Uniformed soldiers terrorise villagers in Makoni South

By Tichaona Sibanda
17 May 2010

Villagers in Makoni South constituency in Manicaland province are living in fear, after soldiers in uniform roamed the area ordering everyone to attend a ZANU PF meeting at Rukweza business centre on 6th June.

‘Their message has been clear, that if you don’t attend you will be in trouble. I haven’t seen the soldiers personally but villagers in the constituency have confirmed that they’re being instructed to attend the meeting without failure,’ MDC-T MP for the area Pishai Muchauraya said.

The MP added he was not sure what the meeting is about but assumed it will be addressed by ZANU PF officials. He said the soldiers, moving around in army trucks, have been seen in the company of Happy Nyakuedzwa, an active ZANU PF functionary in the Makoni district.

‘We can only assume it’s a ZANU PF meeting because they’re the only party that forces people to attend meetings or rallies. Every headman in the area is being told to bring his people to the meeting. These are hallmarks of ZANU PF’s way of doing business,’ Muchauraya said.

Recently, war veterans’ leader Jabulani Sibanda was also forcing villagers, traditional leaders and government workers to attend campaign meetings in parts of Manicaland, ahead of the constitutional outreach programme.

Sibanda’s meetings heightened fears that war vets, who have traditionally led violent campaigns on behalf of ZANU PF, are mobilizing once again. Someone who went to one of Sibanda’s meetings said they were told to campaign for the ‘Kariba Draft’ constitution and that it was a matter of ‘life or death’ for Robert Mugabe’s party.

After his meetings were marred by poor attendances, the war vet leader ended up forcing government workers, local headmen and chiefs to a meeting at Chimanimani Country Club.

In recent weeks, human rights groups have reported that organised violence has continued unabated against MDC supporters in many areas, despite the formation of the government of national unity.
Advocacy group, Restoration of Human Rights Zimbabwe, documented sustained incidences of organised violence in Muzarabani district of Mashonaland central province.

Other reports say that attacks on commercial farmers and their workers have also intensified, with incidents of violence against white farmers on the increase countrywide.

Crisis in Zimbabwe reported on Monday that with less than a month before the start of the onstitutional outreach programme, the environment remains very unfavorable to such an exercise.

The group cited areas such as Chakonda in Shamva where headmen and ZANU PF supporters are blocking and intimidating people from attending preliminary discussions on the process.

In some areas, such as Gwanda in Matabeleland South, base camps housing militia groups have been built in readiness for the outreach programme. ZANU PF supporters are being instructed to campaign for the Kariba draft and to whip villagers into line in support of the document.