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Hospitalised MDC youths narrate their torture at the hands of hired Zanu PF thugs
Movement for Democratic Change
January 27, 2011

The two MDC Harare province Youth Assembly members who were severely assaulted and shot at by Zanu PF hoodlums on Saturday are now in a stable condition but still in hospital. Today, senior MDC officials visited them in hospital to check on their health. William Mukuwari, 26, of Budiriro was shot at on Saturday evening in Budiriro 5. He was walking home with other MDC youths after attending an MDC district meeting. Mukuwari is the MDC Youth Assembly Budiriro district treasurer.

He managed to identify Godfrey Gomwe, the Zanu PF chairperson, as among those who shot him. "We were walking home on Saturday at around 5pm, when a group of known Zanu PF youths attacked us. As we were escaping from them, I got shot on the left leg and I fell down," said Mukuwari. "Gomwe came and further assaulted me, together with his gang and I sustained head injuries. He only stopped assaulting me after some of the Zanu PF youths restrained him," he said. His leg was operated on and is still having difficulties in walking.

Another MDC Mbare Youth Assembly member, Barnabas Mwanaka, 26, was heavily assaulted by Zanu PF youths on Saturday night at the MDC Mbare offices. He had been left by the police to guard the MDC youths' flea market goods that they keep at the offices. "On Saturday we were at our Mbare office when Zanu PF youths came and attacked us," said Mwanaka. "However, we managed to drive them out but police officers from Mbare Police Station later came and broke down the locked door of the office and everyone was ordered to go to the police station," he said. The police ordered Mwanaka to remain behind guarding the flea market goods and the Zanu PF youths returned and brutally assaulted him.

The Zanu PF youths were led by one Gobvu. All the goods that were in the office worth thousands of dollars were looted and Mwanaka sustained a broken right arm and head injuries. He managed to escape and made a report at Mbare Police Station before he was admitted in hospital and placed in the intensive care unit. He received an operation on his arm. The other 19 MDC youths were arrested and remanded in custody at the Harare Remand Prison for a night before being granted a US$50 bail each.

The assailants, although known have not been arrested and are roaming scot free.

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