Suspected war veterans and Zanu-PF militia have revived liberation struggle night vigils (pungwes) in MashonaÂÂland East as politically motivated violence spreads across the country to coerce the electorate to vote for President Robert Mugabe in the anticipated presidential run-off against the MDC’s Morgan Tsvangirai.
Last week Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) secretary-general Tendai Biti told the Mail & Guardian the MDC would not contest the second-round run-off for the presidency, but party president Tsvangirai said it would contest — and the violence is related to this.
The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights says it has treated 157 serious injuries, mainly broken bones and trauma from floggings, resulting from organised violence and torture.
By Wednesday 30 of these patients were still in hospital.
One-third of the patients are women, the association said, including a 15-year-old girl abducted with her mother from her home, made to lie on her front and thrashed on her buttocks. Her mother, who is pregnant, was similarly beaten.
The provinces where the injuries were sustained include Manicaland, Mashonaland East and West and Masvingo. Of the 30 hospitalised patients, 15 are from Mudzi.
The most common injury observed was extensive soft-tissue injury of the buttocks resulting from prolonged beating with a hard, blunt object, the association said. Muscle destruction in some cases could result in severe kidney problems.
The doctors said medical staff in volatile areas were being threatened not to attend to the victims of political violence. They appealed to other health professionals not to attend to patients selectively, based on political affiliation.
The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) reported on Thursday that war ÂÂveterans had established terror bases in Mutoko South where villagers were being forced to attend day and night vigils.
”About 10 war veterans using a new B1800 truck and two Toyota trucks, all armed, are moving around Mutoko beating up people suspected to have voted for MDC Tsvangirai,” read the ZPP report. ”They are forcing villagers to attend meetings during the day and in the evening with the help of Zanu-PF youths who beat up people.”
The ZPP said the ex-combatants had established torture bases at Corner Store, Kushinga, Jari, Nyahondo and Rukanda.
At Mutoko police station, it said war veterans had ordered policemen not to arrest Zanu-PF members perpetrating violence in the constituency.
It said that according to an officer (name supplied), war veterans ordered all police personnel at the station to a meeting at which they were threatened with death or arrested and ordered to cast their votes in any run-off ”at the office before the member in charge”.
In Mashonaland West, the ZPP reported that four MDC members sought refuge in the nearby mountains from a war veteran known as ”Black Jesus” and a soldier identified as Thomas Ganure.
The human rights organisation reported that in Marondera East constituency three houses were burnt down and people assaulted by Zanu-PF supporters.
Last Friday, three MDC activists were heavily assaulted by war veterans at Rapid farm and were being guarded by Zanu-PF youths so that they could not receive medical treatment.
The United States government has strongly condemned the violence, with US State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack accusing members of Zimbabwe’s security forces and supporters of Zanu-PF.
”These incidents appear to target individuals who voted against Zanu-PF candidates during the elections,” McCormack said in a statement.
Urging President Robert Mugabe to uphold human rights, McCormack said there was ”no place for violence or intimidation in a democratic society.”
The state department also warned US citizens living in Zimbabwe of the ”continued risk of arbitrary detention and arrest” when travelling in townships and rural areas.
Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena said this week: ”Our position is very clear; we arrest all perpetrators of violence.”
He provided no figures for the number of people who had been apprehended.