Villagers threatened over elections

A worker at the hospital, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they had been told that Zanu (PF) believed results at Muonde polling station indicated that voters ‘had confidence in the opposition party’.

MDC Vice Chairperson for Midlands South, Francisco Masendeke, said villagers were being threatened with violence because they voted for ‘sellouts’.

“Hospital staff and villagers were threatened with violence and told that the ‘short sleeves’ would come back,” said Masendeke. During the run up to the 2008 disputed elections, Zanu (PF) terrorised suspected MDC supporters by amputating their hands. Victims were asked if they preferred a ‘long sleeve’ – an amputation from the shoulder, or a ‘short sleeve’ – a wrist amputation.

Masendeke revealed that although Zanu (PF)’s Emmerson Mnangagwa had beaten his rivals, Ishmael Jeko of the MDC- T and Janet Zinyemba of the Weshman Ncube led MDC, the party wanted to ensure that all villagers belonged to Zanu (PF).

“Suspected MDC sympathisers are being visited at night and told that if they do not repent soon, they are going to be victimised,” he said.

An official at Muonde Driefontein hospital, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Zanu (PF) had delivered maize at the hospital two days before election day. The source revealed that the workers were reluctant to take the maize because of the conditions attached to it.

“The maize was supposed to be distributed among the workers before election day but the workers only distributed it last Saturday,” said the worker.

Another worker said the maize had been delivered under the guise of a Zanu (PF) project, despite it being a grain loan initiative. “The conditions attached to this maize are that we are supposed to pay it back and we were instructed to sign forms indicating that we had received 50kg of maize when we only got a 20l bucket.” Efforts to get a comment from Zanu (PF)’s Mnangagwa were fruitless.