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When community efforts confront institutionalised violence
Heal Zimbabwe Trust
August 07, 2010

There is so much fear, mistrust and suspicion deeply rooted along political lines hence human relations are strained. The atmosphere was tense and sombre as families and community members mourn the death of Tatenda Marufu as if they had just received the news of his death. This shows how tense the 2008 political violence period was. Tendai Marufu in tears narrated how his brother was shot on the left side allegedly by an air force wing commander and died on the spot. What pains Tendai more is he never got to see his brother before he was buried as he was on the run.

The level of intimidation is too high to the extent that some people are scared to narrate cases of torture which they were eye witnesses to. Heal Zimbabwe while in Mutoko also discovered that two members of the district women's assembly of a certain political party were also killed during the violence. Heal Zimbabwe is planning on facilitating memorial services also for these two. There are different complicated explanations as to who really killed these women during the June 27 run off of 2008.

Heal Zimbabwe was encouraged by the fact that there are some village heads who still lead their people regardless of their political affiliation. Such exemplary leadership was shown by Mr Lawrence Gibson of Gibson village in Mutoko East ward 8 who bravely lead the burial of Tatenda Mafuta after a strict instruction was given that the late Tatenda was supposed to rot in the bush. Tatenda was buried after three days with no coffin. He was shot whilst he and others were coming from hiding in nearby mountains after all villagers supporting the then opposition party had run for cover after perpetrators invaded their village. Villagers were forced to surrender their party regalia and positions but only the brave like Tatenda and his brothers refused to surrender their political affiliation. Tatenda died a very painful and scaring death which left the whole village gripped with fear.

A family spokesperson who gave a graveside speech thanked Heal Zimbabwe for assisting in holding the memorial service an event they never thought would take place considering the circumstances surrounding Tatenda's death. The family friend revealed that his burial was not properly conducted due to fear of victimization and when he was buried his body was already in a bad state. He was 26 when he met his fate and is survived by a wife and a child now aged 4 years. About 75 people attended the service. With the majority being women. Members of different political parties were present. The villagers need trauma counseling. When the memorial service started, the atmosphere was so tense and it took them time to understand that heal Zimbabwe is apolitical, non partisan and independent, The Heal Zimbabwe Advocacy Officer, Cleto Manjova had to explain to them the objectives of heal Zimbabwe which among others is to accord relatives of victims and communities an opportunity to mourn victims of political violence at a non partisan level and create an atmosphere conducive for community healing and reconciliation. It could be noticed that after the explanations, they started to appear relaxed and to narrate openly. The village head then after being convinced by the clarification of aims and objectives of Heal Zimbabwe that the event was apolitical was brave enough to openly state that Tatenda did not succumb to natural illness but was shot with a pistol which he alleges was also at one time pointed at him after he had confronted the perpetrators to seek permission to bury Tatenda.

The villagers narrated that what really pains them is that Tatenda was not killed by local people as the headman had tried his best to create a politically tolerant environment, but by an "outsider getting instructions from superior people in Harare"

From a survey carried by Heal Zimbabwe in Muzarabani, Gokwe and Mutoko, the delay by the Government to facilitate the national healing programme has led to serious frustrations in communities and victims in particular with the majority of those who lost their relatives resorting to vicious traditional means of revenging. Scary, funny stories of vengeance are emerging in these politically polarized societies where perpetrators are seen moving around in rags with some reported to have died mysterious deaths.

Another memorial service in Chidye Ward had to be postponed after some youth started intimidating villagers and the family members not attend the memorial service for Moses Mupezeni born in 1985 who was brutally murdered at a base on 13 May 2008 during the height of political violence in 2008. He had his legs broken into pieces and he never got the opportunity to seek medical attention. He was never accorded a decent burial, an opportunity the family was about to be accorded by Heal Zimbabwe.

George Chikarakatu's memorial service was also held on 4 August 2010 in Village Chingwe 2 and attended by close to 200 people mainly the family, church members and villagers comprising of representatives of various political parties. The village herd, Mr Chingwe was the master of ceremonies at the event and narrated how the deceased lost his life after succumbing to injuries sustained after a brutal attack at a political base during the height of political violence in 2008. The village head castigated the violence and highlighted that what really pained him as a village herd was the fact that the perpetrators where not from his area but were just hired to inflict pain and suffering in the people as his village had a record of staying together in peace and harmony.

The wife recounted how she together with his late husband were called several times to the torture base during the night to answer to charges of "selling out the country . . . " by supporting an opposition party. She narrated how they were made to sing and toyi toying for three consecutive days at the base and the fourth day they were made to surrender their party regalia and pay a fine of a chicken each. She narrated that her husband never recovered from the beatings leading to his death three months later.

Heal Zimbabwe will continue to assist families who lost their relatives during the political violence period in holding memorial services for their loved ones throughout the country. The memorialisation programme started in Muzarabani in June 2010. Survivors of political violence in Muzarabani will stage protests next week over the delay by the Government in dealing with cases of political violence and coming up with proper laws and policies that will ensure that the "moments of madness" will not resurface again under any circumstances. This is meant to pile on pressure on the Inclusive Government which dragging its feet in spearheading the national healing process.

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