Zimbabwe rapes a crime against humanity

Johannesburg: December 12, 2009

Stephen Lewis and Paula Donovan: Two weeks ago, President Jacob Zuma called for Zimbabwe to be readmitted to the Commonwealth, citing the government's "progress" in stabilising the country.

This is a wrong and dangerous message to Zimbabwe and the world.

On Thursday, the international NGO AIDS-Free World released a report entitled "Electing to Rape: Sexual Terror in Mugabe's Zimbabwe". It describes how men associated with President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party committed widespread, systematic rape in the 2008 election period. Our legal team took sworn statements from 70 victims, and documented 380 rapes committed by 241 perpetrators across Zimbabwe's 10 provinces. The report demonstrates without equivocation that Mugabe and his Zanu-PF followers were responsible for the rapes.

South Africa, inarguably the strongest power in the region, should play a leading part in punishing the criminals and preventing them from unleashing this horror again.

The rape campaign was well organised and executed. The women - each one was associated in some way with the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change, but were from far-flung provinces and mostly strangers to one another - suffered beatings and assaults that were alarmingly similar. They also reported hearing the same songs, slogans, chants and insults. The campaign of sexual violence achieved its short-term goal; through terror, humiliation and the decimation of families, Mugabe and his party held on to power.

In a country where over 15% of adults live with HIV, rape carries with it an added dimension of terror. Several of the women who spoke to us believe that their attackers infected them. The trauma and displacement caused by the rapes undermined their access to both testing and treatment.

Rape in any circumstances is heinous, but these rapes - strategic, widespread and systematic - are crimes against humanity under international law. Most of the women who offered their testimonies to AIDS-Free World said they were either afraid to report their rapes to the police, or that they could not because the police made it impossible. The women understand that the police are controlled by Zanu-PF.

Zimbabwe's legal system is in disarray, and in any case the country has no procedure to address an orchestrated campaign of rape.

South Africa is in a position to exhibit political, legal and moral leadership in this regard, and to demonstrate that orchestrated sexual violence can and should be punished. This country and its president are continental leaders. South Africa can put pressure on the Southern African Development Community, which can also take action against Zimbabwe. Zuma's recent appointment of a team of envoys to monitor Zimbabwe's government is an opportunity to take a tough and principled stand.

Zuma has shown that he has the largeness of mind to change his stance. He rejected South Africa's denialist, deadly position on HIV. Surely he can do the same when it comes to crimes against humanity in Zimbabwe.