SOMBRE atmosphere engulfed Jerera growth point in Zaka last Wednesday morning, as residents and passers-by tried to come to terms with the horrific incident that had occurred in their area.

The usually noisy, "beehive" activity at the centre was quiet on this day as business had virtual come to a standstill, with people clustered at a small shop trying to catch a glimpse of the badly disfigured bodies of victims of political violence, reportedly set ablaze by unknown gunmen.

Arriving at the growth point around 10AM The Standard news crew was met by two elderly women, whispering as they discussed the incident.

Clearly, they were whispering for fear of being overheard by unidentified men said to be operating in the area. Reports identify them, at the very least, as being responsible for punishing MDC supporters for contributing to Zanu PF’s rout in the 29 March elections.

"This is horrible," one elderly woman said to the other. "We last saw such scenes during the liberation struggle when the Rhodesian forces would lock up people in their houses and set them ablaze, after accusing them of assisting the freedom fighters. It’s really shocking. Now brothers are killing each other for power."

The shopping centre was deserted, people having received word that an MDC office sheltering six displaced party activists had been set ablaze by unknown gunmen.

Shell-shocked people who visited the place could not look twice at one victim’s body, burnt beyond recognition, lying just outside the office.

The brave among the witnesses proceeded to take a closer look at yet another body lying inside the shop.

Men brandishing AK-47 assault rifles were said to have pounced on the MDC offces in the early hours of Wednesday morning and set them ablaze, killing two people.

They allegedly forced open the door, rousing from sleep unsuspecting MDC members who had fled political violence from their homes in the district.

They allegedly ordered everyone to stay where they were, their heads under the blankets.

Witnesses said one MDC member, who tried to resist, was shot and killed on the spot. Others, seeing the dire consequences of resistance, complied with the order.

The attackers doused the office with petrol, locked the door and set it ablaze.

Two people were burnt beyond recognition while three, their clothes on fire, managed to break down the door and were later taken to St Anthony’s Musiso Hospital, where they were immediately referred to Masvingo general hospital.

The deceased have been identified as Krison Mbano from Munjanja in Ward 18 in Zaka and Washington Nyangwa from Mbuyamaswa village in Ward 9.

Narrating her ordeal to The Standard, an MDC member who survived the inferno because she was in a room next to the office, said she was abducted by the gunmen who later dumped her about 30km away from Jerera.

Memory Pedzisai said they assaulted her

after bundling her into a new Mitsubishi single cab truck with no registration number. They asked her to say her last prayers before killing her, she told The Standard.

"The gunmen came at around 3AM and forced the door open," she said. "I was asleep in the next room and when I tried to see what was happening there I came face to face with 13 men clad in anti-riot police gear. One was pouring petrol on the office door and called out to me to close the door. I just banged it shut in a state of panic, but I was told to close it again and they torched the office and dragged me into their vehicle and drove away with me."

She said she was lucky to be alive after 10 men in the back of the truck quarrelled over whether or not to shoot her.

Some wanted her dead, but others were not keen, saying they had already killed a lot of people in the office.

Still others looked scared of the incident. "I could hear them whispering to each other, saying ‘tatouraya vanhuka paya’ (We have already killed people)," she said.

MDC provincial chairman, Wilstaff Stemere, who visited the scene of the carnage said the country has been turned into a military state by the ruling party, desperate to win the presidential run-off on 27 June at all costs.

"This is the highest level of brutality," he said. "Violence against our supporters is increasing and many are losing their lives at the hands of Zanu PF. We are really shocked by this level of brutality. How could they burn people alive like this?"

He said people had sheltered at their office after they ran away from their homes because of political violence.

"Their crime is that of supporting a political party of their choice,’’ he said.

Zanu PF provincial chairperson for the media committee for the presidential run-off campaign team, Kudakwashe Dzoro, denied his party was responsible for the attack.

"Our party does not engage in violence," he said. "So, we do not know who those people are. In fact, they are not in any way associated with us. We are campaigning freely in a non-violent manner and we are appealing for the people’s support without using violence."

But the villagers insisted the ruling party was perpetrating the violence.

"This is serious," said Edmore Gato. "It appears as if we are now at war. How can they kill their brothers like this, just because of elections that come and go? Even if they beat up people and kill them I don’t think people will support them because they are butchering our relatives."

Police spokesperson Inspector Phibion Nyambo said: "I can’t comment on that one. You can call Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena. May be he can comment."

Efforts to get comment from Bvudzijena, who is the official police spokesperson, were fruitless.

Ambuya Jambaya, who had walked for eight kilometres to see for herself the shocking incident, said only those who were becoming unpopular were killing people to force them to support them.

"But killing people will never force the surviving ones to support them. Such incidents are not good, especially as we are killing each other for the sake of retaining power," she said.

People in Jerera said they were living in fear. Zanu PF was forcing them to attend their rallies, during which they brandished guns and grenades, threatening to wage war on the villagers if they didn’t vote for Zanu PF.

By Godfrey Mutimba

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