MDC official beaten up for refusing to buy ZANU PF card

Enia Chiwara is now recuperating at a private clinic in Mutare after she was severely assaulted by a gang allegedly sent by Chief John Rukweza of Makoni in Manicaland province. Makoni South constituency is held by the MDC party and its legislator is Pishai Muchauraya. Chief Rukweza is known to be closely linked with ZANU PF and has since last week been moving around the district forcing anyone to buy ZANU PF cards for $2 each.

As far as we know, since their indoctrination session with the army in Mutare two weeks ago, chiefs, headman and village heads have been forcing people to buy ZANU PF cards. They are forcing anyone whether one is MDC or ZANU PF, people are being forced to buy the cards, MP Muchauraya said. We reported last week that the commander of 3 Brigade in Mutare, Brigadier-General Douglas Nyikayaramba, had summoned close to 200 traditional leaders from Manicaland province for a two day indoctrination workshop.

The workshop held inside the Brigade barracks in the eastern border town was attended by chiefs, headmen and village heads from all the seven districts of the province. ZANU PF is going to hold a conference in Mutare in December and during their deliberations at the army barracks they were specifically told to go and fund raise for the party. In essence this is exactly what they are doing. But we deplore such actions, this is primitive for a party that boasts of millions of supporters but forces people to subscribe to its activities, Muchauraya said.

The MP said a team selling cards was in his constituency on Tuesday, moving door to door forcing villagers to part with $2. But the team found it hard to sell the cards as the constituency is predominately MDC. Word got back to Chief Rukweza that some MDC supporters were being defiant and refusing to buy the cards. This reportedly angered the chief who, in a fit of rage, sent his hired goons to deal with the situation.

Some of those who directly participated in the beatings have been identifed as headman Ephraim Muza, Tyrus Mtanda, Nomard Mataranyika and Enesiya Mteke – all ZANU PF loyalists. Its unfortunate that they went for the top leadership in the constituency. Chiwara and 15 others members were rounded up and beaten with logs and sticks. They were told the beatings were a lesson for defying Robert Mugabe and ZANU PF, according to the MP.

Chiwara was singled out as the ring leader and she bore the brunt of the brutal attack. 15 others received minor injuries but Chiwara had to be ferried to a private clinic in Mutare where she is being treated, Muchauraya said. The MP told us chiefs, headman and village heads were now running ZANU PF errands in the province as the party prepares to battle the MDC in an anticipated election in 2011.

This shows you how fractured ZANU PF is in the rural areas. Chiefs, headman and village heads are now the foot soldiers for the party. This gives you an idea of how far the party will go to try and reclaim power at all costs even if its structures are in serious decline, The involvement of traditional leaders in ZANU PF politics has been a practice that started way back in 1980 after Independence. Although over the years some of the chiefs have been brave enough to realign themselves from ZANU PF to the MDC.

Others stood as senatorial candidates for the MDC and won in the March 2008 elections. This week some of the chiefs wrote to MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai pleading with him to restrain ZANU PF from politicising traditional leaders and abusing their office for selfish political ends.

A spokesperson for five chiefs from Mashonaland East told the weekly MDC Changing Times that traditional leaders have been abused by successive colonial governments to work against the people.

We are told to hate, to discriminate and to favour members of a certain political party against our will and better judgement, the spokesman said. In Masvingo three chiefs are reported to have also written to the MDC seeking an appointment with Tsvangirai to discuss the same issue.