The villagers are those who openly vowed to defy orders for them to vote for President Robert Mugabe’s party ahead of the July 31 elections.
“Zanu (PF) won the two constituencies here, but many villagers have been forced from their homes, while others are being threatened by supporters of Zanu (PF), who accuse them of being sell-outs,” said an MDC-T district official who requested not to be named for fear of reprisals.
Among the villagers who have fled the area are teachers from local secondary schools Whitewater, Silozwe and Bhazha.
“Some of the teachers have fled the schools to Bulawayo and South Africa, after they were visited by Zanu (PF) supporters, who accused them of supporting the MDC while they earned Zanu (PF) money,” added the councillor. Although the area is not well-known for political violence, this is not the first time villagers have been threatened. Ahead of the elections, soldiers allegedly windswept villagers out of their homes and forced them to register for the elections.
The soldiers also threatened the villagers with surveillance cameras at polling points, to check who voted for any party other than President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu (PF).
Post published in: News