Biti violence timeline

February 8, 2018: During an election discussion convened by Southern African Political Economy Series (SAPES) in collaboration with Information for Development Trust, Tendai Biti said, “I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is going to be a violent election. There is nothing that will stop the tanks from moving again no matter who has been elected in July 2018.” July 11: MDC-Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa and alliance principal Biti stormed the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Quantam House offices headquarters demanding to see chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba and hand over their electoral demands petition soon after their demonstration in Harare. After they failed to meet Justice Chigumba, Biti threatened to hunt down ZEC officials and drag them out of their homes and lynch them on the streets. ZEC officials later lodged a complaint with the police over the issue. July 11: Biti said; “We will be leading from the front, we will be living on the streets. We are not going to allow this election to be stolen. They can kill us, we are prepared to die for a free, fair and credible election.” July 13: In an interview with 1st TV, Biti said: “If they cheat us, they will have to kill us on the street.” July 15: At an MDC-Alliance campaign rally in Masvingo, Biti said: “We will be leading from the front. We will be living on the streets. We have said this over and over again, there will be no voting. We are not boycotting the election. There will be no election.” July 23: At a rally in Mkoba, Gweru, the MDC-Alliance threatened post-election violence in the event that it lost the July 30 polls, as its leaders expected nothing less than victory. July 26: Biti told South African publication Daily Maverick, “If they want to shoot us, we are prepared for it. If they want to throw us in Chikurubi, we welcome it.” He also vowed to make Zimbabwe ungovernable if the MDC-Alliance lost the elections. July 31: At a Press conference in Harare Biti declared that the MDC-Alliance had won the election even though the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission was still tallying and counting the ballots. He claimed that he was the target of an assassination ordered by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga. “We have received a confidential report that General Chiwenga has ordered the assassination of Nelson Chamisa and myself. We will not accept that.” August 5: During an interview with Daily Maverick Biti said: “The international community is not going to be fooled by this madness. We will make sure the Government will not get a single cent. I can’t tell you how, but I can tell you we have done it before.”