Links ~ 21 May 2008

Personal statement on violence in Gombakomba (SWRA)
Reverend Winnet Mupara of the United Methodist Church’s Chitakatira Circuit and her son Guyson Mupara sustained serious injuries after being assaulted by a group of Zanu-PF supporters. The group said that their leader was Rev. Mupara’s cousin, Grace Mvududu, who had been the Zanu-PF candidate for Councillor in Gombakomba. The assailants said that Mupara and her son were supporters of the MDC and were aiding the MDC cause in various ways.

Both victims were submersed in cold water and afterwards lashed with makeshift whips, made of iron and metal wires and wood planks. The torture continued for 2 hours. The victims have gaping wounds on their backs, legs and buttocks. Two girls, who are family members and are 10 years old, witnessed the torture. Church members and leaders could only get the victims medical treatment 10 hours later.

Zimbabwe police recruits cast postal ballots before run-off date (zimdaily.com)
Two days before the date of the presidential run-off was announced – before any official announcement of a run-off, trainee police officers all over the country, had already started casting their postal ballots. Reliable sources told ZimDaily that all the recruits were ordered to use postal ballots. Voting was done in the presence of the Depot Commander at Morris Depot in Harare. The recruits were told that they had to vote for Mugabe. The same procedure will apply for serving police officers and their dependants.

Zanu PF on the warpath ahead of presidential run-off (zimbabwejournalists.com)
Zanu-PF has launched a campaign which reminiscent of that of the Hutu extremists just before the Rwandan genocide. Senior Zanu-PF officials are inciting supporters to be on the lookout for MDC supporters and their communities. The MDC leaders and supporters are being labelled “sell-outs” and “traitors” who wanted to give back the country to the former coloniser, Britain.

Eliot Manyika, Zanu-PF secretary for the commissariat is in charge of a sub-committee for mobilization. Manyika addressed a crowd at a rally where he said that people must look out for “traitors” as they are amongst them, “We have enemies all around us.” After the rally, uniformed men search houses in Chigodora and Chitakatira, attacking MDC activists and burning their houses to the ground. Teachers at the Matika Primary School were also forced to flee from Zanu-PF supporters.

The same techniques were used by former leaders of Rwanda to incite ethnic tension during the run-up to the 1994 genocide. One million Rwandans died in the violence, which ensued.

Zimbabwe’s Mugabe tells police to remain vigilant (Reuters)
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe called on police to remain vigilant ahead of a presidential run-off next month and blamed the opposition MDC for political violence in the country.

Speaking at a ceremony to confer ranks on senior police officials in Harare, Mugabe said the Movement for Democratic Change was on an “evil crusade” to divide the people of Zimbabwe. (Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe)

Chinotimba Implicated in MDC Activist’s Murder in Buhera (SWRA)
Joseph Chinotimba has been implicated as overseeing the murder of Chokuse Mupango, MDC activist and chairperson for ward 26 in Mutiusinazita, Manhicaland. Chinotimba is known as Robert Mugabe’s hatchet man and is infamous for leading the brutal farm invasions.

Chinotimba led a group of militia to Mutiusinazita, from where he sends them to start hunting for Chokuse Mupango. When the militia found Mupango, they attacked him using knives, sticks, and knobkerries. Mupango was severely injured during this attack. The militia then loaded him on to a wheelbarrow and took him to where Chinotimba and five police officers were waiting at the Mutero clinic.

Chinotimba tried to interrogate Mupango but could not elicit any response. Mupango died shortly afterwards. Mupango’s death drove Chinotimba into a terrible rage, calling Mupango a ‘pig’ and raging to the crowd that the ‘pig’ had died before he had even started with him. Mupango’s body was loaded into Chinotimba’s vehicle and was dropped of at the Birchenough Bridge hospital mortuary.

(Chinotimba Implicated in MDC Activist’s Murder in Buhera) …Murder of 2 activists (SWRA)
The Body of Beta Chokururama was found; he had a gunshot and 4 deep stab wounds in his back. Chokururama and two other activists were abducted a week ago from Murehwa. The decomposing bodies of the two activists, Godfrey Kauzani and Cain Myeve have also been found. Cain Nyeve’s eyes had been gouged out and it is feared that he must have been severely tortured before his death.

Both Kauzani and Nyeve’s wives were also abducted from Domboshawa and there are serious concerns for their safety. It is suspected that their abductors were state security agents. A third activist, Tedius Chimedza managed to escape after he was abducted. He is now in hiding.

Zanu PF thugs disrupt funeral (The Zimbabwean)
Zanu-PF supporters disrupted the funeral of Godfrey Kauzani and Cain Nyeve. Zanu-PF supporters in Goromonzi murdered the two MDC activists on May 18. The burial ceremony was interrupted when some 300 Zanu-PF supporters arrived and started to beat the mourners. The assailants wielding knobkerries, machetes and stones injured many people who were trying to flee the violence. Clever Bere president of the Zimbabwe National Students Union sustained a knee injury for which he was hospitalised. Notable civic society leaders, such as Crisis Coalition, ZIMCODD, SST, NCA, ZINASU, YOUTH FORUM, YIDEZ, RHOR, SCMZ, Build better youth, and the MDC attended the funeral.

Two Zimbabwean MDC lawmakers arrested (africasia.com)
Two legislators of the MDC Ian Kay and Amos Chibaya have been arrested and are currently in police custody. Kay has been charged with inciting all the violence in Mashonaland East. He will appear in court in Marondera on Monday. Chibaya was arrested for trying to stir up revolt amongst the police ranks. Chibaya allegedly made inflammatory remarks at a rally. Heya Shoko another MDC legislator was arrested on May 12 on public violence charges.

Mugabe’s dogs cause mayhem in SA (The Zimbabwean)
According to a source with direct knowledge of the xenophobic attacks in South Africa, the government’s Central Intelligence Organisation and the army’s intelligence department have been implicated in orchestrating the attacks in South Africa.

The idea behind such attacks is to cause widespread regional panic, which can be used to pressure the MDC into a negotiated settlement with Robert Mugabe as president. Furthermore, the attacks on foreigners in South Africa diverted attention from the state sponsored violence in Zimbabwe and the negative publicity it generated. The xenophobic attacks in SA have created “necessary diversions.”

Zimbabwe’s Tsvangirai slams ‘callous’ SAfrican mob violence (africasia.com)
Morgan Tsvangirai president of the MDC condemned the attacks on foreigners as “callous and brutal.” He said that people in southern Africa are united by a shared history and that they have more in common than there are differences between them. Tsvangirai said that the MDC believes in African solidarity and regional integration and those self-serving elements behind these attacks. “The violence suffered by Zimbabweans is even more appalling when we remember that these refugees are not here out of choice, but instead are already victims of violence and economic hardship inflicted upon them by the Mugabe regime,” said Tsvangirai.

Zimbabwe: Journalist assaulted by unknown individuals in Mutare (allafrica.com)
Unknown assailants assaulted Sydney Saize a freelance journalist on 16 May, in Mutare. Saize said that he walking to his home when 4 men travelling in an unmarked Nissan double-cab vehicle pulled over and offered him a lift. He jumped onto the back of the vehicle. After travelling a short distance, the vehicle stopped and the 4 men proceeded to assault Saize. They were accusing Saize that he was ‘selling’ the country. After a while, they drove off having dumped Saize on the roadside.

Zimbabwe: President Promotes Two Soldiers to Rank of Colonel (allafrica.com)
Colonel Stanford Kufa – previously Zimbabwe Armoured Car Regiment Commander at Inkomo – was promoted to Commandant of the Zimbabwe Military Academy in Gweru. Colonel Michael Chaminuka – previously personal staff officer to Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Constantine Chiwenga – has been promoted to the rank of colonel and will maintain his present position.

Mugabe said to them: “Ensure that the legacy of Chimurenga lives on. Some of us might retire in the near future and you (all army officers) should ensure that Zimbabwe would never be a colony again. “It is you senior officers who should ensure that the legacy is protected,”

Post Election Violence Update (The Zimbabwean)

PRISON OFFICERS BRUTALISED

Giant Makwinji a notorious war veteran, Major Kajese (ZNA), Dr Choto a CIO and Mr Kaserera an ex Zanu-PF councillor has brutally assaulted 12 Marondera prison officers at the St Thomas Prison, in Marondera. The incident took place on 16 May 2008. Inside sources said that the acting Principle Prison Officer, Mr Musanhu had given permission for a rally and forced all prison officers to attend it. Musanhu supplied the 4 assailants with a list containing the names of prison officers who were allegedly MDC supporters. The resident officers and their families were ordered to gather in the prison grounds where the assailants proceeded to assault the 12 prison officers. The officers were warned against ‘voting wrongly’ and told to vote for Zanu-PF in the run-off for the presidential poll.

VILLAGE HEAD KILLED

Daniel Tafirenyika Kapfutsa village head of Sanzu Village in Muzarabani was abducted from his home and had died because of the injuries he had sustained. Sanzu Village is a Zanu PF stronghold but Mr Kapfutsa’s crime was that he had allowed a number of people to stay there who were MDC supporters.

Zimbabwe inflation estimated at 1 million percent (New Zealand Herald)
According to recent independent estimates in Zimbabwe, inflation has burst through the 1 million per cent barrier. And weary Zimbabweans now face a new wave of massive price increases that put many basic goods out of reach.

Politically Motivated Attacks on Zimbabwe Opposition Supporters Continue (VOA News)
Mavhezva village in the Nyazura district, Makoni South constituency was attacked by three truckloads of militia, accompanied by police and soldiers. The villagers were accused of receiving food from the MDC. Many of the villagers tried to flee into the mountains. Shots were heard but it is not known if anybody was hit.

Happymore Mavhezha a member of the MDC is in hiding as militia are looking for him in connection with the alleged distribution of food in the Nyazura ward.

The Zimbabwe Peace Project said that they have documented 4359 cases of murder, assault, intimidation, and harassment in Zimbabwe.

Head of state broadcaster fired for defying political orders (ifex.org)
Henry Muradzikwa chief executive officer of the state-controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) reportedly defied ministerial orders to deny the MDC favourable coverage during the elections and subsequently Muradzikwa was fired. MISA-Zimbabwe said that the alleged orders flies in the face of the SADC Guidelines Governing the conduct of democratic elections. The guidelines determines that equal access to the media be given to all political parties.

Southern Baptists deliver boxes of food to Zimbabwe poor (mnnonline.org)
In the midst of a food crisis exacerbated by bad weather and economic and political turmoil, Southern Baptists are sending thousands of pounds of food to Zimbabwe. Baptist Global Response, a Southern Baptist international relief and development organization, has already delivered over a thousand 50-pound food parcels to the country and hopes to deliver 3,500 more.

Censored musician launches online ‘protest radio’ (freemuse.org)
UK-based Zimbabwean protest singer Viomak has found a way of evading censorship in her home country. On Zimbabwe’s Independence Day, 18 April 2008, she and her team launched ‘Voto Radio Station – Zimbabwe Protest Art’ on the internet with the aim “to focus on the importance of freedom of musical expression in a country where opposing voices are severely oppressed.” (link)

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