“One afternoon on July 6, 2008, I was forcefully summoned to a Zanu (PF) rally that was being held at the growth point. When the meeting was about to end around 5.30pm, I was instructed by party activists to remain behind.
“I was then forced into a truck that was full of Zanu (PF) youths who resided in my area. As soon as I got into the vehicle, I was told to remove my clothes and my shirt was used to cover my face.
“We got to a mining area which I now know as Mhakwe farm where I was thrown into a small dark room. At the mine I was beaten up by more than five men. I bled profusely and thought I would die. All the time, they bashed my head against the wall.
“As they were torturing me, they accused me of being a traitor and informed me the beating would go on until I was dead. I passed out for several hours and when I woke up, I found myself in a room with eight men who were lying in a pool of blood. I recognised three of the men as my neighbours. We were holed up in the room for three weeks. I went through hell as I was beaten from time to time. During that period, I fell sick but never got medical attention.
“I was worried about my family and was always wondering what had become of them. The thugs who captured me were ruthless because we would go for days without food or water.
“On 27 July 2008, some people came to where I was being held captive and informed them at night that I was being released. They ordered me to run as fast as I could and never look back. At that moment I was really scared because I thought they were going to shoot me in the back.
“It was too dark and I didn’t know the direction to take but I ran all night. I passed several houses but could not ask for help as I was afraid of bumping into the thugs that had captured me. I finally got home in the morning and found my family safe. However, I was very sick and never recovered. Due to stress, I suffered a stroke.”
Post published in: News