30 aspiring councillors sign peace pledge

AT least 30 aspiring councillors from different political parties in Chitungwiza on Friday signed a peace pledge, which will guide their behaviour and actions ahead of the forthcoming harmonised elections, at a meeting held at the Leisure Centre.

The meeting, which was hosted by Chitungwiza and Manyame Rural Residents Association (Camera) and a civil organisation called Centre for Conflict Management and Transformation (CCMT), was held under the theme “Peace and Elections”.

The meeting came as a result of a recent survey conducted by CCMT on politically motivated violence cases, which revealed that Chitungwiza had more cases compared to other areas such as Epworth and Mbare.

Aspiring councillors from Zanu-PF, MDC Alliance and Independent candidates all signed the peace pledge and agreed to uphold peace before, during and after the harmonised elections.

“We shall recognise the rights and privileges enshrined in the Constitution by reaffirming the provisions of the Electoral Code of Conduct by subscribing to the political parties code of conduct of 2013 in support of and pursuance of sections of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

“In line with the sustainable development goal number 16, in good faith, we voluntarily pledge to abide by the mentioned provisions to conduct our affairs in a congenial and peaceful manner at all times,” read part of the pledge.

Chitungwiza Mayor Mr Goodwill Mushangwe urged other candidates not to make promises to the electorate that they cannot deliver.

Speaking at the event, CCMT research and advocacy coordinator Mr Shadreck Vengesai said the engagement will help stop violence in Chitungwiza.

“We hope that this dialogue has helped immensely to stop more politically motivated violence cases in Chitungwiza. In our research, we found out that uneducated and unemployed youths are often used by politicians to perpetrate violence,” he said.

Camera director Mr Marvellous Khumalo said the meeting was aimed at fostering peace and unity among the political parties and their members.

“After noticing that most of the primary elections across the political divide were marred by violence, we thought that it was prudent to protect the communities in which we work by bringing together all the candidates from different political parties.

“We are going to hold these meetings in a few targeted wards that have high incidents of political violence,” he said.