Political violence rocks housing complex on gold mine

By Lance Guma
21 March 2008

Political violence ahead of the March 29 election shows no sign of abating, and a housing complex on a gold mine near Bulawayo, has played host to the latest round of Zanu PF thuggery. After an MDC meeting on Wednesday that lasted about 3 hours the home of the district organising secretary was destroyed by youths and war vets. The violence took place on the housing complex for employees of How Mine. Our correspondent Lionel Saungweme reports that the house looked like it had been struck by an earthquake with shattered windows and broken down doors. The MDC leader, whose first name is Professor, and his family escaped without any harm. The Zanu PF mob shouted obscenities as they stoned the house and accused Professor of bringing MDC supporters to a ‘Zanu PF mine’.

In Bulawayo urban itself 3 MDC activists wearing party t-shirts were beaten up at Renkini Bus Terminus by a group of Zanu PF thugs that included a member of the Crime Prevention Unit in the police force. The thugs took away the MDC t-shirts and tore them up in front of bemused bus travellers. Magnet House, which serves as the CIO headquarters in Bulawayo, was also the scene of more harassment and intimidation. MDC youths Tapiwa Chinhame, Shingirai Gomba, and Mtokozisi Mlilo were locked inside the building and made to eat the campaign posters they were posting around the city. Saungweme says despite the presence of Mugabe and Makoni posters outside, officers there are detaining anyone who tries to put up a Tsvangirai poster at Magnet House.

Mugabe meanwhile is reported to be planning on donating computers to several schools in Bulawayo on Saturday. One of those will be Milton High School. With the Zanu PF leader struggling to draw crowds to his rallies, especially in Matabeleland, the donations appear to be an attempt to buy votes. In previous polls, such as the 2005 parliamentary elections, donations made to rural schools hardly ever remain with the intended beneficiaries. In 2005 the explanation given for some of the computers being taken back, was that the schools had no electricity.