Where is Potifa Bakaaimani, and what has happened to him?

Potifa Bakaaimani, Marondera MDC District Chairman and Kainos Betera, MDC activist Marondera, were abducted on the 20th May, 2008 from their homes in Marondera. It was the same week that the MDC Treasurer for Marondera district Sheppard Jani was murdered by the Zanu PF.

Sydney Shomwai, CIO operative, was one of the abductors. He was positively identified by a number of people. Reports were made to the Police, and thereafter enquiry after enquiry were made as to how the investigations were going. When concerns were raised with a Senior Police Officer, the response was “abduction is a serious offence, therefore it is being dealt with by the CID”. This is the sheer tragedy and lunacy of the situation, that the CID is supposedly investigating a case that their very colleagues have perpetrated. This is CRIMINAL. (see the end of this report for latest developments).

Zimbabwe lawyers for Human Rights were asked to take up the case.

In response to a letter to the Office Commanding Police, enquirers were referred to the Legal department at the Police General Headquarters. A letter was hand delivered to the Ombudsman nearly eight weeks ago and to date no acknowledgement has been forthcoming.

We know that when people ‘go missing’ into the hands of the CIO, that if not found within a maximum of 4 weeks, they can rightly be presumed dead. How they died and what they suffered at the hands of the trained and vindictive state torturer’s is too awful to even contemplate.

Following the terrible state sponsored and perpetrated spree of violence, torture, murder, rape, arson and looting (Operation Mavhoterapapi, retribution against the MDC following the March 29th elections) in the Mudzi, Mutoko, Murewa and UMP areas, ‘strange things’ began to happen to people. No not the victims, but the perpetrators.

Reports came in:

• Of two Zanu PF perpetrators handing themselves into a Police Station admitting that they had murdered an MDC activist and asking to be prosecuted. On being questioned as to why they had given themselves in (although they were known to have committed the offence), they said ‘ the ngozi (angry ancestral spirits) of the deceased has visited us and told us we must go and admit to the Police’.
• Some soldiers had gone to the Vapostori (Apostle) faith leaders and asked them to pray for them. They said ‘every night when we eat our sadza we see the faces of those we beat and killed staring at us. We can’t live like this’.
• There have been many unconfirmed reports of perpetrators who have either died (causes unknown) or committed suicide.
• An Air Force officer involved in the killings and torture of MDC members in the Zaka area, committed suicide the day after he found out that one of the people he had been involved in brutally beating had died soon afterwards.

It is now the last day of November, 2008 and many of our members/activists/office bearers who were abducted during Zanu PF’s retribution campaign (Op M) are still missing. Presumed dead? An estimated 200.

And what’s more, the abduction campaign has begun again. Over a month ago 14 of our officials and activists from the Banket and Norton areas were abducted (including a 2 year old child) and despite a High Court order demanding they be brought before a court, there has been no sign of them. Where are they? Are they still alive? Are they being tortured? There is no doubt in many peoples minds that they are probably being tortured into agreeing to say they were trained in Botswana as militia, so that Zanu PF can make a pathetic attempt to “prove” these spurious allegations against the MDC.

One of MDC’s top security men was abducted from his home late last Tuesday night. His whereabouts are unknown and his family and colleagues fear for his life.

Zanu PF has done this before and they are doing it again. But READ ON.

The following is a report from the Marondera area:

• CIO operative Sydney Shomwai (whose wife is a Magistrate) died in Mutoko last week. He had been transferred there a few months ago probably because too many questions were being asked. Three weeks prior to his death he had attempted suicide by taking poison. Prior to this attempt on his life he had been “going mad” and talking about Bakaaimani. His son was also talking about Bakaaimani.
• A Mr. Masikati, a ZPF self styled war vet, living in Nyameni, Marondera is reported to be possessed. He keeps talking (unwittingly) about Bakaaimani, and sees him in his dreams. Masikati says that Bakaaimani is telling him to feed him because he is unable to feed himself due to the fact his hands were cut off. Bakaaimani is also telling Masikati that he will not decompose until his body is found and he is given a proper burial.
• Masikati is spending most of his time with the Apostles getting them to pray for him. His son is also talking about Bakaaimani and chanting the slogan that was Bakaaimani’s favourite at an MDC rally “pidigu, pidigu, pidigu di – pidigu, pidigu, pidigu di”
• Mrs. Masikati has taken to chewing on her own shoes.

It is our hope that the perpetrators of these heinous crimes against humanity read this and know that there is no place to hide, Mwari (God) is watching “revenge is mine” He said.

There must be thousands of Ngozi’s who, at this very moment, are possessing the minds of those who have abducted, tortured, killed, looted and raped.

May the souls of those who have died unimaginable deaths at the hands of the evil regime and their operatives, rest in eternal Peace, knowing that we, their colleagues, families and fellow Zimbabweans, will ensure that their ultimate sacrifice has not been in vain.

The struggle for a peaceful transition to a new democratic dispensation, voted for by the people on the 29th March, 2008, will continue.

MAY GOD HELP US TO HELP OURSELVES.

Kerry Kay
Secretary for Welfare,
MDC

Via Press Release

This entry was posted by Sokwanele2 on Monday, December 1st, 2008 at 12:04 pm. You can follow any comments on this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.