I write to all my correspondents in absolute
frustration and seek your advise on how to put an end to the violence,
intimidation and endless animal rights abuses of the cattle on Bath
Farm.
Dispite my endless letters and discussions with
government officials on the subject we appear merely confirming to them the
results that they desire in the endless torture of Jannie and Maureen Erasmus
and their labour and livestock.
Today they returned from Masvingo to be greeted by
their desperate and seriously injured staff who had once again been severely
beaten and informed that they would be "fired" by Jannie at 6am tomorrow. They
would be there to enforce this action is taken.
Whilst we know that there is no genuine need for
the desire for land given under the present illegal process there are still many
who are using it as a tool for either the party's or their own personal
political agendas.
The savage and barbaric way in which Jannie and
his labour and animals have been continually attacked followed the unfortunate
death of his only son. This shattered his morale and the attackers have taken a
huge advantage of this weakening of his resolve.
Please these humble and Christian people
desperately need your help.
God Bless.
MC
Attacks on Marakanga Game Ranch Mwenezi
24th January 2002.
In the past 13 Months, Marakanga Ranch, in
the South of the lowveld, has been attacked 7 times by about 80 Z.A.N.U. PF
thugs and war vets. Six times the owner, Gerry Whitehead, had to go back to
recapture the ranch, locate all the workers and start Ranching again.
Eventually the police arrested 8 of the
ringleaders and they were charged with public violence, and put into custody
for six weeks before getting bail, once out of jail, a concerted effort was
instigated by them to destroy the Ranch and wipe out the wild life. If it had
not been for the bravery of the game scouts and staff, they would have been
successful. As it is from some 200 Eland the Ranch is now left with 50. Most
the other species suffered in the same way.
At about 9pm on the night of the 22nd
January2002, some of the culprits, who were [it has not been
Established how many] on bail came to the
homestead and fatally wounded one of the witnesses, 61 year old Gibson
Hlungwani, then they broke into the house and stole some store goods. Leaving
the house they proceeded to the Safaris camp close by and burnt it down. From
there they walked to the Ranch store where they shot and killed game scout
James Machipisa and the Ranch driver Matthew Suzwani, who was another one of
the witnesses against them. During the attack one of the game scouts, who was
also badly chopped on the head with a panga, managed to fire his shotgun and wound
one of the attackers, who made off bleeding badly. The wounded attacker went a
short way and hid the S.K.S rifle, he then made his way to a friends house
where he was helped to the Chikombedzi hospital. On arrival at the hospital he
called the police and said that the owner, Mr. Whitehead, had shot him, this
was a last effort to frame me. Obviously this was an effort to get rid of all
the witnesses to the public violence case against them. The wounded killer is
in hospital under police guard and has been charged with multiple murder.
Newspeak in Zimbabwe
Anton Christen
In George Orwell's novel
"1984" the government of Oceania spouts slogans
turning war into peace,
slavery into freedom, ignorance into strength. Much
in the style of Oceania's
Ministry of Truth, Zimbabwe's Information Ministry
refers to its country's
new draft legislation designed to muzzle the media
as the "Law on Access to
Information and the Protection of the Private
Sphere." In a distortion of
truly Orwellian proportions, the Zimbabwean
regime pretends that this law
gives concrete form to the freedom of
expression and opinion guaranteed in
the country's constitution – only to
proceed, almost paragraph by paragraph,
to further constrict the already
narrowed latitude available to an
independent press there.
In President Robert Mugabe's Oceania, no
journalist will be allowed to work
in future without a permit issued by a
government-appointed Information
Commission. Only Zimbabweans and foreigners
with permanent residence will be
eligible to apply for such a permit. But, in
contrast to the initial draft
of this legislation, foreign correspondents
will not be entirely banned from
temporarily reporting from Zimbabwe –
although only the government's actual
practice of issuing visas and
accrediting journalists will show how serious
the Information Ministry is
about this minimal concession.
Doubtless less out of concern for press
freedom than out of tactical worry
about the threat of sanctions from abroad,
the parliamentary caucus of the
governing party has stricken some of the
worst excesses from the draft of
the new media law. In addition to the ban on
foreign journalists,
restrictive regulations on ownership of Zimbabwean media
enterprises and the
requirement for media owners to obtain a government
license have been
eliminated. Only a detailed reading of the final text of
the law will show
whether, as was proposed in the initial draft, journalists
are still
threatened with jail or a hefty fine for poking fun at the chief of
state or
for creating "sullenness toward the president, the police or the
courts."
The intimidating effect of this latter regulation would be
neutralized by
its ridiculousness, since the Zimbabwe government's arrogance
and autocracy
have already generated so much "sullenness" among the country's
populace
that it could hardly be increased.
The new media law, and the
recently imposed, drastic tightening of security
regulations, are only the
latest in a long series of administrative and
legislative measures designed
to reinforce the present regime's grip on
power. Among those steps are the
muzzling of the country's highest court,
the continued violent occupation of
farmland (and thus the open abrogation
of the Abuja Agreement), deliberate
attacks by security forces against
opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, and
the punishment of foreign
journalists by expulsion from the country. The
cumulative effect of these
measures is tantamount to an unofficial state of
emergency over which, as in
Orwell's Oceania, a thin mantle of legality has
been thrown. Mugabe has
obviously set out to so anger the opposition and
drive it into a corner that
it will resort to the weapon of an election
boycott or even take refuge in
armed resistance – and thus can be beaten down
without consideration for the
sensibilities of "world opinion."
Under
the present circumstances, there can be no question of free and
fair
presidential elections in March, especially since the Zimbabwean army
has
made it clear, in barely veiled fashion, that it would not accept a
victory
by opposition candidate Tsvangirai. It is a testament to the inner
strength
and democratic maturity of the opposition united under the umbrella
of the
Movement for Democratic Change that it is not letting itself be
intimidated
by Mugabe's state-run terrorism and is sturdily sticking to its
policy of
nonviolence, the rule of law and economic reason. But the people's
patience
with Mugabe is not infinite. Only in Orwell's novel does "Big
Brother"
triumph in the end.
February 5, 2002 / First published in
German, Ferbruary 2, 2002
BBC
Tuesday, 5 February, 2002, 21:55 GMT
Tories' Zimbabwe jibe angers
Straw
Basildon Peta's detention sparked new
fears
The UK Government has been accused of "appeasing" Robert
Mugabe as the first international observers enter Zimbabwe ahead of that
country's elections.
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw dismissed the Conservative claim and said
Britain was committed to ensuring the polls went ahead in a "free and fair"
environment.
Three members of the opposition were brutally murdered this
weekend and yet that still apparently is not enough to trigger action from
him
|
Michael Ancram Shadow foreign secretary
|
Notwithstanding the
election observers' report, the UK would consider withdrawing recognition of
Zimbabwe if it believed the elections had not been unfair.
The Liberal Democrats say such action may be necessary if there is
malpractice and they argue that sending in a few observers is not enough.
Detention condemned
Angry exchanges in the House of Commons over the issue came as a Zimbabwean
journalist was released from jail.
Mr Straw said he "wholly condemned" the detention of Basildon Peta, who is
the local correspondent for British newspaper The Independent.
Straw says the UK is "robustly monitoring" the
pre-election
climate
|
The foreign secretary came under fierce attack from his
Conservative counterpart, Michael Ancram.
Mr Ancram asked: "Can he not understand the widespread feelings of disgust
there is at what is happening in Zimbabwe?
"Three members of the opposition were brutally murdered this weekend and yet
that still apparently is not enough to trigger action from him."
The Tory spokesman asked when Mr Straw and his European colleagues would
realise "appeasement doesn't work".
Appeasement riposte
Those comments provoked a tense response from Mr Straw, who said the
Conservatives were the last party to talk of appeasement.
He condemned what he said was the way the Conservative government in the
early 1980s "sat by and did nothing when Mugabe and his henchmen were murdering
over 5,000 native people".
Mr Straw continued: "We are taking action, action now, to secure if we can a
democratic transfer of power in Zimbabwe, or if we cannot, then to ensure that
further action follows."
Conservative policy would lead to nothing but British isolation, he said, and
would play into Mr Mugabe's hands as he then portray the dispute as a unilateral
one with the UK.
Sanctions efforts
The UK joined with the rest of the European Union in threatening Zimbabwe
with sanctions if it did not allow in observers for the March elections.
On Monday, the EU said the targeted sanctions, aimed at Mr Mugabe and his
allies, would not be imposed because it had been promised the conditions will be
met.
Mr Straw also tried to persuade the Commonwealth to suspend Zimbabwe from the
Commonwealth but the idea was rejected last week.
The foreign secretary told MPs four observers had already entered the country
and another 100 would join them shortly.
Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesman Menzies Campbell said if there was evidence
of malpractice in the polls, the UK should "urgently" consider withdrawing
recognition of the Mugabe government.
"Letting in two or three observers as a gesture is not a sufficient response
to the requirements for full transparency in the presidential election," said Mr
Campbell.
Mr Straw said the UK and other countries were "robustly monitoring" the
situation in Zimbabwe and withdrawing recognition would be considered if
necessary.
SPORT
I was listening to a very balanced
report about the poor state of Zimbabwean sport, on BBC this morning. Of course
it was obvious how the present oppressive politics and the resultant state of
the economy has been the main cause of the decline. It is very difficult for
anybody to be patriotic under the conditions in which we exist. However I must
applaud Henry Olonga for his sentiments in his song Our Zimbabwe, which was
played.
However Steven Chifunise should trade
places with our (mis)information minister and go to the place to where many
people wish that minister to go. His rhetorical racist remarks were totally
uncalled for and had no basis at all.
What has happened to our cricket is
the mental attitude developed from what is in reality happening at home.
Zimbabweans know the truth and it does not matter how many lies or perversions
are told this truth cannot be hidden.
A recent example is my young nephew
who has just left school. He is an extremely talented young cricketer who would
definitely be in the National side, if he could have the opportunity. His
greatest wish was to get into the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy, and then hopefully
play for Zimbabwe.
Yes he is white, but is not from an
"elite club" (just because he is white, according to Chifunise) and he has very
little money. He was turned down by the academy for many stated reasons, but in
reality, as we were eventually told, because he is white.
The result is, and because of his
love of the game, he has flown to England (which is all his parents could
afford) and has found a manual job on a chicken farm. He intends to work there
for a few months to earn some vital foreign exchange to pay for his air flight
and entrance fee into the New Zealand Cricket Academy.
I will miss this talented young man
but I will be following his career with great interest, with the hope that one
day he may be able to return home to display his talent for the benefit of our
Zimbabwe. After all we are all proud of our
country, but not of our leaders.
had a telephone from R.B. who has a ranch on the Zaka communal land
near Triangle. He said he was talking to one of his workers about the shortage
of maize in the country. He asked the worker what he thought was the cause of
the shortage, and he replied that it was because the farmers were hoarding
maize!
All I can say is that the government
propaganda machine has been very effective, and with the looming crisis this
sort of opinion or attitude will create more division, which could even stir up
violence against the "whites".
What are the facts? We know that the
orchestrated farm invasions and work stoppages accompanied by theft are the main
causes for farmers not being "allowed" to grow the crop in significant amounts
this last season, and the present one. In many cases entire crops were looted in
broad daylight with the authorities turning a blind eye.
Later in the season the Grain
Producers Association went to government to express their concern, and offered a
solution. Their plan was to grow an early crop under irrigation, but because of
the increased expense of producing such a crop a slight increase in the GMB
price was requested. (which would be much cheaper than any imported food) The
offer was denied with the rhetorical response that the "new farmers" would
produce over 4million tons this year.
The present estimates are that we may
produce a total of 1.2million tons this year which is far below the national
requirement. We are going to have to import maize, at a rate of 5,000 tons every
day for the next 18 months. Logistically this is impossible! This is also only
for human consumption and disregards maize for livestock and poultry, which is
presently being looted from farm stocks by government.
So far 150,000 tons has been secured
in South Africa (but not paid for). Presently there is a dispute by truck
drivers over promised payment in US$. Although Spoornet has 240 rail wagons in
place there re also disputes about the turn around time in Zimbabwe. Trucks have
been known to stay here for over 10 years! Also NRZ has a labour dispute and a
go-slow strike after it was recently discovered that deductions from workers
wages for pensions, NSSA and medical aid had for some time not been paid to
those accounts.
Added to the problems is the
congesting of the loading points and customs posts by other purchasers of the
maize. Zambia is busy moving 100,000tons and Malawi 220,000tons.
The 150,000 tons apparently secured
from RSA will be one month's supply. After that who knows!
The seized maize on farms has been
kept after having been grown for specific uses, or for their staff. Much of the
maize has been of very low grade, as the best grades had previously been sold to
GMB. Examples of seizures are the maize taken from Ngwebu Brewery in Bulawayo,
which has now put them out of the business of producing the highly
popular traditional beer. The pig industry will now collapse and with it years
of careful management and selection. The poultry industry will also collapse and
producers are finishing off their last birds now. Therefore added to the lack of
maize meal on the shelves, poultry products will also disappear. It will take
the major players 18 months to 2 years to get full production back.
In short "we are not the one", and
the shortage is a result of total mismanagement and mischievous government
policies. If we are lucky enough to have a change in government at the watershed
election then farmers will be able, and willing, to rise to the challenge to
feed the nation again. Under present conditions and forced restrictions this has
been impossible.
Portal of Truth
Where sometimes words fail us, images have
always been captivating. They are a reflection of our lives and are part of the
political landscape. They exert an influence over societies, attitudes and
opinions and bear witness to the injustices of our times while they inform,
educate, decorate and warn us against complacency. Ultimately they add to our
life experience.
During the countdown to the Zimbabwe 2000 elections
many of you will remember I produced around 50 ‘graphic commentaries’ in an
attempt to chronicle and highlight the many issues that shaped the reality and
atmosphere of our predicament, with one aim in mind, -to raise the consciousness
of our situation and similar ones in the world at large. These were distributed
daily by email on the internet.
I felt I could contribute something
through the positive use of design to bring about some awareness to the abuse
and violations of our rights being perpetrated in Zimbabwe. Also given the
absolute lack of voter education/information around, which should be the duty of
any responsible government except ours, (as this would contradict every aspect
of their violent campaign) I also wanted to disseminate ideas out there for
interested civic rights groups and individuals to harvest and even use in some
way if they could.
Although I wished I could have spread these images
farther and to a wider audience through another medium, I was personally
inhibited by the exorbitant cost of printing. The internet at least gave me an
opportunity and means to successfully share ideas and hopefully connect with
those who can print/publish and distribute. Often these people are at a loss in
garnering the relevant professionals to help them effectively present their
messages and information to enable them to react-to and counter the terror and
disinformation that engulfed us.
Faced with a voters roll in a mess and
countless other irregularities meant that scores of genuine citizens would not
have a voice. There was and remains the daunting problems of intimidation and
violence that cast a dark shadow over whole process and the future.
In my
soul I believed that against all odds, the people of Zimbabwe could muster the
spiritual resistance and vote to ensure a living legacy without fear for
themselves and their children, because this was clearly about good against evil.
The alternative was and is suicide.
My approach was simply to appeal to
the courage, dignity and righteousness of our intentions and hope that this
would inspire positive action.
While those elections proved that we
could change the political landscape, one major obstacle remains, the head of
state, -more dangerous, arrogant and vengeful than ever.
The Zimbabwe
presidential elections are to be held on 9th & 10 March, once again under a
cloud of violence and intimidation, that has surpassed our worst nightmares. Now
Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party cynically cloak their human rights abuses in
legislation using using laws to dismember and disenfranchise our citizenry. The
country is practically destroyed, and on its knees facing hunger and starvation
because of the power hungry.
A vindictive tyrant's way of leaving no
stone unturned, is simply to smash it to bits. Our backs are against the wall,
disfigured and ignored, while the world watches and wags the finger of 'smart'
sanctions, at our transgressor, after the deed is done.
To imagine that
these elections will be free and fair, is to insult our intelligence and
dignity. The ruling party's campaign of fear and oppression is being used like a
branding iron by an authority determined to silence the will of the nation by
any means necessary.
As an Indian proverb reminds us "A cobra will bite
you, even if you call it Mr. Cobra."
Maybe I am being unrealistic, and
blinded by faith in humanity, but from today through the internet, I begin
another month of graphic activism called 'The portal of truth' (which the
government has already created new laws to deem them illegal). As with the
graphic commentaries I will try to send an image a day, to Zimbabwe and the
world, until the elections commence.
Once again these images are intended
for all and anybody's eyes and can be disseminated and used in any way and every
way to spread the truth about our deteriorating situation. The madness has to be
stopped and if these images can make the slightest difference, then they need to
be out there.
If for any reason you do not wish to receive the images,
please let me know and I will amend the the list accordingly.
In faith
and action,
Chaz Maviyane-Davies
Here is the first
image:
Portal 1 -State Terrorism
The conical tower at Great Zimbabwe
is the symbol of our beloved country. The plane is emblazoned with the name and
insignia of the ruling party.
Officer Commanding (Masvingo Province),
P.O. Box 125,
Masvingo
Dear Mr. Moyo,
UNRELENTING
ASSAULT AND PROVOCATION ON BATH FARM
I respectfully remind you of the assurance publicly given by the
Honourable Minister Mudenge at Bath Farm, after the Commonwealth delegation
visit. He personally assured Mr. Erasmus of his safely and that there would be
no retribution for telling the truth, as a Zimbabwean right.
Well, Mr. Moyo, I am afraid that the continual
assaults against Mr. Erasmus, his staff and his livestock have proved
completely to the contrary. This is also despite endless letters from me
pleading with you and the Provincial Administrator to put a stop to this
continual harassment.
Most of Mr. Erasmus’s cattle have been reluctantly
moved of his rightfully owned property, some to his son-in-law’s farm,
Mazongororo. Here the cattle have been seriously abused and deprived of grazing
and a previous request for prosecution under the Prevention of Cruelty Act
appears to have been totally ignored.
Does this not tell you that perhaps there could be
more sinister reasons behind these episodes by the apparent lack of
co-operation from the law enforcers?
Last night when the Erasmus’s returned from business
in Masvingo, their staff, who had been thoroughly beaten and assaulted, awaited
them. They had been instructed to tell Mr. Erasmus that they must be paid off,
or to face further consequences.
We have further information that all farm employees
have been ordered to leave the farms by March 01, 2002, because if they do not
they are siding with the lawful opposition.
Sir, this is in my interpretation blatant political
intimidation and human and animal rights abuse, and I appeal for your
intervention in the interest of a free and fair election. I thank you.
Yours sincerely,
xx
IT’S TIME
It’s time to
change a stand
For the future
of Your home and land.
Not just for
today or just for tomorrow
You must heal
the wounds, comfort the sorrow
That’s been
heaped on Your heads like burning coals –
Just to
achieve a Satan’s goals!
It’s hard I
know – but You must be strong
If you want to
stay at home and belong
To a New Dawn
and New Day.
For you all in
Zimbabwe I pause to pray.
I pray for
Peace, for Rain and Sun,
Safe places
for your children to play and run
Emerald fields
of wheat and tasselled corn
Exciting days
with each new dawn.
Factories and
business with open doors
All working
towards a common cause –
To build your
nation up again
For you to
grow old and your children remain
At home where
your heart belongs –
To hear the bush
and Africa’s songs!
So take your
pen…….and still your heart
As you prepare
to take your part
In this
moment….Now You have the power in Your hand
To change
Zimbabwe …. It is Your land!
pamcrowther@hotmail.com
Pam
Crowther 01.02.02.
Officer Commanding (Masvingo Province),
P.O. Box 125,
Masvingo
Dear Mr. Moyo,
UNRELENTING
ASSAULT AND PROVOCATION ON BATH FARM
I respectfully remind you of the assurance publicly given by the
Honourable Minister Mudenge at Bath Farm, after the Commonwealth delegation
visit. He personally assured Mr. Erasmus of his safely and that there would be
no retribution for telling the truth, as a Zimbabwean right.
Well, Mr. Moyo, I am afraid that the continual
assaults against Mr. Erasmus, his staff and his livestock have proved
completely to the contrary. This is also despite endless letters from me
pleading with you and the Provincial Administrator to put a stop to this
continual harassment.
Most of Mr. Erasmus’s cattle have been reluctantly
moved of his rightfully owned property, some to his son-in-law’s farm,
Mazongororo. Here the cattle have been seriously abused and deprived of grazing
and a previous request for prosecution under the Prevention of Cruelty Act
appears to have been totally ignored.
Does this not tell you that perhaps there could be
more sinister reasons behind these episodes by the apparent lack of
co-operation from the law enforcers?
Last night when the Erasmus’s returned from business
in Masvingo, their staff, who had been thoroughly beaten and assaulted, awaited
them. They had been instructed to tell Mr. Erasmus that they must be paid off,
or to face further consequences.
We have further information that all farm employees
have been ordered to leave the farms by March 01, 2002, because if they do not
they are siding with the lawful opposition.
Sir, this is in my interpretation blatant political
intimidation and human and animal rights abuse, and I appeal for your
intervention in the interest of a free and fair election. I thank you.
Yours sincerely,
...
From The Cape Times (SA), 5 February
Mbeki's adviser gives blunt
warning to Mugabe
New York/Harare - If the coming Zimbabwean
elections are not free and fair,
the ensuing government will not be
recognised by either the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) or
South Africa, President Thabo Mbeki's
economic adviser Wiseman Nkuhlu said
this week. Speaking to Business Report
before heading back to South Africa at
the close of the World Economic Forum
in New York, Nkuhlu said the SADC was
monitoring the situation and that it
"had the will" to act against President
Robert Mugabe if necessary. An
advance delegation from the Commonwealth
arrived on Tuesday in Zimbabwe
before an observer mission which is planned
for next month's hotly contested
presidential election, the Commonwealth
announced. In a statement received
in Harare, the Commonwealth said the
secretariat team would prepare for the
arrival of observers who are expected
later this month. "I am pleased to
have a team on the ground in Zimbabwe that
will stay until the voting and
counting in next month's election have been
concluded," said Commonwealth
Secretary-General Don McKinnon. The team is to
hold meetings with electoral
officials, political parties and non-government
organisations about the
March 9-10 presidential vote, in which Mugabe is
expected to face his
stiffest challenge since taking power in the former
Rhodesia on independence
from Britain in 1980. The first team of actual
Commonwealth observers should
be in the country by Monday, while the main
group is expected to arrive by
the end of the month.
Mugabe has
said he will allow Commonwealth and EU observers. But he has said
the teams
should not include any member from Britain, which has harshly
criticised the
Zimbabwe president for actions seen as increasingly
autocratic, such as
muscling through parliament a raft of legislation
curbing civil liberties.
The EU has agreed its observer mission won't
include any British officials
and the Commonwealth is not expected to send
any either. Britain campaigned
unsuccessfully at a meeting of the
Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group in
London last week to temporarily
suspend Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth over
concerns about Mugabe's moves to
rein in the opposition before the election.
Meanwhile, EU diplomats here
said no EU observers had yet arrived in the
country. The EU was awaiting a
formal invitation to send them. Threatened EU
sanctions were put on hold on
Monday because Zimbabwe had not prevented
deployment. A commission
spokesperson, Emma Udwin, said: "There's been no
attempt to prevent us from
deploying" a team she said would number about 150
observers by polling day.
Harare still faces sanctions from the EU if
Zimbabwe prevents its observers
from deploying or "operating effectively", if
international media do not
have free access to covering the vote, in case of
serious human rights
abuses or attacks on Mugabe's opponents, or if the vote
is deemed not to be
free and fair.
According to senior ANC MP
Ebrahim Ebrahim, experience from the 2000
parliamentary poll showed election
observers would "play a very important
role" and the South African parliament
would again send a team of observers
to Zimbabwe. "Election observers give
confidence to the voters, confidence
that the ballot box won't be tampered
with, that there won't be
intimidation, at least at the polling booth, and
that there will be proper
counting of the ballot papers." He expressed
concern, though, that Mugabe
had pushed ahead with a draconian media bill.
Ebrahim said it is "worrying"
that Mugabe had continued to process the
legislation despite making a pledge
last month to the SADC that he would not
hinder the poll any further. "One
would have expected that since he had given
this undertaking there was no
need for the bill," said Ebrahim. However, it
was "too early" to say whether
Mugabe had "completely violated the
agreement". It emerged over the weekend
that Mugabe had come under pressure
from Mbeki and other world leaders not
to sign the bill into law.
Daily News - Leader Page
The army exists because of the
people
2/6/02 9:30:14 AM (GMT +2)
By Chimurenga
Dzimbahwe
THERE are tonnes of expectations in Zimbabwe right now that
March 2002 will
usher in a new political dispensation that will hopefully be
responsive to
the real needs of the people.
Understandably, the unjust
black-on-black serfdom that our so-called
revolutionary leaders have kept us
under is solely responsible for the hope
that grips so many Zimbabwean hearts
at the moment.
It is the hope of a better future. It is the hope of a
revived Zimbabwe in
which people are allowed to exist as citizens, and not
subjects of some
quasi-revolutionaries.
It is the kind of hope
informed by humanity’s incessant quest for justice
and peace. Strangely, it
is similar to the hope that drove so many of
Zimbabwe’s gallant sons and
daughters to take up arms during the Rhodesian
days. The black blood which
watered the soil during the rebellion years was
meant to end the same terror
that surrounds our nation today.
What goes around comes around, so they
say. We have been there before where
we are today, if not physically then in
the bones of our ancestors that
perished during the liberation war. But some
among us think they were better
freedom fighters and thus deserve to loot,
plunder, and keep a whole nation
hostage through fear, propaganda, rape and
murder.
The gallant sons and daughters of Zimbabwe did not take up arms
to put new
chains around the people’s necks. Their objective was to liberate
the people
in toto. The hope that most Zimbabweans carry today is against the
Zanu PF
warmongering and myopic view of the liberation struggle.
Hope,
however, does not consist of folding arms and waiting for the Ides of
March
to unfold. The hope that Zimbabweans are carrying needs to be
activated and
begin to burn like the thousand flames of a candle to expose
the Zanu PF
betrayal of the struggle for what it is – downright
dictatorship.
As
we slowly approach the defining moment of our nation’s destiny, it
is
critical to keep up the fight. Zimbabweans have to keep up the fight
for
what is right for our beloved country.
In the name of our beloved
nation, the flames of hope that we carry in our
hearts have to be constantly
stoked up if the final battle against
totalitarianism and absolutism is to be
won. To give up is only to dig our
own graves and those of the liberation
struggle ethos.
Not even the bootlicking army should be allowed to
destroy the anticipation
for a better Zimbabwe that we carry. Armies are not
made in heaven. Armies
are made up of mere mortals that cannot play the
Almighty and change the
destiny that He has made for His people.
No
amount of threats from the army will deter Zimbabweans from exercising
their
right to choose. For all we know, the army chiefs are mere products
of
President Mugabe’s patronage, and are merely singing for their
supper.
Zimbabweans do not want threats anymore. We have had enough of
those. In
fact, Zimbabweans are now fed up of threats. What Zimbabweans want
is
change - noble change that will bring bread and butter on the
table.
Zimbabweans will not bow down to threats because they carry the dreams
and
hopes of people who have suffered in the past.
We carry the
knowledge that tyranny and absolutism can be defeated through
resilience and
people power. We have been there before, where Zanu PF wants
to bury us, but
the people’s power will overcome.
No amount of threats from the army will
destroy the fire that we carry in
our hearts. Any attempt to destroy that
fire will breed anarchy which the
army cannot even contain. It is called the
human fire.
That human fire will rise like the mists of Mosi-oa-Tunya and
destroy
anything that stands in the way of freedom. It is called the fire
of
freedom.
If not in this generation, then in the next because not
even nuclear weapons
can hinder the human quest for freedom. No army can stop
the people’s power.
Armies are not for leaders. They are for the
people.
When armies make themselves willing tools of political leaders, they
cease
to serve their role in society. Armies that make themselves enemies of
the
people will get what they deserve when the people decide enough is
enough.
The people are not as dumb as those at the top believe.
In
short, the people will create new armies to defend themselves. It is
as
simple as that. Chaos breeds chaos, but in the end, the people
will
overcome. Freedom will reign supreme.
Armies, after all, are not
made of automatons, but of people who think, see,
know, feel and bleed.
Armies are made up of husbands, brothers and sisters
of the long-suffering
people of this nation who want to make the change that
they desire. As for
General Vitalis Zvinavashe, he can have his threats and
eat them too. No one
is convinced or shaken by his theatrics to sing for his
supper at the expense
of the people.
The good men and women of Zimbabwe have to immerse
themselves in the good
hope of the future without fear of the risks involved.
The final chapter of
our country’s tearful desolation requires the full
participation of all the
sons and daughters of this nation.
Fear does
not provide food on the table. There is no need to be afraid of
death,
because we are all going to die. The best we can do for our children,
future
generations and ourselves is to leave a solid foundation of freedom
that will
remain embedded in the psyche of our nation for eternity.
In itself, hope
is a frame of mind that needs constant nourishment. It is
not like a
beautiful wedding dress that can be hung in the closet, only to
be worn when
the big day comes.
The hope that we have of the future is for generations
to come. It needs to
be spread to others who are still blind to the light of
freedom. It badly
needs to be spread to our brothers and sisters who have
been reduced to a
class of Zanu PF lumpenproletariat. It needs to be spread
to our brothers
and sisters who have been bought by blood-soaked land to
secure their
backing of blood-sucking, double-dealing, corrupt and
war-hungry
high-ranking Zanu PF officials.
They parcel out land as if
they own it in order to secure their political
futures. They turn people into
murderers because the taste of power is too
sweet for them to
resist.
This is the idiocy that should force every right-thinking
Zimbabwean to hold
on to the hope that is simmering in so many a heart in the
country. Zimbabwe
will never be the same again. The time has come for us to
lay the foundation
of a nation that will carry us into the future.
Daily News
Zanu PF dumps youths in Kotwa
2/6/02 9:31:33 AM (GMT
+2)
Staff Reporter
INNOCENT Ndlovu, 18, of Tafara in Harare,
says he was beaten up over the
weekend together with 60 others and forcibly
transported from Mbare Musika
to Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe by Zanu PF youths for
President Mugabe’s first
presidential campaign rally on Friday.
Ndlovu
broke down at The Daily News offices as he recounted how he was
forced into a
bus and later beaten up after attending Mugabe’s rally.
He said he was
minding his own business on Friday at Mbare Musika when he
was stopped by
Zanu PF youths and ordered into a bus together with other
youths wearing Zanu
PF T-shirts.
“The bus was bound for Nyamapanda,” said Ndlovu. “We didn’t
pay. When we
arrived we were dumped at the rally.”
Ndlovu said the
owner of the bus protested at carrying passengers for
nothing but was still
forced to take them to the rally. The bus owner said
he would not bring back
the passengers to Harare.
After attending the rally, there was no
transport to return to Harare, he
said.
“We were forced to sleep in
the open,” he said. “While we slept by the
roadside, Zanu PF members came and
divided us into three groups, according
to our ages.
“We were asked
where we had come from and we told them we were from Harare.
One man said
he hailed from Buhera. He was beaten up. The youths said he was
related to
the MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.”
Tsvangirai comes from
Buhera.
The abducted youths were accused of supporting the MDC because
they were
from Harare which, like all urban areas, is an MDC
stronghold.
Ndlovu said a colleague is in hospital with a broken arm from
the beatings.
He said even those dressed in Zanu PF T-shirts with a
picture of Nigerian
President Olusegun Obasanjo were beaten up after being
accused of “wearing
opposition T-shirts”.
They were assaulted until a
Good Samaritan called the police on his mobile
phone.
“Our abductors
were surprised when the police arrived on Saturday. We were
taken to the
police station. A bus was later sent to collect us. We were
dumped at Mbare
Musika on Monday.”
Daily News
Bennet says soldiers on his farm beating up
workers
2/6/02 9:21:49 AM (GMT +2)
From Brian Mangwende in
Mutare
THE MP for Chimanimani, Roy Bennet says the 80 soldiers camped on
his
Charleswood Farm are beating up his workers and making life
unbearable.
The troops moved on to the farm in October last year under
the guise of
peacekeeping after violent clashes erupted between war veterans
occupying
parts of the Bennet’s farm and members of the MDC.
Bonisi
Gatsheni, the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA)’s spokesman, said: “I am
unaware
of the deployment of soldiers to the farm. We did not sanction that
move, so
I honestly do not know what is happening there.”
Chimanimani, a
politically volatile area of Manicaland, is an MDC
stronghold.
Bennet
said about 80 soldiers were camped at Charleswood Primary School.
Said
Bennet: “They came in the name of peace, but they are the ones
provoking my
workers on the farm. On Sunday, my public relations manager and
security
chief, Amos Makaza was illegally detained by the soldiers.
“They stripped
him and assaulted him.”
Pishai Muchauraya, MDC’s spokesman for
Manicaland, said the soldiers were
attacking farm workers.
“These ZNA
officers have now developed an unprofessional tendency of beating
up and
verbally abusing workers on the farm.
“The events on the farm at the
moment are far from the question of land
distribution, but are clearly about
political harassment of all people
linked to Bennet.”
Meanwhile, four
MDC supporters were allegedly abducted on Sunday by a group
of suspected Zanu
PF members at Chipinge Rural District Council beerhall.
The four, Joseph
Manyongaidze, Victor, his brother, Garikai Chitemba and
Peter Sibiya, were
having drinks in the beerhall when the group allegedly
approached them and
demanded they follow them outside.
Muchauraya said: “We reported the case
to Chipinge police, who said they
were aware of the case but their hands were
tied.
“I then telephoned the officer-in-charge at the same police
station. but he
wouldn’t talk to me.
“I also telephoned Rudo
Muchemeyi, the officer commanding Manicaland, and
she promised to investigate
the matter.”
He said the MDC on Monday engaged lawyers to take up the
case since the
police were not forthcoming.
Muchemeyi refused to
comment and referred all questions to Police General
Headquarters in
Harare.
President Mugabe is expected to hold a presidential campaign
rally in
Chimanimani today and in Rusape tomorrow.
Daily News
Judge calls on Zimbabweans to refrain from violence ahead of
poll
2/6/02 9:22:42 AM (GMT +2)
From Energy Bara in
Masvingo
HIGH judge, Justice Nicholas Ndou, on Monday called on
Zimbabweans to
refrain from public violence ahead of next month’s
presidential poll.
Opening the first session of the High Court this year
in Masvingo, Ndou said
people should know that the destiny of this country
lay in their hands and
should be tolerant.
Ndou said: “With the
presidential election looming, public violence and
intolerance should be
discouraged at all costs.
“We should all remember that we are Zimbabweans
and the destiny of our
country lies in our hands.”
In Masvingo,
political violence has claimed at least five lives and scores
have been
displaced, while close to 40 schools have been closed because of
teachers
fleeing victimisation.
Ndou called on the police to investigate cases
fairly and thoroughly.
He said the public might show reluctance in providing
crucial information if
there was a perception of unfairness in the police
investigations.
But he said while the workload for the police had
increased considerably, it
seemed that there was no corresponding increase in
resources made available
to them.
“Generally, the facilities to enable
the police to cope with the increased
workload have to be increased,” said
Ndou.
“One very serious impediment is the perennial problem of lack of
transport.
“This affects their ability to get to the scenes of crime,
often resulting
in loss of valuable evidence which would assist the courts in
arriving at
just decisions.
“I would urge the powers-that-be to make
every effort to provide adequate
resources to the force to execute its duty
in a more efficient manner.”
The High Court judge expressed concern at
the backlog of cases in the
country’s courts.
The High Court circuit
court will preside over 12 murder cases.
Daily News
Harare poll saga deepens
2/6/02 9:19:01 AM (GMT
+2)
By Pedzisai Ruhanya
WITH six days to go before the High
Court and Supreme Court deadline for
holding the Harare mayoral and council
elections, it is now almost
impossible that the polls will go ahead, given
the impasse between the
government and the judiciary.
The government
has repeatedly refused to implement court decisions, saying
it was more
comfortable to have the elections on 9 and 10 March
simultaneously with the
presidential poll, citing logistical problems.
However, analysts have
argued that the delay had nothing to do with
logistics but with Zanu PF’s
fear of losing the elections in the MDC
stronghold just before the
presidential poll.
The saga took yet another twist when High Court judge,
Justice Moses
Chinhengo, on Monday dismissed an application for leave to
appeal to the
Supreme Court against an order to hold the polls by next
Monday.
Chinhengo said President Mugabe did not have powers to suspend court
orders.
Chinhengo’s latest ruling followed an appeal against his earlier
judgment
which ordered Tobaiwa Mudede, the Registrar-General, told hold
the
elections.
The Attorney General’s Office yesterday appealed to the
Supreme Court
against that decision.
The court will hear the matter
today.
Meanwhile, Sheila Jarvis, the lawyer for the Harare Residents
and
Ratepayers’ Association, said yesterday she had filed an urgent
application
in the High Court for contempt of court charges against Mudede
for failing
to conduct the nomination of the candidates on Monday as ordered
last week.
Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku and four other judges of the
Supreme
Court, on Monday struck off the register an urgent application by
the
government to stop the holding of the Harare mayoral and council
elections
by 11 February as ordered by the High Court last
week.
Chidyausiku sat with Justices Vernanda Ziyambi, Misheck Cheda, Luke
Malaba
and Ahmed Ebrahim.
In his ruling, Chinhengo said Statutory
Instrument 13A of 2000 promulgated
by Mugabe to have the elections on 9 and
10 Mach 2000 could not stand.
He said: “The application for leave to
appeal from the order that I issued,
as it is, on the submission that section
158 (2)(a) empowers the President
to suspend a court order cannot succeed.
There is no prospect of success on
appeal and accordingly leave to appeal is
refused.” Chinhengo said it should
be noted that the President can suspend or
amend the provisions of the
Electoral Act, not court orders.
In its
continued disregard of the decisions of the High Court and the
Supreme Court,
the government on Monday issued a notice which said the
nomination of
candidates will take place on 18 February 2002.
The notice is in line
with Mugabe’s statutory instrument which said the
elections will be held on 9
and 10 March 2002 together with the presidential
election
Wednesday, 6 February, 2002, 02:07 GMT
Zimbabwe's climate of fear
Violence is continuing as the election
approaches
New evidence of violence against opponents of Zimbabwe's
Government in the run-up to next month's presidential elections has been
obtained by the BBC.
Families of victims have spoken of beatings, murders and disappearances, in
footage recorded at a secret safe house for opposition supporters.
The attacks on the innocent women and children... is an
indication of the desperation of Zanu-PF to win at any cost
|
Opposition supporter |
One such victim was Trymore Midzi, an activist for the
opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
Trymore's family says he was killed by militants linked to the ruling Zanu-PF
party.
It took Trymore's family several days to obtain permission to bury him,
because of his opposition credentials.
Militants on the increase
Despite the upheaval gripping white farmers, it is ordinary black Zimbabweans
who are paying the highest price in the country's crisis.
Opposition supporter displays scars on his
back
|
At a secret location, opposition activists showed scars from attacks by what
human rights groups say is an increasing number of pro-government militias.
Despite the focus on the so-called war veterans, human rights groups say many
other pro-government militias have been formed ahead of the presidential poll
and they tolerate no dissent.
"The attacks on the innocent women and children in the absence of the men at
work in the cities is an indication of the desperation of Zanu-PF to win at any
cost," one woman said, holding a young child with a scarred face.
Mugabe blamed
After 22 years in power, President Robert Mugabe is accused by his opponents
of orchestrating all the violence in order to save his political career.
Many Zimbabweans are leaving the country ahead of the
election
|
"You must stand your ground, defend your situation, defend your family. We
are entitled to do that, but please, we shouldn't go assaulting people," he said
as he launched his presidential campaign at the weekend.
But many ordinary Zimbabweans are not waiting for the chance to vote, they
are simply leaving.
Hundreds are escaping to South Africa every day.
President Mugabe has not banned European election observers from attending
the poll and for the moment that seems to have convinced the EU to step back
from a decision to implement targeted sanctions.
Daily News
Accreditation of international, local observers
starts
2/6/02 9:23:16 AM (GMT +2)
Staff Reporter
The
accreditation of international and local observers by the
Electoral
Supervisory Commission (ESC) for the March presidential election
starts
today.
A statement issued by Thomas Bvuma, the information and
public relations
co-ordinator of the ESC, said the accreditation would take
place at the
Media Centre behind the Harare Sheraton Hotel.
“We will
be accrediting observers from the Southern African Development
Community,
Libya, India and Nigeria on Wednesday,” Bvuma said in
the
statement.
He said that the accreditation of domestic observers
would take place
tomorrow at the same venue.
Bvuma said international
observers would be required to pay US$100 (Z$5 500)
each.
Domestic
observers will pay Z$1 000 per person.
International observers are
required to bring their passports, while
domestic observers should bring
their national registration cards or their
passports.
“Both
international and domestic observers are required to produce proof
of
invitations that were extended to them.
“International observers
are eminent persons from outside Zimbabwe or
individuals representing foreign
countries, international or regional
organisations who have been invited by
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to
come and observe Zimbabwe’s elections,”
said Bvuma.
He said international observers included individuals from
regional bodies
that exercise functions similar to those of the ESC who have
been invited by
the ESC itself.
All the observers are accredited by
the Observers Accreditation Committee,
which is chaired by the chairman of
the ESC, Sobusa Gula-Ndebele, a lawyer
in private practice.
Observers
will be furnished with identification cards, which they are
required to wear
at all times during observation of the election.
Meanwhile, a secretariat
team from the Commonwealth in London is expected to
arrive in Harare today,
while Commonwealth observers are scheduled to arrive
in the country a few
days later.
A spokesman for the Commonwealth, Wanebeya Mwambu, said
President
Mugabe had extended an invitation to the organisation to send
observers for
the election.
Daily News
Suspected Zanu PF supporters petrol-bomb court official’s
house
2/6/02 9:19:32 AM (GMT +2)
From Zerubabel Mudzingwa in
Gweru
PROPERTY worth nearly $2 million was destroyed last week when
suspected Zanu
PF supporters petrol-bombed a house belonging to Felix
Matsinde, a senior
court official in Kwekwe, after accusing him of supporting
the opposition
MDC party.
Police in Kwekwe confirmed the attack which
occurred in Mbizo Section 12 on
28 January, and said no suspects had been
arrested yet.
The family, which sustained minor burns during the attack,
has fled the
Midlands city for fear of further attacks.
Matsinde is
the area public prosecutor for Kwekwe.
His wife, Etinah, said the
attackers, who were chanting anti-MDC, slogans
broke into the house in the
early hours of Monday morning and doused it with
petrol before setting it
alight.
The family lost household goods worth nearly $2
million.
The attack has left several court officials in the small
Midlands city
shell-shocked and in fear of being the next victims. Two months
ago, the
house of Gokwe magistrate, Vakai Douglas Chikwekwe, was stoned by
mobs of
Zanu PF supporters who accused him of being an MDC
supporter.
The youths later gained entry into the house at Gokwe growth
point and
looted household goods.
“We are in a state of shock because
we do not know who their next target
will be,” said a senior Kwekwe
magistrate.
“I am afraid that these attacks could compromise our
partiality as judiciary
officers.”
Matsinde was particularly accused
of allegedly denying bail to Zanu PF
youths facing charges of public
violence.
Three weeks ago, three Zanu PF youths were denied bail after
they appeared
in court facing extortion charges involving about $22 000 from
a motorist at
an illegal Zanu PF road-block in Mbizo suburb.
Political
violence has rocked Kwekwe and Redcliff in the last few weeks,
leaving a
trail of destruction as Zanu PF and MDC supporters clashed mostly
in the
high-density suburbs of Mbizo, Amaveni, Rutendo and Torwood.
This is
despite the heavy presence of armed riot policemen and soldiers in
the
area.
Meanwhile, Stanley Mandondo, the MDC chairman for Mhondoro is in
hiding
after Zanu PF youths burnt down his house and threatened to kill him
for
belonging to the MDC.
Speaking from hiding, Mandondo said property
worth about $6 million was
destroyed by fire on Wednesday night.
He
said trouble started after 30 Zanu PF youths started beating up three
MDC
youths at Mubaira growth point on Wednesday.
Mandondo was called
by MDC youths to come and stop the fight, but he was
arrested by the police
who accused him of inciting the violence. The police
did not arrest the Zanu
PF youths, he said.
“The police arrested us, saying we had beaten up the
Zanu PF youths,”
Mandondo said.
He said he was released on 25 January
but did not return to his home because
he had been warned by his wife that
the Zanu PF youths wanted to kill him as
well as the MDC district secretary,
Ellen Manumanu.
Mandondo is expected to appear at the Chegutu Magistrates’
Court on 8
February.
“The police have not been doing much to help
victims who are assaulted by
Zanu PF youths,” Mandondo said.
He said
Zanu PF activists would come almost every night to his house and
stone it as
they chanted songs.
Most of the youths causing havoc at Mubaira were
brought in from Chinhoyi,
Chirumhanzi and Nyamweda.
“I do not feel
safe going back because the police are working with the Zanu
PF youths,” he
said.
He said his five school-going children who live in his area near
Mubaira
were being harassed at odd hours by the police as they search for
him.
“I have not done anything unlawful by belonging to an opposition
party,”
Mandondo said.
Mubaira police refused to comment on the
issue.
Daily News
Tsvangirai promises compensation for 5 Brigade
victims
2/6/02 9:21:01 AM (GMT +2)
From Mduduzi Mathuthu in
Bulawayo
THE MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, last Saturday pledged to
compensate
families who lost relatives during the 5 Brigade massacres in the
1980s.
Tsvangirai, who is expected to present the biggest challenge to
President
Mugabe on 9 and 10 March presidential poll told more than 7 000
supporters
at Gwanda’s Pelandaba Stadium at a campaign rally that the murder
of about
20 000 people by the North-Korean trained force just after
independence was
the “height of inhumanity”.
“Mugabe promised to
compensate families over two years ago, but he still has
not done
so.
“It just shows he is not sorry for his government’s vile deeds and he
doesn’
t deserve to be our leader.”
On the same day, the MDC
secretary-general, Professor Welshman Ncube, led
the party’s campaign trail
in the Midlands areas of Zhombe and Silobela,
while the party’s
vice-president, Gibson Sibanda, was in Masvingo.
Tsvangirai was
accompanied by several MDC parliamentarians, including
Priscilla
Misihairabwi-Mushonga, Thokozani Khupe, Esaph Mdlongwa, Lovemore
Moyo and the
party’s director of elections, Paul Themba Nyathi. Last year,
Tsvangirai
toured mass graves of victims of the 1980s massacres in the
Bhalagwe area of
Kezi and Tsholotsho. He said if voted into power, he would
facilitate a
healing and pardoning process which should be supported by the
perpetrators’
readiness to accept their responsibility.
Some families recently
threatened to sue the government over the atrocities.
Mugabe has
expressed regret and described the massacres as an “act of
madness . . .
never to happen again”, but his detractors query his
commitment to honour his
pledge of compensation.
A committee which was formed over two years ago,
at Mugabe’s behest, to
identify victims and assess compensation has since
disbanded.
On Saturday Tsvangirai urged his followers to remain calm and
not retaliate
to any attacks by Zanu PF members ahead of the presidential
election.
“If they attack you, just report to the police,” he said. “One
day soon they
will account for their actions because we know that the police
hands are
tied at the moment. Let all those who commit murder under the cover
of a
political party know that we will take justice to their
doorstep.”
Tsvangirai, responding to concerns expressed by Gwanda
residents, dismissed
threats of a coup by the army if he defeated Mugabe in
the poll.
“We assume that those who say they will not salute an MDC
government are
tired of work and we don’t need them,” said
Tsvangirai.
“Those in the army and the police who still want work will
stay on because
we have no plans to create a new police force or army.”
Daily News
Prosecutor threatened
2/6/02 9:16:55 AM (GMT
+2)
By Conrad Nyamutata Chief Reporter
KENNEDY Mpomba, a
prosecutor at the Harare Magistrates’ Court, has been
threatened by suspected
war veterans for having “a zeal” to prosecute Zanu
PF officials and
ex-combatants.
Correspondence secured by The Daily News suggests that
Mpomba has written to
Joseph Musakwa, the acting director of public
prosecutions, asking to go on
leave for security reasons.
In the
latest incident on Monday, the suspects pointed a firearm at Mpomba
along
Harare Drive in Marlborough, Harare. The men fled in their car after
Mpomba
produced his own firearm.
The prosecutor has handled an incest case
involving the war veterans’ leader
Andrew Ndlovu; a Zanu PF librarian for
threatening Geoffrey Nyarota, the
Editor-in-Chief of The Daily News; and the
war veterans from Marondera
accused of kidnapping.
Mpomba handled a
case involving threats contained in letters to Nyarota,
Anglican priest
Reverend Tim Neill and Morgan Tsvangirai, president of the
MDC.
Mpomba
says in a memorandum that last October, he set a trial date for
Ndlovu at the
Harare Magistrates’ Court.
But he was asked by some State witnesses,
believed to be war veterans, to
postpone the trial, saying they wanted to
campaign for the Zanu PF candidate
in the Bulawayo mayoral
election.
On 23 January, Mpomba approached Ndlovu’s lawyer, Andrew
Muvirimi for
another date. On that day, Muvirimi was representing Joseph
Chinotimba,
another war veterans’ leader, charged with attempted
murder.
Mpomba said later that day when he got home, a white Nissan
Hardbody pulled
up as he was opening the gate.
Eight men were in the
car. Mpomba approached the vehicle, and one of the men
allegedly said:
“So
this is where you live, comrade. Why is your Court 18 and in particular
you,
so keen to deal with persons aligned to Zanu PF and war veterans? You
seen to
want to embarrass our leaders when we are working flat out for Zanu
PF to
win. You must be taught a lesson.”
The men then drove off. But Mpomba
said he was positive that Ndlovu was not
one of them.
In another
memorandum, Mpomba said he had pulled out his pistol. He said he
was driving
along Harare Drive when he stopped at an intersection. A man
armed with a
pistol approached his car.
Mpomba said he switched off his engine and got
out of the car. He produced
his pistol and the man fled to join his
colleagues in a white Nissan
Hardbody which sped off. It was the same car
which had brought men to his
house in October, he said.
This time,
Mpomba only managed to record part of the registration number,
739 5 . . .
L.
The Attorney-General (AG)’s Office has assigned another prosecutor to
handle
Ndlovu’s case. But Mpomba says he still feels unsafe, and has asked to
go on
leave.
According to the memorandum, Mpomba reported the matter
to Marlborough
police.
But yesterday he refused to comment, referring
questions to Musakwa who
confirmed he had received Mpomba’s
complaint.
“We are still looking into the matter. I need to brief the AG
in a proper
manner,” Musakwa said.