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Information alert 6 - Shocking cases of violence recorded during Independence weekend
Zimbabwe Peace Project
April 21, 2008

Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) has recorded an alarming increase of incidents of gross forms of physical attack on civilians by soldiers in army gear. The soldiers subjecting civilians to these gross physical violations are moving around with guns and some putting on hoods to conceal their faces. Some allegations are that some are not real soldiers but thuggery elements concealed as soldiers. ZPP recorded eight cases of citizens that were detained at a hospital in Harare mainly women in their 50s and 40s following severe beatings from the said soldiers. The hospitalised are mainly from Mudzi South, Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe, Marondera in Mashonaland East, Glen Norah and Epworth in Harare, Kenzamba village in Mashonaland Central and Chitungwiza.

ZPP is worried that its own staff has been subjected to acts of violence in the last week. ZPP monitor for Mt Darwin West had his homestead burnt down in the early hours at April 18 2008, Zimbabwe's Independence. The following day on 19 April 2008 ZPP Programme Manager Christine Kwangwari was harassed by unidentified plain clothes police officers as she stepped out of the back. She was searched and documents were confiscated from her possession. The officers grabbed her phone as she tried to call for help and they also went through her text messages and took away US$50 from her. Unfortunately she did not take their identities and the case cannot be followed up.

ZPP condemns the extensive show of violence that has characterised the post March 29 harmonised elections. What is most worrisome is that those perpetrating the violence are doing it with impunity. Below are cases of violence recorded during the just ended weekend;

Mashonaland Central

A case of army brutality was recorded in Mt Darwin East, Chibara village. David Tonde Nhapera of the MDC was allegedly picked up on Saturday, April 20 2008. Zanu PF supporters are reportedly marching and beating people at night in Pote and Tengwe villages 4, 5, 14, and 15.

Aaron Magweva (33) of Kenzamba village was attacked by four Zanu PF youths accusing him of beating him accusing him of being an MDC polling agent. He said he was and he was stationed at Kasonde polling station. The ruling party youths allegedly burnt all the victims' property and $50billion and he later got help after about a week.

LB (30) a widow of the same village alleged that the Zanu PF youths knocked at her door and requested for water she remained quite then the youth requested to sleep with the girl whom the widow was sharing a bed with and then they broke the window, she hid under her bed naked with only a panty on. They then ordered the girl out they asked me to take off the panty. LB was beaten heavily by about 20 Zanu PF youths for an hour before they ran away. The assailants asked for MDC-T t-shirts they found nothing.

Mashonaland East

Sakina Maguma (F) of between 40-45yrs of Chikawa village in Mudzi South Constituency and more than ten MDC-T supporters were tortured by war veterans and Zanu PF youths accused of having voted for opposition party MDC-T. They were informed that they were sell outs that wanted to bring back the colonial era. They were told to lie down on their stomachs, beaten with logs and fists.

Uzumba Maramba Pfungwa

Eight Zanu PF youths and two war veterans identified as Cloud Mashoko a Soldier, Oswell Kasakura a soldier and a war veteran Aaron Jack Kadande nicknamed Zizi, Zanu PF youth vice chair Raphel Chimhandu, Tichafa Chimunhu, Wellington Chimunhu, Dova Mutekede, Nyepanai Mutekede, Marisa Mapika and Ian Makonde beat up Portia Pfiramata, Demius Dombo and Happiness Mutata (30) of Mutata village on Saturday, 12 April 2008 around 10pm. The victims were allegedly attacked with logs and axes. Happiness Mutata was beaten together with his wife Kudakwashe Chakasviba; he was attacked three times with an axe. The husband and wife ran away but three rooms from the main house were destroyed. A kitchen was burnt and a two room house was damaged together with property worth $1billion. Mutata is employed as a cotton grader and he alleged that he was informed that both his hands would be broken so that he would never work again. His harvested cotton was burnt. He alleged that other villager's houses were burnt and about 28 people ran away from the village. The affected villagers are from Mutata, Mukango and Matumbura villages. Matata is hospitalised at a local hospital.

An MDC-T losing Councillor for Ward 11, Tazvitya Kanodewe, Wilbert Nyajina MDC-organising secretary for Uzumba Constituency and Alexander Kawa, campaigning team Secretary for Administration have deserted their homesteads following severe intimidation and torture of Nyajina and Kawa. Kawa revealed a heart rending story of how he was captured from his homestead by Zanu PF supporters and war veterans numbering 18 at around 10pm. Kawa stated that he was attacked by a sjambok with a diamond wire cable attached to a strong stick. The man was attacked viciously and ferociously with the sjambok which left marks all over his body. Kawa was beaten under his feet with an iron bar and was asked to trot to Karimbika Business Centre in UMP a torture base 5Km away, all this time his hands were bound on his back with handcuffs that were hurting. Kawa and the group arrived at the site of the torture base where he was tied with big ropes with a thickness of 2 to 3 cm in diameter to a pole. He was then thrashed severely again until the break of dawn when the individuals attacking him left as he said they intend to conceal their identities. Kawa said in his dizziness and the darkness he managed to steal a glance at one of the faces of his assailants, he saw a face of a young man, he could not place his identity and the young man turned away and quickly these men were replaced by known war veterans in the area leading a group of other Zanu PF elements. These were identified as brothers Aaron Garura, Rudolph Garura, Muzanenhamo Davatava, and Archibald Ndowe of Zanu PF. These war veterans were moving around with a large group of youths drawn from Zengenene village and Tsomba village in the same constituency. Kawa said the number of victims had now grown big with other known MDC supporters drawn from the constituency brought to the base roughly to answer for their crime of supporting the MDC-T and daring to raise a voice of decent in the province.

Kawa said all the victims were ordered to lie down and the perpetrators now numbering hundreds were instructed to group themselves in fives as the symbol of the MDC open hand emblem. Kawa said he received ten strong strokes with hands still handcuffed on his back. The perpetrators took turns to can as each perpetrator as the commander of the war veterans instructed the commanding the attackers stated that each individual perpetrator was supposed to can an individual with all the strength that he could master and then hand over to others. After the stokes the victims were asked to run a 100m distance back and forth saying at the finishing line that they were supporting a puppet opposition that was being used by the western colonisers and was threatening to unseat the legitimate Zanu PF party. After a number of runs Kawa and others were asked to roll in gravel and later on asked to lie on top of concrete blocks that used to be structures of torture houses put in place by the Ian Smith regime.

Kawa said what got him really terrified was when the commander of the war veterans ordered one other war veteran present to supply a castrating machine that he use for his cattle. The castrating machine was going to be used on Kawa because no MDC kids were supposed to be raised in that village so to make sure Kawa was going to have his manhood destroyed by a cattle castrating machine. Kawa said he was extremely lucky because the war veteran owner of the castration machine lied that it was borrowed by someone who could not be easily traced. In his own words Kawa said "Since I was born in Uzumba constituency through the Smith regime, the coming in of the MDC in 1999, the farm invasions and the bloody campaigns of 2000 and 2005, I have never encountered such brutality. This is serious."

Kawa survived the torture by a whisker and he managed to go to hospital. The other victims are said to be still wallowing in pain at home because they were told by their perpetrators never to leave their homesteads because more will come. Kawa was hospitalised at Nyadire mission hospital in the province were his patient record card is written Date Of Admittance 14 April 2008 and Date of Discharge 17 April 2008 and his hospital record number was 307/08. On the card the doctor wrote that he sustained deep tissue injuries on the foot and a statement written on his card was that the Patient came in as an assault case during a political issue. Kawa said the hospital tried everything but the Doctor could not help much as the medical place did not have crucial medicines and even bandages. An x-ray was recommended but this was difficult because the machine was malfunctioning. After his discharge the hospital however managed to drive Kawa some 10Km from the hospital and they told him that was how far they could go without putting themselves in danger. The MDC-T member then walked on his sore feet through the bush because he could not risk the main road for fear of the known. He walked a whole day until he reached a point where he thought he could manage to get transport to his party headquarters in Harare. He said he is still in the clothes that he was taken into hospital wearing and he is not quite sure what he is going to eat or his accommodation because at the MDC-T headquarters he met many other displaced people that the opposition party has been confounded with. He said his party is overwhelmed and he is asking for well wishers to help him with different services. He is currently being assisted by Counselling Services Unit in Harare but he still needs assistance.

The other two men also ran away from the province and they are now in Harare without the knowledge of what happened to their families or what is happening to their villages. The perpetrators allegedly destroyed 50 cattle belonging to MDC-T members and goats were poked out their eyes before they were killed. The perpetrators are said not to be doing this for the love of meat but they are leaving the cattle and goats caucuses lying saying anything that is associated with the MDC-T should be killed. This is sad and it plays havoc with peace of a nation.

Mudzi South

David Kanjiri a councillor for Zanu PF with about 20 people and including three females ambushed Ruth Chinogureyi (30), Takaitei Chinogureyi (26) of Donzwe, Chinogureyi village's residence and broke down a door to the room where the two were sleeping. They pushed out the husband and wife and they were beaten. The husband was accused of supporting the opposition MDC-T. They were assaulted with logs and left for dead. RC narrating the ordeal said her husband was the one who was badly assaulted. An aunt of the couple Dadirai Rangwani was also beaten and discharged.

LB (30) a widow also of Chinogureyi village stated that the Zanu PF supporters also visited her homestead and pretended to ask for water and she did not respond. The perpetrators attacked her naked.

Mutoko South

Two war veterans and Zanu PF supporters of Village 109 accused Stella Gatsi (51) of supporting the MDC since her son Livingstone Gatsi contested to be a councillor on an MDC ticket. The victim resides in the same village with the perpetrators. She was beaten with logs and her two bedroomed houses together with a kitchen were burnt including all her property inside and her harvest groundnuts, maize and cotton. 25 Chickens were burnt. The assailants promised to come and take away 20 cattle and six goats for Independence celebration.

Harare

Armed Soldiers numbering about 25 visited Irene Chatambudza's (46) looking for her daughters' husband, an ex-soldier now leader of the MDC in the district. She was accused of keeping Lot Mutumwa who they say is now a sell out. After talking to Mutuma they fired three shots at Mutuma who managed to overpower the armed soldier who later revealed that he was sent by an army official. Husband and wife are hospitalised in a Harare hospital. The incident took place on 17 April 2008.

Glen Norah

About 28 soldiers and eight police officers beat up revellers around 7pm in Residents' Spaceman Bar in the constituency. Welling, 37, residential address provided narrated the ordeal from a hospital bed at a local hospital in Harare. He said the soldiers pounced on about 20 revellers in the bar and accused them of having burnt a Kombi, a charge which most of them denied. The soldiers then ordered the revellers to lick dirt from the bar's floor. The soldiers allegedly kicked the revellers ordered the narrator to clean the floor while another reveller was beating him. Taurayi Katerere, 24 of Glen Norah was allegedly beaten at Spaceman while he was buying his supper sadza and the police allegedly took away Z$4 billion.

Chitungwiza

Arthur Taderera (56) of Unit A Chitungwiza, was driving from Huruyadzo shops when about 10 soldiers attacked him and beat him up accusing him of being an MDC-T supporter. Taderera was indeed an election agent of MDC also came from Buhera. He was kicked lying on the ground and assaulted with fan belts, button sticks and rubber. He estimated the period of the assault to be 20mins. His car was searched and an MDC-T business community pamphlet was obtained exacerbating the attack. The man is currently hospitalised at a local Harare Hospital.

Soldiers have imposed an unofficial curfew of 7pm in the town. Residents are being attacked wantonly and without any discretion as long as one is seen walking the streets after 7pm. The transport system in Zimbabwe is a major problem due to the chronic shortage of fuel so the men and women coming back home are usually finding themselves at the hands of the masked soldiers as they finally arrive in their areas of residence after 7pm. Housewives are facing a bigger problem as they are now taking turns to visit their neighbours children with deceased parents or parents in the Diaspora that are being indiscriminately attacked by the soldiers as the case of ZM of Unit K who was severely attacked by the soldiers coming from church. His mother is in the UK, elderly women took turns to cook and wash the boy's wounds. He is living in constant fear and he has vowed to follow his mother.

Residents are being attacked coming from drinking places and churches alike in Chitungwiza. A member of a church that has decided to hold a crusade to let peace prevail in the country was brought to the reality of what he was praying for when he encountered soldiers in uniform and hoods in a rocky area between Unit C and Unit N in Seke. The man of God was thoroughly beaten and dipped in a sewage pond.

Reports coming from Chitungwiza and other mentioned parts of the country are many and are synonymous with a country at war. Residents are tense and very angry; ZPP is urging the authorities to restrain the activities of soldiers in high density suburbs, rural areas and all the other areas that they are operating in. For the sake of peace their presence is intimidating, degrading and inhuman.

Let Peace Prevail.

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