17 detained MDC activists denied bail in Buhera

By Violet Gonda
16 March 2008

17 members from the MDC who were arrested last week in Buhera were denied bail by a Murambinda magistrate on Monday. The MDC activists were arrested Wednesday after violence broke out in Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s rural home area. This happened at the time of the funeral of Susan Tsvangirai.

Mutare deputy mayor Admire Mukorera was also arrested at 3am on Saturday, in connection with the violence and was released without charge the following day.

The MDC spokesman for Manicaland province and MP for Makoni South, Pishai Muchauraya, accuses the police of unfairly arresting the victims and not the perpetrators. He said last Wednesday ZANU PF supporters went on a rampage and burnt houses belonging to MDC supporters. The MP alleges the perpetrators then went and made ‘false’ reports to the police.

“That resulted in the police making random arrests of known MDC supporters regardless of whatever investigations they were carrying. They were arresting people on the basis that they are MDC officials and as of now we have 17 MDC supporters who were arrested since Friday last week.”

The 17 were remanded in custody to 30th March. They are being held at Rusape Remand Prison.

Last week we reported that a house belonging to Robert Jack Saunyama, the MDC’s provincial security officer, was burnt to the ground in the Zimunya area, while another 10 houses were burnt down in Ward 5 in Buhera West.

A statement by the Youth Forum on Monday said: “The Youth Forum condemns in the strongest terms the violence which prevailed during the funeral of Mrs. Susan Tsvangirai which saw ten homesteads being burnt to ashes, livestock being burnt alive and women and children being harassed on behalf of the targeted people.”

Some who went to the funeral allege that a number of MDC supporters, raw with emotion, retaliated upon hearing that their colleagues’ homes were destroyed by ZANU PF attackers.

The Youth Forum says: “This is a clear testimony that the June 27 (the Presidential election) wounds and scars, a culmination of massive political violence which prevailed during this period, are still fresh, hence the need for a thorough national healing process.”

“It is naïve and indeed myopic to assume that speeches at rallies and burials condemning violence and preaching peace will cascade down to the grassroots to avert hatred and hurt between the erstwhile political rivals,” the pressure group added.

Many observers have noted that a truth, justice and reconciliation commission urgently needs to be formed, if the fragile coalition government is to have any hope of success.