Post-election death toll rises as state sponsored violence escalates

By Tererai Karimakwenda
May 08, 2008

The number of post-election deaths has now risen to at least 32 as the ruling party continues to hunt down opposition officials and supporters. It remains extremely difficult to get the full details and the death toll is almost certainly much higher. On Tuesday in the Chiweshe rural area about 150kms north of Harare, our correspondent Simon Muchemwa said 11 villagers were murdered after they resisted unspecified demands by a group of so-called war veterans who brutalised the area on Tuesday.
The details have varied depending on the source. Our reporter said the 11 were shot execution style, while other reports say they were beaten to death with branches and bicycle chains.
We reported that 6 people were beaten to death in the Shamva area and 10 others were killed in Centenary, also on Tuesday. Many others were badly injured, houses were burned and at least 100 more people were left homeless and without food. This week has seen the highest number of deaths so far, in post-election retribution by the ruling party.
And more reports keep coming in from around the country.

In Manicaland province, there has been continued violence. Pishai Muchauraya, provincial spokesperson for the Tsvangirai MDC, said at least 10 people were hospitalised after being beaten in the Mutoko South and Makoni South districts. An elderly MDC official was assaulted by over 20 ZANU-PF youths on Thursday.

Muchauraya said ZANU-PF’s national commissar, Minister Elliot Manyika, addressed a rally in Nyazura on Thursday where he told supporters to beat up people who are not ZANU-PF supporters. Manyika also instructed the police not to arrest the perpetrators of violence against opposition supporters. He is quoted as saying: “Respect the liberation war. Respect our sovereignty.”
In Mashonaland East province 5 people were severely beaten on Wednesday and many houses were burnt down in the Uzumba, Maramba and Pfungwe areas. Our contacts in UMP said one of the 5 was a woman who was gang-raped by ZANU-PF youths in front of her husband. They then beat the husband and left him with a broken hand and a broken leg. Some of the victims were taken by ambulance to hospitals in Harare, but others refused to seek medical assistance. They said they were in fear of being beaten again should they be found at any hospital.
Top ZANU-PF officials are directing and financing the violence around the country. In the UMP area, villagers have identified the winning ZANU-PF MP for Uzumba, Simba Mudarikwa, as the chief organiser. This ruling party official is also a businessman who owns a granite company and he is allegedly using his trucks to transport the violent youths. Mudarikwa is allegedly paying the youths Z$1 billion per day for their brutal services.

The ZANU-PF Senator for UMP named Kabayanjire has also been implicated in the violence. It is also alleged that war veterans named Kandomire and Makoto are leading the gangs of youths responsible for the beatings and burning of many houses.

ZANU-PF supporters are also confiscating national identity cards of people perceived to be MDC activists. Without ID cards these people will not be able to vote in the runoff of the presidential election.

In Mashonaland West province, at least 33 families were evicted from their homes at Vine Farm in Mutorangashanga on Monday. They were accused of voting for the MDC. Everyone above the age of 18 years had his or her identity document confiscated by the ZANU- PF militia.

A joint report by the General Agriculture and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe (Gapwuz) and Justice for Agriculture, has said that an estimated 40, 000 farm workers and their families have been displaced as a result of violence and intimidation by pro-government militias since the elections.

Gapwuz general secretary, Gertrude Hambira, told a press conference in Johannesburg that their members and their families have been left homeless simply because they voted for the opposition. Hambira said most of them are either on the roadside or sheltering at some farms and the union is trying to find ways of getting food to them.

The ruling party has been evicting farm workers and burning down villages in a brutal campaign to displace voters, ahead of the expected runoff presidential election between Robert Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai. The date has not yet been announced even though the law states that the runoff should take place 3 weeks after the announcement of election results. The MDC has not yet said whether they will participate in the runoff.

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