The marauding youths are reportedly looting everything possible, including sadza and other wares on sale by their victims to estate labourers at Premier Estates and workers from a nearby gold mine. A victim of the raids and assaults, Nigel Maboreko, told The Zimbabwean that vendors were now living in fear.
They are taking away our wares which we sell to gold panners and estate workers. The youth are being led by one Jah Guide and Tendai Samudzi. They are forcing us to pay them a daily allowance of US$10 to allow us to do business. We are also being forced to buy their membership cards, said Samudzi. In addition, he said, people were being forced to attend Zanu (PF) meetings in the district and to support the Kariba Draft constitution.
We are leaving in constant fear since if one fails to pay the required money they are not guarantied liberty from these thugs, he said. Meanwhile, Zanu (PF) Mutasa district coordinating chairperson, Fungai Matsapa, is allegedly politicizing food distribution from non-governmental organizations operating in the area. According to victims Wonder Museve and Munyaradzi Tangayi, Matsapa is denying food to villagers of Sipeya known to be supporters of the MDC.
Matsapa is instructing village heads in the communities not to give food hand-outs to MDC supporters. The food stuff include beans, maize-meal, cooking oil, salt and fertilizer as well as seed maize, Museve said.
Post published in: News