Gun-totting soldiers are reported to be roaming villages in Masvingo and Manicaland provinces, threatening people with reprisal if they do not support the Kariba draft during the forthcoming constitution outreach programme.
SW Radio Africa received reports on Wednesday that ZANU PF militias and some headman were helping the soldiers terrorise villagers, by issuing instructions that only submissions contained in the Kariba draft are the ones to be forwarded to outreach teams.
In Masvingo province, villagers in Gutu West, Zaka and Chivi central have been told to support submissions from ZANU PF, as have villagers in Makoni, Manicaland province. In Makoni, notorious traditional chief John Lukweza, a known ZANU PF supporter, has gone as far as threatening to eject people from the district if they support or put forward submissions favoured by the MDC.
The constitution making process has virtually turned into a turf war between ZANU PF and the MDC. Wilstaff Sitimere, the MDC provincial chairman of Masvingo province, was arrested on Monday evening at his Rhodene house in Masvingo, for allegedly telling people to ignore threats from the soldiers.
According to John Mawere, a close aide of Sitimere, the MDC chairman has been fearless in telling people to be be free to air their views. The MDC and his family speculate that it was this, plus the statements at a rally he addressed over the weekend, which caused the authorities to arrest him. At the rally he told supporters that Robert Mugabe must not be allowed to cheat the people again.
His arrest becomes all too suspicious because of the nature of his position and the messages he has been spreading all across the province that people should feel free to contribute their views to the outreach programme, Mawere said.
Mawere said Sitimere was transferred from Masvingo to Harare on Wednesday. Sitimere son, Raphael, talked about his father and what he had said at the rally:
He was urging villagers to stand firm and refuse to be abused by ZANU PF in any manner. Soon after the rally last weekend, he continuously received messages that he was going too far in insulting the president and his office. Besides that I do not know why he was arrested.
There were more MDC detentions in Banket in Mashonaland West province, when two MDC councilors were detained for more than eight hours, accused of kidnapping a former ZANU-PF local council candidate, Lancerot Zvirongwe.
Sources in the MDC said police from Chinhoyi picked up Fanni Tembo and Emmanuel Chinanzvavana, councilors for Ward 22 and 23, after a complaint was lodged alleging the kidnapping, which they have denied.
The ZimDiaspora website also reports ongoing MDC repression and attacks. They report that in Gokwe in the Midlands province, MDC activist Peter Magombedza was on Christmas day last year beaten to death, by members of police from Gokwe-Nembudziya.
Witnesses to the murder said that Magombedza, who was a well-known MDC activist, was clubbed to death in broad daylight by six police officers wielding AK 47s and baton sticks. Two of those allegedly involved in the killing have been identified as Zvinavashe and Nzori, both Sergeants and based at Nembudziya police station.
It has not been possible to confirm this murder and no official statement has been received from the MDC.
Swradio Africa
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