My life is ruined: youth

“Whenever I see a member of the uniformed forces, my stomach churns and I want to run away,” said the youth. “I was shot and maimed by the police in 2009 when a prominent member of Zanu (PF) invaded a Chegutu farm. I was mistaken to be resisting the attempt and the officer fired at me.”

He said when he entered the gates of Scottdale Farm, he had no idea that it would be the last time he would walk properly.

“Since that fateful afternoon, I have not known peace. I am always in pain and although I can walk, I cannot walk long distances or stand for long periods of time.”

Having undergone more than eight major operations, Goredema’s leg is now shorter that the other one and has been extensively disfigured. As a father of one, he is unable to work for his family.

“I live off my widowed mother and she is the one who takes care of my family’s daily needs. She is struggling but she has no option otherwise my family will starve,” he said.

Goredema said because of his condition, he has been unable to get work. “My intention was to further my studies and work at the local mine where I was employed before this traumatic experience. The challenge now is that physically, I can no longer do the job so I cannot finance my education.”

Having spent close to a year moving from one hospital to the next, Goredema paid tribute to the assistance he got from the Catholic Services Unit (CSU).

“The organisation came to my rescue, otherwise my leg would have been amputated. They paid for my hospital bills, medication and specialist attention,” he said. “I spent two weeks in intensive care at the Avenues clinic, yet the state still charged me with trespassing and no attempt was made to investigate why a police officer shot an innocent civilian.”

ICT Minister Nelson Chamisa said the challenge with Zanu (PF) leadership was they preached the gospel of peace while practising violence behind the scenes.

“I challenge the Zanu (PF) leadership to practice what they preach. Desist from preaching peace while you engage in violence,” he said.

Zengeza East Member of Parliament, Alexio Musundire, confirmed that politically motivated violence was still prevalent in Chitungwiza.

“The challenge is that attitude of the police has not changed despite the formation of the inclusive government. They are now wearing masks for cover up but they have the same attitude,” he said. – (*not his real name)