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Report from Epworth
New Hope Foundation
April 18, 2008

New Hope Foundation has a network of informers in most parts of the country, and is concerned by the increasing incidents of violence that have become more pronounced in our country including urban areas. Is someone looking for a chance to declare a state of emergency?

Below are some reports received from Epworth.

On daily basis Human Rights are being violated in Zimbabwe, those whom we thought had fought for our liberation are now the number one oppressors of the day, hate language is the talk of the day; even the State President has also joined in inciting violence. In a country where there is no order, peace and development will be hindered.
Zimbabwe is in a crisis, when one talk of crisis its not only physical fighting only but many factors leading to instability, people no longer enjoy life with dignity as stated in the Declaration of Human Rights. Then how can one then boast of being the champion of Democracy in Zimbabwe, when soldiers and police are being used to beat up people in urban and rural areas?

Beaten at a funeral in Epworth
I am lucky to be writing this today, or can I say God wanted me to be a witness of this serious violation of rights. It was on Thursday last week when I had attended my sister's funeral in Epworth, a Peri-Urban area near Harare which was not spared during the Government of Zimbabwe's Operation Restore Order of year 2005, Hundreds of Houses in this area were demolished and thousands left homeless up to this day. The time was 2am and everyone at the funeral was now tired and wanted to sleep, As I was about to answer the call of nature at a neighbour's toilet 10 meters away from the place were had gathered for the Funeral, I was stopped by someone in the darkness with a hush and violent voice, I froze as I heard a gun being cocked, ready to shoot, before I could even know what was happening, I was slapped heavily on my right chick, when I tried to ask what was happening, kicks came to me from every direction and I fell down.

After about 5 minutes they then asked me to stand up and explain to them why we were holding an MDC meeting and pretending that it was a funeral, I wanted to laugh but with a gun pointing at me I took the situation serious, I then invited the soldier who was standing beside me to go with we and see the body in the house, he called his colleagues, who numbered about 15 to join him, I went back with them opened the coffin and showed them the body. It was after this that they started to tell us that someone from this area had phoned them with information that we were holding an MDC meeting, they said sorry and disappeared into the night. After resting a bit I woke up that morning to do investigations on the presence of the Army in Epworth, I found out that, they are camped at Chizungu Primary school and are being deployed by ZUPCO Buses, so that they are not seen in army trucks and raise alarm of an undeclared cafew, I was not the only misfortune that week as I was going around a group of people from another funeral who were going for a traditional check on the grave of the person they had buried the previous day were stopped and beaten, the reason being that they were walking in big group.

So how can a leader talk of Democracy, when freedom of Association is no more, when one send solders armed to their teeth to unarmed civilians? Is someone looking for a chance to declare state of emergency?. I have also heard of similar incidents in other areas in Harare, hey! Can someone tell me what's going on?

Zanu PF supporters are threatening MDC supporters with physical assault. They have issued threats of kidnapping children from school or eviction. They have given their members posters of the President, as a sign of membership so that one cannot be beaten

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