NCA activist, student leader & WOZA members still in detention

By Violet Gonda
8 August 2007

Repression continues with no end in sight as pro-democrats continue to be arrested and brutalized with impunity, by state security agents. Just this week alone a torture victim from the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) is missing in Mutare; another victim of police brutality, a student leader, has been seriously injured and is in custody in Bulawayo and more than a dozen members of Women/Men of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA/MOZA) were arrested when they were playing sport in Masvingo.

The NCA reports that Mannex Mawuya, the acting youth chairperson in Manicaland, is missing. He has been arrested three times since July 11th. The NCA said he has not been seen since his release on the 24th.

The pressure group said the activist, who was first arrested after an NCA demonstration in Mutare, had been subjected to torture by the police and suspected Central Intelligence Officers (CIO).

The NCA said: “The CIO took him to a dark room where he was made to remove all his clothes despite the extremely cold weather. Water was then poured on him using a pressure hosepipe for several hours. As if this was not enough the water was changed and the second time around it was porridge-like and stinking. He was also forced to drink a smelly substance, which upset his stomach, resulting in severe diarrhea.”

The group said the youth chairperson was also subjected to verbal interrogation. It is alleged he was warned that he would be picked up again upon release on July 24th. Mawuya’s whereabouts are still unknown.

Members of the student movement are also under increasing attack. The Zimbabwe National Students Union reports that four student leaders from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) Students Union were severely tortured in police custody in Bulawayo. Three of the activists, Trust Nhubu, Admire Zaya and Melusi Ndebele, were arrested on Saturday in connection with the whereabouts of their president Clever Bere.

ZINASU said the three were kept in police cells until Tuesday after the capture of Bere who is still in custody and lawyers have been denied access to him. The Union said the lawyer Kucaca Phulu, managed to see Bere during visiting time. ZINASU said in a statement: “Clever could hardly stand on his own, his face was swollen and he was coughing blood. He has also been denied access to medical attention, despite the lawyer's request for such.”

Meanwhile, the activists from the pressure group WOZA/MOZA who were arrested in Masvingo on Tuesday are still in detention.

In typical WOZA fashion, they are approaching this latest arrest with humour. The group said in a statement: “It has been confirmed that seven women and nine men spent the night in police custody in Masvingo last night after being arrested yesterday whilst playing mixed soccer and netball at Macheke Stadium. Also in custody is the soccer ball, although the netball evaded arrest.”

It’s still not known why the WOZA members were arrested but members of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested them while they were playing netball and soccer.