Hundreds flee Zanu (PF) rampage

BY CHIEF REPORTER
HARARE
A Zimbabwean human rights group said this week hundreds had fled their homes in the countryside in fear of revenge attacks in the wake of the electoral defeat of Robert Mugabe in the March 29 poll.
The Crisis in Zimbabwe group – comprising labour, human rights and other civic organisations – said it had appealed to the international community for humanitarian assistance to deal with the problem of displaced people.
Most of the people who had fled their homes were supporters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), whose leader Morgan Tsvangirai is Zimbabwe’s president in waiting.
Mugabe, who is now in effect the civilian leader of the military junta ruling Zimbabwe, has imposed a black out on election results, which has been widely condemned.
”We have a huge problem…displaced farm workers and political displacements. Now that Zanu (PF) is insisting on a run-off they do not feel safe returning to their communities where some of them were polling agents,” the Crisis spokesman said.
”About 500 people are known to ahave been displaced and we continue to receive reports from all over the country.”
At Mt Panis Farm in Centenary, 220km north of Harare, Zanu (PF) militia invaded the farm and burnt the home of Muchanguri accusing him and his colleague of supporting the MDC.
Farm workers have fled the violence and have nowhere to go.
The group said most of the internal refugees people were from the northern Mashonaland region, where there has been a high incidence of political violence.
Both the MDC and the Commercial Farmers Union reported a rise in violence against the opposition after the election, which they said was retribution for not supporting the Zanu (PF).
The spokesman said his organisation was now looking to the international community for urgent assistance to help deal with the crisis and to feed the people.
Mugabe’s military junta accuses some aid agencies of furthering the political cause of the opposition under the guise of humanitarian work.
However, the spokesman said many displaced people were reluctant to seek shelter at the trust, which has been accused by the government of having a political agenda.
”With the food crisis it is impractical to ask them to go and stay with relatives in town,” he added.