Harare – Concern is growing about the fate of one of Zimbabwe’s best-known
activists, arrested more times than any other, was kidnapped from his home
six days ago. Tonderai Ndira is 33, married with a couple of children, and
lives in the heart of one of Zimbabwe’s most politically volatile urban
slums, Mabvuku, on the eastern edge of Harare. Last Wednesday men in plain
clothes, driving a white four-by-four pick-up truck went to his house and
allegedly beat Ndira in front of Raphael and Linette, his two children, and
then took him away. Nothing hs been heard from him since then. Four other
Harare activists who were kidnapped in the same period have since been
released and are back at home. From the time the opposition Movement for
Democratic Change was formed in September 1999, Ndira has been active in the
streets and in urban structures and in every pro-democracy campaign. At last
count, his family and friends believe he has been arrested at least 35
times, certainly a record in Zimbabwe’s political history. Last year he
spent five months in detention. He has never been to trial in connection
with any of his arrests because police have not presented evidence of a
crime. He has regularly been assaulted by alleged Zanu PF members or the
security forces during political violence and was hospitalized with serious
injuries in 2003. Although he is in robust health normally, like other
former detainees he has bouts of frail health when he is released from
police custody.
A Harare judge recently described conditions in Harare’s police cells as
unfit for human occupation. Security Minister Didymus Mutasa and Zimbabwe
police and army officials have not responded to question’s about Ndira’s
disappearance. The MDC says that more than 30 of its supporters and
activists have been killed since Zimbabwe’s March 29 election. Several
retired South African generals, who returned last week after investigating
the violence in Zimbabwe, say they have informed South African president
Thabo Mbeki that they have been shocked at the violence they have
investigated. President Mugabe has denounced the political violence, but
says Zanu PF could never be involved in violence against its people. He
blames the MDC. But most observers say the mounting violence and
intimidation, mainly targeting opposition supporters, make it virtually
impossible for a planned June 27 presidential runoff to be credible. In the
March 29 polling the MDC defeated Zanu PF in parliamentary elections. MDC
president Morgan Tsvangirai beat Mr. Mugabe in the presidential vote count,
but official results say he did not win a 50 percent majority so there will
be a second round on June 27. Meanwhile, Mr. Tsvangirai postponed his return
to Zimbabwe from South Africa due to assassination fears. It is unclear when
he would return to campaign for the presidential run-off.
VOA
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