Election Violence Increases

Pro-democracy group Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) said in a report the suburbs of Manyame Park, Zengeza and St Mary’s – hotbed of opposition to President Mugabe and his ruling Zanu (PF) – were under an unofficial curfew, with police banning night meetings. 

Some (police) officers operating within these areas are taking it upon themselves to impose unofficial curfew on the youths, the ZimRights report says. Some concerned youths complain that some police details are harassing and ordering them to stay indoors after dusk, accusing the youths of organising opposition meetings as if it is a crime.

The Harare townships that enthusiastically support the opposition have been subjected to assaults by Zanu (PF) mobs and police, who recently had their salaries massively ramped.

A similar campaign is now under way in the countryside. Particularly ferocious have been attempts to root the MDC out of the three Mashonaland provinces of northern Zimbabwe that have been Zanu (PF)’s traditional heartland. There are also escalating incidents of violence by Zanu (PF) supporters against supporters of Simba Makoni in Manicaland, his home province.

Scores of opposition supporters in the rural areas are being forced to renounce their allegiance to the opposition MDC or to the new presidential aspirant, Makoni. They are being told that the MDC was a party for whites, backed by the British, and have to be paraded at ruling party rallies announcing that they are rejoining Zanu-PF.

Tendai Munemo (a pseudonym) was forced to stand before a rally to renounce the MDC. He used to be one of the MDC’s branch officials in Muzarabani, in Mashonaland central province.

Narrating his ordeal to The Zimbabwean, he said: They started to beat me with canes and knobkerries saying, You are MDC, you must die.’ They said they would burn down my house and beat my family too.

Tendai had heard how Robson Tinarwo, an MDC youth leader in nearby Shamva, had been attacked by Zanu (PF) activists and had refused to renounce his party. They had beaten him unconscious with metal rods. Witnesses reported the case to the police, but no action was taken.

I felt I must protect my family. My wife was crying and my daughter was screaming, Tendai said. They were beating them and tearing their clothes. I knew they were going to rape them and make me watch. So I said, All right, I will leave MDC.’ I felt terrible.

They said, You must give us your party card and T-shirt.’ They said I must spit at the picture of Morgan Tsvangirai on the T-shirt. I did it. Now you must join Zanu (PF) and sing party songs with us,’ they said. While I sang, they kept beating me.

Next morning the tormentors returned and demanded that he tell them the names of all the other MDC officials in the district, he said.

They made me point out their houses. Then they gave me a whip and said, Now you must lead the beating.’ I was hoping that my comrades were away. But some were home.

I will never forget their faces. It must have been how Jesus looked at Judas. In most cases they renounced the MDC but one was very brave and refused. I whipped him and whipped him and I was crying to him, Please give up.’ In the end, one of them hit him unconscious with a knobkerrie.

He has secretly made contact with MDC officials again since, but they loath to trust him. The Zimbabwean heard that there have been scores of public renunciations in the rural areas. There have been similar scenes – often involving threats of hut-burning and rape – in other rural areas. In Shamva alone last week there were reported serious assaults.

Even this may be dwarfed by the retribution the Mugabe government seems to be planning for the MDC-voting masses of the Harare townships.