Recent murders in Manicaland
Sent to us via email:
Dickson Sibamba 60, MDC activist from Buhera South, Ward 28. He was murdered by armed war veterans and youth militias on 03/07/08 at around 2200hrs at his home. The militias had made him pay a goat as form of punishment after which they murdered him. He is survived by a wife and 5 children. His body is still at Murambinda Mortuary.
Masitafundikera Gumura 72, and his wife Aqualine Sanzvemgwa 61, all from Headlands, were abducted on 25/06/08 by Zanu youths at around 2100 hrs. Gumura died on the spot after severe torture while his wife Aqualine died three days later on 28/06/08. They were all buried on 03/07/08.
Maxwell Machasi 40, from Mararakuenda Village, Chief Nyashanu was murdered on 06/07/08 by War veterans lead by Gapu and Chimbara. His body is still at Murambinda mortuary.
Alex Kazembe 42, of Dekeya Village, Ward 26 in Makoni South, died on 06/07/08 after severe assault by Zanu PF youths at Nyazura River.
July 8th, 2008 16:40
Awful, awful stuff; thank you for keeping witness to this horrendous news and not letting it go unnoted.
July 8th, 2008 18:58
How can we achieve maximum publicity for these deaths? To whom should the information be forwarded? It’s as though we need a “body count of the day” update which announces the deaths and makes sure that not one is allowed to become a mere statistic.
If anything demonstrates that the situation in Zimbabwe is not like that of Kenya, it is the specific targeting of a stratum of leaders and activists from the MDC. Quite clearly, if the violence was due to battling factions, there would be a pattern of attack and counter attack with communities being attacked at random or with an undertow of old grudges being resolved (as in Rwanda and Kenya, or KZN for that matter), and all sorts of people would be drawn in.
Not so in Zimbabwe: there is plenty of torture and death to go round, and not everyone targeted is a leader, but in the main, the efforts of the death squads are squarely aimed at those involved in the infrastructure of the MDC, with the obvious intention of eliminating the MDC as a political movement.
As for Bright Matonga, we have to keep informing him that Zimbabwe (or rather, HIS Zimbabwe) has demonised and isolated itself, and that there is no “partnering” with a government that murders and tortures its own citizens. May their souls rest in peace, they died for their country and every single one is a hero.