDC from holding events claiming that an “unnamed organisation” would be using the venues.
Zimbabwe Independent Police ban weekend MDC-T peace rallies, 17 March 2011 http://allafrica.com/stories/201103180819.html Date accessed 25 March 2011
16 March 2011 War veterans and ZANU-PF youths have declared war against Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters in Mberengwa district, Midlands province, saying their party should start setting up a refugee camp as they will all be forced to flee.
Daily News War Vets, Zanu PF youths declare war on MDC, 16 March 2011 http://www.dailynews.co.zw/news/53-top-story/1900-warvets-zanu-pf- youths-declare-war-on-mdc.html Date accessed 25 March 2011
12 March 2011 The Supreme Court upheld the acquittal of MDC-T minister of agriculture designate, Roy Bennett, of terrorism charges.
The Zimbabwean Bennett now a free man, 12 March 2011 http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti cle&id=38025:bennett-now-a-free-man&catid=69:sunday-top- stories&Itemid=30 Date accessed 25 March 2011
9 March 2011 The MDC-T called on Zimbabweans to resist what it characterizes as attempts by the police to impose a state of emergency across the nation.
Voice of America Tensions escalate in Harare's unity Govt as PM's party calls on people to defy police bans, 9 March 2011 http://www.voanews.com/zimbabwe/news/Tensions-Rise-in-Harare-In- Harare-Govt-As-Police-Ban-Rallies-By-Mugabe-Foes-117658348.html Date accessed 25 March 2011
6 March 2011 The security of women remains in the spotlight as the country prepares for the referendum (on the constitution) and elections. Women fear they will be the target for rape, beatings and intimidation, says local human rights watchdog, Zimrights.
RadioVop Zim women fear being targetted for rape during elections, 6 March 2011 http://www.radiovop.com/national-news/5730-zim-women-fear-being- targetted-for-rape-during-elections.html Date accessed 25 March 2011
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 21 February 2011. 11 Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 24 March 2011. ZIMBABWE 25 MARCH 2011
4 March 2011 Schools in Gutu could be forced to a premature closure after hordes of teachers fled their work stations following deaths threats from self-styled commander of war veterans, Jabulani Sibanda. Mr Sibanda is accusing them of discouraging villagers to sign President Robert Mugabe's anti- sanction petition launched in Harare.
RadioVop Gutu teachers flee violence, 4 March 2011 http://www.radiovop.com/national-news/5711-gutu-teachers-flee- violence.html Date accessed 25 March 2011
1 March 2011 Seven male and female members of civil society organisation Women of Zimbabwe Arise were arrested and held in custody in Bulawayo overnight without food or water. The organisation reported that two of its members had been beaten.
The Zimbabwean WOZA members jailed, beaten, 1 March 2011 http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti cle&id=37672:woza-members-jailed-beaten-&catid=52&Itemid=32 Date accessed 25 March 2011
28 February 2011 Forty families from a village in central Buhera have been left with nothing, after their homes were looted and burned by ZANU-PF supporters over the weekend. The MDC MP for Manicaland province, Pishai Muchauraya, told SW Radio Africa on Monday that youth militia and war vets rampaged through the Mapfurutse village on Friday night, destroying homes and looting property, accusing people of being MDC supporters. He said the youth militia were organised and led by a Colonel Mzilikazi, while the war vets were sent by notorious war vet leader Joseph Chinotimba.
SW Radio Africa Buhera village destroyed by ZANU PF mob, 28 February 2011 http://www.swradioafrica.com/news280211/buhera280211.htm Date accessed 25 March 2011
ZANU-PF youth militias ran riot in Chitungwiza beating up people and revellers at Makoni Shopping Centre accusing them of ignoring President Robert Mugabe’s birthday celebrations held at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) held last Saturday.
RadioVop Zanu (PF) Youths on a rampage in Chitungwiza, 28 February 2011 http://www.radiovop.com/national-news/5866-parties-form-committees-to- deal-with-violence.html Date accessed 25 March 2011
25 February 2011 More than 30 villagers from Nyanga North Constituency have fled the country into Mozambique while several others are now staying in the mountains following a spate of political violence from ZANU-PF youth
12 The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 21 February 2011. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 24 March 2011. 25 MARCH 2011 ZIMBABWE
militias. Some of the people affected by the new wave of violence are school teachers, MDC-T supporters and officials.
Zimbabwe Peace Project Political violence - Nyanga North villagers flee to Mozambique, 25 February 2011 http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/hr/110225zpp.asp?orgcode=zim028& year=0&range_start=1 Date accessed 25 March 2011
23 February 2011 The arrest and detention of MDC-T MP for Nyanga North, Douglas Mwonzora, who is also the co-chairperson of the Parliamentary Select Committee (COPAC) drafting the new constitution means that a new draft will be delayed. Mwonzora and 24 activists were arrested last week following allegations that they instigated violence against ZANU-PF supporters in his constituency. He denies the charges and has instead accused his ZANU PF opponent Hurbert Nyanhongo of sending his militia to storm his rally.
SW Radio Africa Mwonzora’s arrest stalls progress in COPAC, 23 February 2011 http://www.swradioafrica.com/news230211/mwonzora230211.htm Date accessed 24 February 2011
23 February 2011 Zimbabwe has arrested dozens of activists on charges of plotting protests against long-serving President Robert Mugabe similar to those that toppled the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia, police said on Monday. Police detained 46 people in the capital Harare as they watched videos of protests in north African countries. Those arrested included trade unionists, student leaders and Munyaradzi Gwisai, who heads a small but radical pressure group, the International Socialist Organisation (ISO).
BBC News Zimbabwe holds 46 for attending lecture on Egypt unrest, 23 February 2011 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12558073 Date accessed 23 February 2011
USEFUL NEWS SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
A list of news sources with Weblinks is provided below, which may be useful if additional up to date information is required to supplement that provided in this report. The full list of sources used in this report can be found in Annex E – References to source material.
AlertNet (Thomson Reuters) http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/index.htm?news=all British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) http://news.bbc.co.uk Cable News Network (CNN) http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/?fbid=i0gUtrVnUAy Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) http://www.irinnews.org/ Zimbabwe Situation http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/index.html#polis SW Radio Africa http://www.swradioafrica.com/ Sokwanele http://www.sokwanele.com/
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 21 February 2011. 13 Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 24 March 2011. ZIMBABWE 25 MARCH 2011
Kubatana http://www.kubatana.net/
Return to contents Go to sources
14 The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 21 February 2011. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 24 March 2011. 25 MARCH 2011 ZIMBABWE
REPORTS ON ZIMBABWE PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED BETWEEN 22 FEBRUARY 2011 AND 24 MARCH 2011
The Home Office is not responsible for the content of external websites.
International Federation for Human Rights Acts of harrassment and intimidation against Mr. Chikomo, Executive Director of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, published 15 March 2011 http://www.fidh.org/Acts-of-harrassment-and-intimidation-against-Mr Date accessed 25 March 2011
Human Rights Watch Perpetual Fear: Impunity and Cycles of Violence in Zimbabwe, published 8 March 2011 http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2011/03/08/perpetual-fear-0 Date accessed 25 March 2011
Amnesty International Zimbabwe treason charges an attack on freedom of expression, published 25 February 2011 http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/zimbabwe-treason-charges-attack-freedom- expression-2011-02-25 Date accessed 25 March 2011
Zimbabwe Peace Project Summary on politically motivated human rights and food related violations - January 2011, published 25 February 2011 http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/hr/110225zpp2.asp?orgcode=zim028&year=0&range_star t=1 Date accessed 25 March 2011
Human Rights Watch Zimbabwe: Free Activists Charged for Viewing Mideast Video, published 24 February 2011 http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/02/24/zimbabwe-free-activists-charged-viewing-mideast-video Date accessed 25 March 2011
Return to contents Go to sources
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 21 February 2011. 15 Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 24 March 2011. ZIMBABWE 25 MARCH 2011 Background Information
1. GEOGRAPHY
1.01 Jane’s Sentinel Security Assessment: Zimbabwe, dated 16 September 2009, noted that: “Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in southeast Africa. It borders Zambia to the north, Mozambique to the east, South Africa to the south and Botswana to the southwest. The country's longest border is with Mozambique (1,231 km), followed by Botswana (813 km), Zambia (797 km) and South Africa (225 km).” [90j] (Geography)
1.02 The Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Zimbabwe, updated on 8 March 2011, noted that there are: “8 provinces and 2 cities* with provincial status; Bulawayo*, Harare*, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands.” [56a] (Government) Europa World Online, undated, accessed 13 May 2010, noted that the principal towns (those with a population of over 100,000) are Harare (the capital), Bulawayo, Chitungwiza, Mutare (Umtali) and Gweru (Gwelo). [1b] (Area and Population) Jane’s Sentinel Security Assessment: Zimbabwe, dated 7 September 2010, noted that: “In 2009, the urban population comprised 38 per cent of the total population, up from 29 per cent in 1990. … The urban areas of Harare and Bulawayo have the status of provinces. Other major towns and cities are Mutare, Gweru, Kadoma, Kwekwe, Masvingo, Marondera, Zvishavane, Hwange and Chinhoyi.” The following table provided by Jane’s should be considered as a guide to the population of Zimbabwe; the country has experience significant migration and emigration as result of the deterioration of the economic and human rights environment since 2002.
Province Population (1992 Population (2002 Density (Population census) estimate) per km2) Manicaland 1,537,000 1,900,000 52 Midlands 1,308,000 1,450,000 29 Masvingo 1,223,000 1,350,000 24 Mashonaland West 1,113,000 1,400,000 24 Mashonaland East 1,034,000 1,300,000 40 Mashonaland 857,000 1,250,000 44 Central Matabeleland North 641,000 850,000 11 Matabeleland South 592,000 650,000 12 [90k] (Demography)
1.03 The most recent estimate for the size of the Zimbabwean population was made by the United Nations (UN) in 2009 – it estimated that the population was slightly above 12.5 million. (Europa World Online, accessed 13 May 2010) [1b] (Area and Population) A joint report published by Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and the World Food Programme, entitled FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission to Zimbabwe, dated 9 August 2010, noted that: “About 30 percent of Zimbabwe’s total population lives in urban and peri-urban areas. An estimated 60 percent of this urban population is concentrated in two urban provinces of Harare and Bulawayo.” [104a] (p22)
16 The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 21 February 2011. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 24 March 2011. 25 MARCH 2011 ZIMBABWE
1.04 The majority of Zimbabweans are Shona, making up around 75 per cent of the population. The Ndebele comprise about 20 per cent with the Tonga, Venda and smaller ethnic groups such as the Hlengwe/Shangaan, San, descendants of white settlers and Asians making up the remaining 5 per cent. (Jane’s Sentinel Security Assessment: Zimbabwe, 7 September 2010) [90k] (Demography)
1.05 Europa noted that: “The official languages are English, ChiShona and SiNdebele. About 55% of the population are Christians. A large number of the African population follow traditional beliefs, while the Asian minority comprises both Muslims and Hindus.” (Europa World Online, accessed 13 May 2010) [1a] (Location, Climate, Language, Religion, Flag, Capital)
Please see the sections on Ethnic groups and Freedom of religion for more information.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
1.06 Europa World Online, accessed on 13 May 2010, noted the following national holidays: “1 January (New Year’s Day); 2–5 April (Easter); 18 April (Independence Day); 1 May (Workers’ Day); 25 May (Africa Day, anniversary of OAU’s foundation); 11 August (Heroes’ Day); 12 August (Defence Forces National Day); 22 December (National Unity Day); 25–26 December (Christmas).” [1f] (Public Holidays)
MAP
1.07 The following links provide a selection of different maps of Zimbabwe. The Multimap and Google maps are searchable.
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 21 February 2011. 17 Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 24 March 2011. ZIMBABWE 25 MARCH 2011