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Government should provide lasting solutions to cases of political
violence
Heal Zimbabwe
Trust
May 24, 2011
Victims of political
violence who were harassed
in Chimanimani on 01 May 2011 are still living in abject conditions
with four families failing to relocate to their respective homes
as their homes were burnt down by suspected ZANU PF activists on
19 May 2011. Heal Zimbabwe travelled to Mutare and Chimanimani on
21 May 2011 to assess the situation and needs of the victims. The
victims are originally from Mutambara area who resettled in Cashel
Valley.
This is not
the first time these people have been subjected to torture and harassment.
They claim that the victimization started on 01 May 2011 following
a meeting held by ZANU PF which resolved to "eliminate"
all opposition supporters and soon after the meeting, the victims
were summoned to a base where they were harassed and beaten up and
had to seek refuge in Mutare for two weeks. About 16 families were
victimized and only 12 families managed to relocate back. Among
these, four families have failed to settle back at their respective
homesteads after the homes were burnt to ashes soon after their
arrival forcing them to relocate back to Mutare. All the cases were
reported to the police who showed some level of cooperation but
no arrests were made.
Needs that have
arisen from the victims:
- Shelter
reconstruction for four families
- 30 children
dropped out of school because of the disturbances and need to
be sent back to school
- Food and
blankets
- National
identity particulars
Civil Society
and the church in Mutare have been assisting the victims. The niche
for the Heal Zimbabwe visit was to ascertain possible areas of assistance
and the first task is to try and restore the victims` lives to normalcy.
Efforts should be made to ensure these families return to their
areas considering most of them are community leaders in their respective
areas and their absence will demobilize and destabilize local leadership
in these areas. Two of the victims who had their house burnt, Mr.
Admire Chizikani and Mr. Moses Chemwanyisa blamed the Government
for failing to protect them from people they called hooligans who
they accuse of tormenting villagers in Chimanimani.
It is saddening
that such gross cases of human rights are still being documented
more than two years after the signing of the Government
of National Unity. This week, as we commemorate Africa Day on
25 May 2011, we applaud the current advocacy and lobbying work and
efforts by civil society organizations in continuing to exert pressure
on SADC to force the implementers of the GPA
to draw a comprehensive and transparent road map towards elections.
There is need
to put in place mechanisms which will ensure that the violence
that was recorded in 2008 does not recur during Zimbabwe's
election period. If the Political parties manage to draft a clear
election road map on behalf of the Zimbabwean populace, it should
guarantee the presence of SADC, AU and other regional bodies in
the country before during and after elections to ensure a safe and
clear transfer of power to the election winner.
Visit the Heal
Zimbabwe fact
sheet
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