Bus rank marshals being trained to join militia squads

By Lance Guma
23 March 2007

A member of the Combined Harare Residents Association based in Mbare has confirmed to Newsreel that bus rank marshals from the suburbs are being picked up by Zanu PF officials every Wednesday for militia training in the city centre. Zanu PF has an office in Harare’s 4th street, with a notorious reputation for being used as a torture base. The training is allegedly taking place there. This new militia is being dressed in navy blue trousers and grey shirts while some of them are being issued with the standard police uniform. They are also said to be receiving a special daily allowance of Z$100 000 per day.

The woman who refused to be named says this same squad was behind the brutal assault of mourners returning from a funeral on the 11th of March, the same day Save Zimbabwe tried to hold a prayer rally. The incident took place alongside Kelvin Shopping Centre in Waterfalls where a Zupco bus was stopped by five ‘special constabularies’ attached to Stodart Hall police station. Only one was in uniform while the others wore casual clothing. Three of them were identified as Rera, Maromo and Mabhena. They allegedly got into the bus carrying baton sticks and demanded to know why the mourners had not attended the Save Zimbabwe Campaign rally.

When the women in the bus asked why this was being done, Rera allegedly threw a tear gas canister into the bus, which fortunately failed to burst. The women were then ordered to get out of the bus one by one leaving their cell phones and money to the gang. It’s alleged a Glen View woman who was part of the mourners had a miscarriage following the assaults. Stodart Hall police refused to deal with the matter telling the complainants to go to Mbare Police Station. Although the police say they are investigating, those responsible are still walking the streets.

Later in the day, a ZANU-PF member Tendai Savanhu donated 10 kg’s of mealie meal to each of the victims and urged them not to receive any donations that came from the MDC. A ZBC TV crew also visited some of the mourners to get interviews and despite getting the true picture broadcast an interview claiming MDC youths carried out the attack in an effort to force people to attend the Save Zimbabwe Campaign rally. Meanwhile, despite a police ban on demonstrations, political gatherings and meetings its reported that the Zanu PF’s women’s league held a demonstration in Harare against what they called interference from the West in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs.