Destruction of property and food
It is well known now that the homes and possessions of many people in the rural areas have been destroyed. These images were uploaded to our flickr account yesterday and show some of the destruction (for more, visit this set here). These are from Maramba (above) and Uzumba areas (two images below).
But this is what I find to be one of the most calculated acts of cruelty by this regime, one of their tried and tested tactics. They have destroyed food: in a country which needs food aid, Zanu PF loyal thugs have burned piles of maize. Both the images below were taken in the Uzumba area.
To give some sense of the history behind Zanu PF’s politicisation of food supplies, we can point you to an article Sokwanele wrote in 2005, describing how food was used as a tool for retribution and punishment by Zanu PF after the 2005 elections - Reward or Retribution: the politicisation of Zimbabwe’s food supply. And this article written in 2004 tackles the same topic: Hunger as a political weapon.
The devastation has immediate physical impacts on human beings it will also affect the run-off election campaign. Intimidation and fear are discussed at length, but even if that is overcome, the practical considerations are significant.
For example, a colleague asked how the party’s rural structures could be revived in time for a run-off. Some of the people who have fled these areas don’t have homes to return to, and their food and clothes have been stolen and destroyed. The same person noted too that that many of those who had been viciously assaulted need time to recover before they can tackle the fight again. She said, “Broken bones take weeks to heal”.
The other side of the struggle rests with those who confronting the challenge, coordinating efforts, trying to repair and help the injured. Another message received recently from someone described a conversation he had had with a health professional who simply said to him “my heart is in tatters”. It says it all.
Zimbabweans are very strong and have endured a lot, but the relentless onslaught by the regime is exhausting and dispiriting and has a massive impact on daily lives.
Acting in response
If people would like to send messages of support and thanks to the health professionals, please leave them as comments below. I will collate them all into a long message and pass them back. It makes a big difference to know the world is watching and responding and grateful for everything being done.
For those of you who are left feeling impotent by this, we have received the names of two people who are instrumental in some of the devastation. Do what you can to find out information on them. I am not sure how much information on these two is available online, but do your best and leave in the comments below.
Retired major Cairo Mhandu (who is also the M.P. for Mazowe North) has been very involved in the violence in Chiweshe, and so has the unopposed Zanu PF winner of Muzarabani South constituency - Raradza.
May 12th, 2008 17:08
not a lot yet..
Cairo Mhandu
sources said the attackers were led by a recently elected member of parliament for the ZANU-PF party of President Robert Mugabe, Cairo Mhandu, a recently retired soldier. Sources informed on conditions in Chiweshe said soldiers continued to go door-to-door in the area on Tuesday beating suspected opposition members.
sources said members of the army and war veterans have established camps on farms to train ZANU-PF youth in military tactics.
Such camps have been set up in Murewa and Mutoko in Mashonaland East and Shamva in Mashonaland Central. Army sources said top army and police officials in the past week have been moving from one camp to another telling junior officers to be ready to defend Zimbabwe against the allegedly Western-backed opposition.
I suspect he has a account on SKYPE under the name “Mhandu”
May 12th, 2008 17:39
Edward Raradza
Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) Vice- Chairperson Edward Raradza
Tobacco farmer.
Govt to cede land to Chinese
Zim Independent
Godfrey Marawanyika/Augustine Mukaro
GOVERNMENT is next week expected to sign an agricultural agreement with
China that could see vast tracts of land being ceded to the fast-growing
nation.
The deal, envisaged to boost agricultural production, should be signed on
November 8 and will be guaranteed by the Ministry of Finance.
The deal will be in two phases. The first component is a direct
government-to-government agreement while the other has an element of private
sector participation.
Government is expected to enlist private sector participation under the
Zimbabwe Development Company, represented by Zimbabwe Farmers Union
vice-president Edward Raradza.
Government-owned China State Farms Agribusiness Corporation and the ZDC are
set to sign the partnership agreement early next week
May 12th, 2008 17:48
Further to above…
There are various private sector initiatives which will be represented by
Edward Raradza of Farmers World and others,” Made said. Farmers World is
mainly engaged in the sale of farm inputs.
“Government projects will be guaranteed by the Ministry of Finance.
Everything is being handled by them.”
Yesterday, Raradza confirmed the deal but refused to give further details on
the proposed agreement saying: “Why are you in a rush? Just wait for next
week.”
May 12th, 2008 18:25
Every day I pray for the people of Zimbabwe, for your freedom, for justice and righteousness to prevail. I marvel at the power that God is giving you to go on and on, in spite of the onslaught of the enemy. Your strength and courage are an inspiration to the world. Each time you think “How can we go on?” remember that one day this will be a thing of the past. A bright future is dawning, but the darkness of the night is still around you. You will prevail, God will prevail.
With love from London.
May 12th, 2008 19:05
To the health professionals, prayers from all over the world are with you, and the deepest gratitude. Our hearts bleed for your suffering and the suffering of those under your care.
Though you rarely hear news of this from the inside, the world is in uproar and millions of people are rooting for you. Thousands upon thousands are fighting hard to make things happen from outside Zimbabwe.
May 12th, 2008 22:19
@ Fish Eagle
I have been waiting for something like this for a while now. Basically I was wondering why the chinese are so interested in Zimbabwe and there was only one sensible answer: arable land! The one thing that is more important to China then mineral resources. Wheat and rice prices have been rising faster then any other commodity (including oil!) in recent years and with the forced introduction of biofuels in some countries shortages and starvation are inevitable. The chinese obviously know this and are preparing.
Sadly this does not bode well for the population of Zimbabwe as neither Mugabe/Zanu nor the chinese have any interest in keeping the population alive. Mugabe does not want anybody but Zanoids while the chinese do not care as long as there are just enough people left to plow their fields.
If Zanu stays in power Zimbabwe will become a de facto chinese colony.
May 12th, 2008 23:56
The Chinese government will have African blood on their hands as well as Tibetan. They supply arms to your despot dictator and now they are doing “no strings” deals with him to gain access to the peoples land. At your current rate of inflation they must be paying next to nothing for it too.
I hope the worlds media and government wakes up to these dirty deals and stops being frightened of upsetting the Chinese government. If they are coluding with the outgoing Mugabe any deals he makes with them should be null and void when he’s gone. Plus they should be be made to pay compensation for any profits extracted from Zim through these deals.
One more reason I won’t be watching the Olympics this year.
Will.
May 13th, 2008 00:39
To all the health professionals, activists, lawyers and all those helping in every small way, thank you for your incredible work. Your strength and your wonderful commitment to life, love and justice are a shining light in this dark world. Your courage and bravery are outstanding. You will be remembered as the true heroes and heroines of a free Zimbabwe!
May 13th, 2008 02:03
To the good people of Zimbabwe - I visited the country in 1996 and look forward to coming back in better times. I follow the news every day and hope that things will turn out well eventually. All my love to you.
May 13th, 2008 03:20
This Chinese connection seems to be getting murkier by the day, and the sneaky Mugabe regime seems to be hell bent on mass population culling to manage his country and service his China deals. What a perfect opportunity to cull, during a civil uprising. Done it before, why not now on a massive scale. We’ve seen many others infamous dictators do this before, and that is why this raving lunatic should be stopped now, at all cost.
May 13th, 2008 04:43
The report of violence on the VOA website is really shocking. Paying these youth militia $10 billion dollars to beat up and instantly kill an opposition supporter is disgusting. There are striking similarities between what Mugabe is doing and what Hitler used to do.I shudder to think what will become of these youth militias when the dictator goes sooner rather than later.I also want to comment the guys who have hacked the Herald website and published the Gukurahundi massacre on that website.Zvanzi manzwi emukuru haawire pasi, remember that Bishop Abel Muzorewa tried in vain during 1980 campaigns to alert that Mugabe was just another Hitler, and this is being proven today. I still feel that giving this guy a dignified exit is not bad at all, but he must be put on trial for genocide together with those being used to achieve his ambitions. The Zimbabwe rural political cleansing are no different from what was happening in Rwanda and Yugoslavia. Let Mugabe be told in no uncertain terms that he will have to answer for these atrocities.
May 13th, 2008 05:25
If you would also notice: under the Zim election laws, people can only vote at the place they are registered in.
By destroying people’s homes and driving them out of where they are registered (And the ZEC refusing to re-register with their usual tricks) they prevent them from voting.
This is not just intimidation to get them to vote Mugabe, it is also “Political Cleansing” to prevent tens of thousands voting at all.
With the thouands of ghost voters registered fifty to a toilet in other areas this should be enough for he ZEC to shift mugabe the 6-7% he needs on the official figures, for the re-run election.
May 13th, 2008 06:48
My deepest admiration and respect to you all in Zimbabwe….Those who care for the injured and the sick….Those who fight for the Liberation of the people from the Liberators…..Those who know right from wrong…..You are in my prayers and hope and dreams….Let God grant us all the courage to do what we need to do to take back our country and govern it for the benefit of all the people…..Thank You so much for what you are doing now and what you will do for us in the future……May the walls of the avenues and the other hospitals….. in the near future sing with healthy young crying babies and not cry with the tear of pain imposed upon by our leaders…..GOD BLESS YOU…..
May 13th, 2008 14:25
To all the great people of zimbabwe giving a helping hand and making every effort to solve this madness, THANK YOU. I am just so angry and very traumatised. This can not continue for ever!!!
Chisingapere chinoshura….hama dzangu.
May 13th, 2008 14:26
Someone has hacked the Herald website, and it’s genius. Good on you, “r4b00f”.
May 13th, 2008 14:35
Has swradio been hacked? Because all I get is their host provider page on the front page and a ‘this page cannot be found’ page when I follow the link Fish Eagle posted on the other post..? Anyone else having problems?
May 13th, 2008 15:54
Anon@….The link works for me..but in case it isn’t available to others…heres the text..
SA Litigation Centre calls for prosecution of Zim chefs over violence
By Tererai Karimakwenda
May 06, 2008
The Johannesburg based Southern African Litigation Centre (SALC) has confirmed that 2 weeks before the March 29 elections, they urged South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to investigate and prosecute 18 top Zimbabwe security officials for committing crimes against humanity. The crimes related to the torture of officials and members of the MDC, whose testimonies were submitted in a dossier, sent to the NPA along with a legal opinion that forms the basis for prosecution. To date the SALC has not received a formal response from the NPA.
SALC director Nicole Fritz said they took this action because they anticipated high levels of violence over the election period, meant to intimidate voters in communities that were not seen as supporters of ZANU-PF.
Fritz explained that their argument is that torture on such a large and systematic scale suggests that it was ordered by the state, and this constitutes crimes against humanity.
Fritz also explained that the Rome Statute that established the International Criminal Court, obliges South Africa to arrest and prosecute anyone who commits a crime against humanity no matter where the crimes were committed, if the perpetrators are within the territories of South Africa or inside South Africa itself. This means Zimbabwean officials who often visit South Africa for official business or personal trips can be apprehended and prosecuted.
The list of Zimbabwean security officials named in the report includes Happyton Bonyongwe, Head of the Department of State Security in the President’s Office; Augustine Chihuri, Commissioner General of Police; Paradzayi Zimondi, Prisons Commissioner; Constantine Chigwenga, Head of Defence Forces; Didymus Mutasa, Minister of State Security; Kembo Mohadi, Minister of Home Affairs; Assistant Commissioner Musarashana Godwin Mabunda; and Superintendent, Law and Order Section, Harare, J Chani.
Asked if South Africa’s prosecuting authority was independent and able to investigate the cases without political interference, Botha said she hopes that they would be able to function independently. But she added that there was cause for concern given recent controversy over allegations that the government had interfered with some investigations.
Meanwhile President Mbeki’s credibility as a mediator on the Zimbabwe crisis is to come under scrutiny, if a motion tabled by the country’s main opposition the Democratic Alliance, is adopted by parliament. The DA’s parliamentary leader, Sandra Botha, said they were calling for a parliamentary debate on the post-election crisis in Zimbabwe, and for an investigation into the “distinct lack of action” on Zimbabwe by Mbeki and the South African government. The motion was tabled on Tuesday and now goes to a committee which will decide whether it can be debated in parliament.
May 13th, 2008 15:57
To the health professionals; the doctors and nurses who are trying so hard to look after the wounded. From here in Australia and everywhere in the world, people are watching in disgust what the Mugabe government is doing, and admiring how you are coping, under such adverse conditions and without proper supplies. Stay strong.
May 13th, 2008 16:04
A great job by the Herald hackers. Don’t stop there! Get rid of all their useless propaganda sites.
May 13th, 2008 19:26
Sorry Folks…As a father, Grandfather, Husband etc I can’t sit back and let the United Nations ignore what could be the worst genocidal activity since Pol Pot.
I completely understand the urgency of the Burma/Myanmar situation but Zimbabwe is disappearing under the radar. The UN has a “Duty To Protect” under the UN charter. It isn’t doing it.
Please send e-mails and evidence to the UN. This will turn into a tragedy unless we keep kicking at the doors.
May 13th, 2008 20:56
A campaigns to support:
FIFA & Zimbabwe - Mbeki’s Own Goal
We all know that major sporting events can have a big impact on politicians as the recent Olympic torch relay has demonstrated only too well. Rumour has it that FIFA are contemplating moving the World Cup to Australia if the Zimbabwe situation is not resolved soon. Let’s use this as leverage to expedite the results of the elections and show Mbeki what a real crisis is….send this to everyone you know, and ask them to simply go on to the web page and email FIFA asking them to make plans to move the 2010 world cup from South Africa to somewhere else due to the political crisis in Zimbabwe.
If enough people email them, they will have to take action. This will effect the whole region financially and Mbeki would have scored a major own goal!!
http://www.fifa.com/contact/form.html
May 13th, 2008 20:57
And there is a petition to the UN at:
http://www.helpsavezimbabwe.org/
May 14th, 2008 09:15
@BM…Thanks BM…have signed up to the UN petition. only 821 at the last count but it’s a start.