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MDC member murdered by Chipangano shock-troopers in Mbare
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
February 13, 2012

Shepherd Bandau, an MDC branch treasurer in Mbare, Harare was on Friday murdered by known Zanu PF youths operating under the notorious Chipangano wing.

Bandau was the branch treasurer for Jo'burg Lines branch in Mbare.

Four of the 10 Zanu PF youths have been arrested and are detained at Mbare Police Station.

On the fateful day, Bandau was on his way home from Jo'burg Lines shops when 10 Chipangano thugs approached him and started assaulting him with booted feet and throwing him against the wall.

"The Chipangano team was coming from a meeting in National. They were toy-toying and when they saw Shepherd they started assaulting him," said one person who witnessed the assaulted.

"They challenged anyone who tried to intervene with the same fate and we became scared that no-one could even stop the assault," he said.

He said those that have been arrested had Chipangano operational names of Zesa, Paraffin, Marko and Isaac but did not know their real names.

The police are said to be on the hunt for the other seven Chipangano thugs.

After the assault, Bandau's wife called the police from Mbare Musika post who attended the scene and made a police report for Bandau to seek medical treatment at Harare Central Hospital.

"However, he could not make it as he passed on while on his way to the hospital. He was certified dead on arrival at the hospital," said one of Bandau's relatives.

A post-mortem was carried out on Monday but the relatives had not been informed of any result by late afternoon today.

The murder of Bandau follows calls by the three principals namely President Tsvangirai, Robert Mugabe of Zanu PF and Welshman Ncube denouncing any form of violence in the country.

His murder came just a day before President Tsvangirai addressed thousands of people at a Peace Prayer meeting in Chitungwiza where he called for peace and again denounced political violence.

Mourners are gathered at Kaseke Village in Domboshava and burial arrangements are being finalised.

Chipangano is a notorious Zanu PF outfit that is operating in Mbare. It is sponsored by two losing Zanu PF parliamentary candidates in the 2008 elections, Tendai Savanhu and Zanu PF Harare provincial chairperson, Amos Midzi.

The other sponsor is Hubert Nyanhongo the MP for Harare South and the Deputy Minister for Energy and Power Development. He is a retired army colonel.

The three are paying and oiling the Zanu PF youths who operate under the rogue outfit Chipangano to unleash violence on suspected MDC supporters. The Zanu PF shock troops operate from Carter House, a booking house owned by the Harare City Council in Mbare.

The youths are not paying rent and any attempt by the city council to evict them has been met with violence.

In September 2010, an MDC activist, Chrispen Mandizvidza was murdered by the same Zanu PF youths after he had participated at a COPAC outreach meeting at Mai Musodzi Hall in Mbare.

After the attack, the COPAC outreach meetings were indefinitely suspended due to the violence.

Mandizvidza's murderers were identified and police notified but up to now, no arrests have been made.

Nyanhongo and Midzi were in 2009 implicated in sponsoring a spate of violent activities in Harare as they fought for the Zanu PF chairperson position.

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