Mandebvhu Talks “Zimbabwe”…

Youth militia from Zimbabwe’s ruling party attacked people at the site of a campaign rally in Zimbabwe’s capital just days ahead of the presidential runoff election, according to an opposition official and a journalist on the scene.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai had been scheduled to address the opposition MDC rally in Harare Sunday.

A judge in Zimbabwe’s High Court cleared the way Saturday for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) rally with an order that banned national police from interfering.

Police had banned the rally earlier in this week, citing security concerns.

A journalist on the scene said “rowdy youths dressed in ZANU-PF regalia have occupied the venue of the rally.”

The MDC issued a statement Sunday saying “thousands of armed ZANU-PF youth militia” disrupted their rally.

“Pedestrians passing through the area were being harassed and assaulted if they do not compile to the demands of the marauding ZANU-PF militia who are asking them to chant ZANU PF slogans,” the journalist, who is unidentified for safety reasons, said.

“This country belongs to ZANU PF,” a ZANU PF youth shouted as he punched the air with a fist. “It came through blood and we are prepared to spill more in order to defend it.”

MDC presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai was expected to speak at Sunday’s rally.

Tsvangirai will again face President Robert Mugabe in a presidential runoff set for Friday, after the March 29 election resulted in a standoff.

Though reports of violence are not uncommon in Zimbabwe, there has been an uptick in attacks since those elections.

There have been numerous reports from the opposition and church groups about kidnappings, torture and other violence, including the deaths of opposition party members. They say the violence targets opponents of Mugabe and his ZANU PF party.

Pre-runoff election violence has killed about 70 MDC supporters, according to the party, which says that more than 30,000 people have been displaced.

Tsvangirai and other MDC members have also been detained several times in the weeks leading up to the runoff election.

On Friday, Mugabe, speaking to a rally in Bulawayo, said the MDC was compiling names of alleged victims of political violence.

“They have been saying their supporters are being beaten up by our soldiers. They say this so that they can later say the elections were not free and fair. Which is a damn lie!,” he said, according to the state-run Herald newspaper.

(Source)

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I read many reports this afternoon about the orchestrated raids on the MDC and ZESN offices in Harare, and the arrest of hundreds of people who had taken sanctuary there - only to be bussed away to parts unknown.

I also learned of the killing of a woman in Rusape and the reports that a further four people have been shot (but not fatally that I know of) in political violence.

Reports suggest that war veterans, now seconded into the ZRP with lofty ranks are working together to unsettle the MDC activists and supporters throughout the country.

The rule of law has finally broken down and the next step on the slippery slope will be civil war.

I have written about this before. And I have echoed Morgan Tsvangirai’s question to the free world. Will international intervention only transpire once there are dead bodies on the streets?

Well - guess what? We have dead bodies…. How many do they want before they do anything? The toll is approaching the one dozen mark, and that is one dozen too many already…

I also have read that the South African Democratic Alliance has proposed that a five day demand be given to the illegal Mugabe regime, that wants the Presidential election result released, the State-sponsored violence to be stopped and the ZANU PF regime to disband and relinquish power.

An admirable stand, but I fear Mugabe will dismiss the demands with disdain. And unless there is a forceful “OR ELSE” attached to the demands, the stalemate would continue.

Finally, I was also heartened to read how the MDC had organised themselves in a part of the country to resist the violent campaign against them. Sadly, it meant that in that area there were running battles with the ZANU PF forces - but that there was resistance at all is excellent.

The Zimbabwean people are no longer prepared to take strike upon strike without any retaliation or defence at least.

I continue to watch events in Zimbabwe, but hold my breath that a peaceful resolution may be reached, whilst I fully recognise that the history of Mugabe’s party dictates that a peaceful resolution will never work.

Take care.

‘debvhu

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