MDC Security Update
Incident update - pre and post elections.
Mashonaland (Raffingora) - 2/3/08 – PM returned from an MDC meeting and found his wife had been abducted by ZANU PF youths from Peath Farm. Soon after, a group of about 60 ZANU PF youths surrounded his house and took him to where his wife was. He was forced to sing revolutionary songs and chant ZANU PF slogans. He was beaten with logs and told to leave the farm. He refused to leave so the youths burnt his property.
Mashonaland East (Mutoko) - 15/3/08 - LT walking to an MDC rally, dropped his membership card at Majaira Homestead. People started assaulting him, accusing him of being an MDC member. Beaten with fists and kicked with booted feet.
Midlands (Redcliff, Kwe Kwe) - 16/3/08 - LC part of group protecting President Tsvangirai. Some youth rabble rousers started to go towards the President. In the ensuing scuffle client assaulted with stone, hands and feet.
Mashonaland Central (Bindura) - JM - beaten by four ZANU PF youth for wearing an MDC T Shirt on 22/3/08.
Harare (Warren Park) - 25/3 - Activist putting up posters. Police chased him at night. Fell and sustained injuries.
Manicaland (Chipinge) - 26/3 - assaulted by Support unit - MS Kambuzuma, Section 5 Harare. Occurred in Chipinge, Goko area at MDC rally. Police accused MDC of gathering to provoke ZANU PF supporters.
Mashonaland East (Mudzi West) - SC aspiring candidate - unlawfully arrested by neighborhood watch police on 27/3/08 under instruction of ZANU PF candidate. Abducted and taken in ZANU PF candidate’s vehicle, together with ZANU PF and CIO and forced to withdraw nomination.
Mashonaland West (Zvimba North) - PM reports being attacked on 30th March, 2008 by ZANU PF youth, with knives and sticks. It happened after the winning of their MDC counselor, Mr Abraham Shiri from Ward 15. The ZANU PF youth said the MDC member must die. Managed to escape having been stabbed and beaten. Sought medical attention at Mutoroshanga Hospital, then moved to Bindura Hospital for four days.
Harare (Avondale West) - 28/3/08 - SC plus 5 others educating on voting process and had political music playing in their car. Police told them to stop so they turned down music. A short while later 3 trucks arrived, arrested the group, taken to Harare Central Police Station and assaulted mainly on their heads, and also their bodies. They were kept in custody till 31/3/08 then taken to court. Case pending.
Epworth - 28/3/08 - KK putting up Tsvangirai posters and painting on walls when attacked by 5 ZANU PF youths who beat him with clenched fists. He was then taken to their base at Reuben’s shops and assaulted on the back and buttocks with batons. He fell to the ground and one of the Police Officers stamped on his right eye. He was kept in custody till 4th April, 2008, then fined 150 million dollars.
Mashonaland East (Marondera West) - MT - 30/3/08 - Arrested for passing through Chief Samuriwo’s homestead area with MDC T shirts - taken into a room at Chief’s house and beaten with sticks then militia and ZANU PF took him to Mahusekwa Police Station in a white car. He was told he was guilty of provocation and made to pay a fine.
Epworth - 30/3/08 - LN is an MDC activist in Dombo, Epworth. She was celebrating victory of MDC councilors. At 1am she was woken at her home by 10 ZANU PF supporters and taken away in a truck to Muza Shops, where she was assaulted with whips and clenched fists. She was then dragged on the tar road. She has left her home.
Kariba - 31/3/08 - SB vice Chair of MDC (T) distributing party regalia on 28th March. On 31st March at 2200 hours he was woken up and on opening his door, was hit in the face, then forced into the bush and assaulted with fists and booted feet.
Mashonaland Central (Mt Darwin North) - CM - 2/4/08 - assaulted.
Mashonaland East (Mudzi) - BZ - beaten by ZANU PF youth with sticks and stones saying “You must die because you are a traitor and all land should be taken from you and your parents”.
Chitingwiza (Seke) - MS, CS, PK, EM, DN, CW, FK, CT, NP, KA, NH – ZANU PF held a meeting on 7/4/08 on Danluce Farm at 5pm. This was addressed by ZANU PF Matsangura Choga, Mai Chiremba and Phinias Chihota. Key objective of meeting was to strategise on how to attack MDC Tsvangirai election polling agents. Abductions took place on York Farm owned by Mr Miller who is under house arrest. MS and others were abducted by ZANU PF youth with weapons and a security guard also with a firearm. They alleged that they were MDC polling agents and were verbally abused and threatened. Managed to run away. Farm house windows were smashed.
Muzarabani South - 2/4/08 - Polling agent ND (Teacher) Chaona resettlement Muzarabani South assaulted by Police while trying to extract him from the polling station.
Epworth - 4/4/08 - AC assaulted by 2 ZANU PF activists Epworth constituency.
Harare (Mabvuku) - 4/4/08 - DC celebrating with other MDC supporters, approached by 8 Police officers in uniform and accused of causing trouble. Three of them taken to Mabvuku Police station where they were assaulted with batons and kicked.
Harare (Glen View) - BM returning home from command center at 2200 with two colleagues. As they left the omnibus they were approached by about 6 men (suspected ZANU PF youth) and assaulted with iron bars.
Dzvirasekwa - 4/4/08 - DN and FB injured while running away from Police. Part of group at Dzvirasekwa celebrating constituency win.
Dema Growth Point - 4/4/08 - SZ reports he was the losing candidate for Ward 2 Seke for MDC (T). When he was walking home at about 7.30pm he was approached by two men and hit with a wooden log. He shouted for help and the men ran away. He had previously received threats from ZANU PF.
Manicaland (Rusape) - 5/4/08 - EZ - sitting with friends at a pub in Rusape discussing election outcome. ZANU PF supporters were sitting nearby. When EZ went to the toilet he was approached by one ZANU PF youth who warned him against discussing election results. He queried the warning and was then head butted, and hit with an empty bottle, then kicked when he fell to the ground.
Epworth - 5/4/08 - TN approached by 3 ZANU PF youth and asked why he had assisted in another MDC activists release from the cells. He was then assaulted with clenched fists on the chest and neck.
Kambazuma - 7/4/08 - LT assaulted.
Mutoko - 7/4/08 - TT (Harare East) beaten by ZANU PF youth.
Mutoko - 7/4/08 - LC beaten by ZANU PF youth.
Mashonaland East (Marondera West) 7/4/08 - MT (beaten on feet/falanga) KC and M. All beaten by ZANU PF youth.
Mashonaland East (Macheke) - 8/4/08 - OM and FM (MDC T office bearers) were both beaten extensively with whips across their backs and sides by militia under the command of the local ZANU PF councilor, Mutizwa, for supporting MDC. Both admitted to Hospital.
Mashonaland East (Macheke) - 8/4/08 - two MDC office bearers houses burned down, but suspected militia.
Mashonaland East (Macheke) - 10/4/08 - more houses being burned as report being written (1430 hours).
Other:
Mt Darwin South, militia into base camp. Forcing people to “rallies” telling them (while wielding AK’s) that there will be a re run of Pres election - “one ballot paper for MDC and you are done and you suffer”.
Mudzi South - MK (aspiring MDC candidate) reported today Tuesday - On Monday 7th at Kotwa growth point 5 brand new Mazda 1 ton pick-ups with civilian number plates arrived - 1 truck filled with mattresses, the others with youth and “war veterans” in civilian clothing. 8 of the youth had AK 47’s and forced everyone to a rally, even passengers who had boarded buses. (A local CID officer recognized the leader of the war vet group as an Assistant Commissioner in the ZRP!). Everyone was made to chant ZANU PF slogans, and those who didn’t/couldn’t were slapped. The AK’s were cocked and brandished in the air and the gathering was told “there will be a re-run for the Presidential election and if you try and vote for MDC again like you did before, we will go to war. We are not asking you to vote ZANU PF, we are ordering you”. They then asked for any MDC people to be identified. No one said a word. (From the analysis of that area, quite a few ZANU PF MPs were voted back in, but the majority voted for MT as President).
This group then moved to Nyamuyazoka GP - same scene.
Then to Nyamapanda border post GP. Even truck drivers were forced to attend the “rally”.
2 plain clothes policemen showed their ID’s saying we are cops and were told to get away and sit with the rest of them. Some assault victims from this rally tried to report to Police Nyamapanda but their reports were not accepted.
Please note: the above mentioned incidents are only the reported cases. There is no doubt that massive intimidation is taking place daily across the country.
A daily update will be sent out following on from the last entry.
MDC Welfare.
(Source: via email)
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