Village headman Muranganwa, whose real name is Zimunya Muonde, of Bikita district in Masvingo province recently survived two arson attacks from suspected Zanu PF militia and war veterans after they accused him of accepting a donation from “sellouts”.
A third attack, which was carried out within a space of days, was directed at his son Vikirayi’s homestead.
“We rue why the night falls because that is when our troubles begin,” Muranganwa’s wife Nyevero, said a fortnight ago.
“We are living in fear because the assailants have been repeating the arson attacks, from Wednesday when my son’s huts were torched, then Thursday at my homestead, before they struck again Saturday.”
She added: “We have not slept for the past five days.”
Such is the fear that has gripped most parts of the country as politically-motivated violence increases with Zanu PF pushing for polls with or without a new constitution that sets minimum conditions for free and fair elections.
President Robert Mugabe appears to have raised political emotions when he declared recently that elections would be held this year. Talk of elections reminds Zimbabweans of the bloody violence that engulfed the country during the 2008 polls, in which the MDC-T claims 200 of its supporters were murdered by Zanu PF militia and state security agents.
The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), a local human rights organisation, confirmed the surge in cases of politically-motivated human rights violations in the past two months. It recorded about 800 such cases.
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In its latest report, ZPP said 89 cases were recorded in Manicaland, down from 94 in January, with one death registered after Zanu PF supporters assaulted one of their own.
The bulk of cases in the province occurred during the week of Mugabe’s 88th birthday celebrations. Commuter omnibus operators were forced to divert from their usual routes to ferry people to Mugabe’s bash venue, without payment.
“The increase can be directly linked to rising political tensions as a result of the move to push for elections this year,” ZPP wrote. “Cases of politically-motivated violations remain high and the atmosphere has remained volatile in the Midlands, Manicaland and Masvingo provinces with a significant rise in Mashonaland West Province.”
An MDC-T activist, Rhinos Musareva from Zaka West, was abducted and assaulted by suspected Zanu PF militia and war veterans last month before being handed over to the police where he was charged for theft.
Zaka West MP Festus Dumbu confirmed the abduction of Musareva, who is the constituency’s secretary for defence and security.
“He was taken in handcuffs to a homestead of Mr Tsvana, a Zanu PF activist, where he was severely assaulted and dragged around the yard. They also used burning firewood with which they tortured him during the assault,” Dumbu said.
In Chipinge South, MDC-T supporters were threatened with death by suspected Zanu PF youth militia after they wore party regalia and chanted slogans at a colleague’s funeral.
MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora expressed dismay at the upsurge of violence across the country. He said most of the cases recorded were at the instigation of Zanu PF, adding that perpetrators of violence should be prosecuted.
“We have received reports of politically-motivated murders in Zaka, cases of arson and also psychological violence whereby Zanu PF militia constantly instill fear in citizens, especially the poor, like vegetable vendors, by reminding them of what they did to them in 2008,” said Mwonzora. “We urge the police to investigate all cases related to violence and human rights abuses in order to bring the culprits to book.”
Mwonzora said MDC-T supporters in drought-hit regions such as Manicaland and Masvingo provinces, were also being denied food assistance.
“We have also received reports of deprivation of food to some citizens in rural areas and this is a form of violence,” said Mwonzora.
Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo said he could not comment on cases of violence and human rights abuses as they were handled by Jomic.
Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena said it was difficult to comment on the issue as police “cases are just treated as cases and not classified as political or human rights abuses”.
MDC representative in Jomic, Qhubani Moyo, said violence and human rights abuses had declined since the formation of the coalition government. He however added that sporadic cases were being reported from various parts of the country.
“There are remnants of Zanu PF militia and militants who remain resistant to the new order but we hope they will start respecting the law soon,” said Moyo.
Chipanagano terror in Sunningdale
Political violence has also engulfed urban areas, the MDC-T’s political stronghold. A Zanu PF-aligned militia group, Chipangano, continues to terrorise people who do not support the former liberation war party in Mbare and Sunningdale suburbs.
The group recently extended its political influence to Mashonaland East province where it issued death threats to Iain Kay “and the whites in Marondera” querying why a white person was elected legislator in a largely black community.