Villagers call on police to act

A visit to the area by The Zimbabwean confirmed that people in the area who bear physical and emotional scars of the 2008 election violence are still living in fear, but have lost faith in the justice delivery system.

Police have been reluctant to open dockets against Zanu (PF) perpetrators of violence referring cases to the ineffective Joint Operations and Implementation Committee (JOMIC).

We have decided as a constituency to take the police to task. We want to follow up all cases and we want to be given a docket number. We are prepared to go to the offices of the Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri so that he notices that we are aware of our rights, said Ward Chair, Douglas Nhamwe.

The villagers said that they no longer had faith in the Inclusive Government that has failed to push for a meaningful national healing and reconciliation programme.

We want elections so that we can at least find peace. We live in fear from Zanu (PF) supporters who claim that they can never face trial for what they did in the past. We have never seen people from JOMIC where the police say we should take the cases, said a villager.

Despite the relative calm on the ground, many people interviewed refused to give their names in fear of reprisals from marauding Zanu (PF) activists. People named as leaders of the intimidation are: Patrick Bhiri, Farai Gozo, Councillor Gesham Tandayi, Agnes Ngarande, Job Kwindima, Finate Botsadzira and Solomon Musakwa.

Zanu (PF) supporters in the area are misleading people into attending meetings by saying that donors will visit the area. When people attend they are made to chant party slogans.

At the meetings we are told that we will disappear if we continue supporting the MDC, said one villager.

The villagers said that if the police fail, they will seek an audience with the principals of the Global Political Agreement. Member of Parliament for the area, Ward Nezi, confirmed that the villagers had a petition that they intended to give to the police.