via Tsvangirai MDC Spends $5M Supporting Political Violence Victims by Irwin Chifera
The Tsvangirai MDC formation says it has since 2000 spent more than $5 million assisting thousands of supporters who were victims of political violence around the country.
Party activists faced violence right from the beginning in 1999 when the party was launched as Zanu PF supporters resisted the formation of the new party.
Thousands were beaten up, intimidated, harassed, displaced and in some instances murdered leaving the labour-based movement to pick up the pieces.
MDC-T spokesman Douglas Mwonzora told VOA the party had to provide financial, material and moral support to affected families. He said they also had to provide psychological counseling to victims of political violence.
“We have done a lot as a party but it has not been enough,” said Mwonzora. “We had to pay for safe houses, medication, families’ upkeep and related issues.”
Mwonzora said his party also assisted in burying murdered cadres as well as providing building materials to re-build homes that were destroyed in arson attacks by alleged Zanu PF supporters.
Due to lack of resources the party has not been able to attend effectively to all needy cases, he said, adding the MDC is worried by the resurgence of political violence in some areas following President Robert Mugabe’s re-election and swearing in.
Mutoko South MDC activist, Chamunorwa Mundete, whose home was torched in 2008, told VOA the party assisted him with building material to re-construct his hut.
Mundete, whose homestead was again razed to the ground following the 2013 July elections, plans to approach Harvest House this week for more support.
In its 2013 election manifesto, the MDC promised to compensate all victims of post-independence atrocities, including Gukurahundi and Operation Murambatsvina.
COMMENTS
MDC – T still has to do more. Guys you need to mobilise resources and ensure all children of activists have access to education and other support required. We don’t want them to be entirely dependent on this support but ensure they have skills needed for them to make a living. We need a more sustainable approach to this kind of assistance and a programme drawn based on a case by case basis, though there is a lot of common issues to be addressed.
The revoluition is not yet over, and so we need a robust plan in place to realise this and if it means we have a specific arm within the party to be doing and working on this let it. We do not need to do it on an adhoc basis. It is from this kind of a gesture that the new leadership will be borne. I for one will support the cause and the revolution – the DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION. Will not give up till zvanaka.
Chati homu chareva,vaZhaba ndinowirirana navo kunyanya pavati ( not on an adhoc basis.) it has to be systematic,so as to avoid to give this assistance to undeserving. On a more serios note this is the only way and chance to get to the cell level. We strongly urge the party to engage on this exercise as soon as yesterday. Plz! Let there ne an audit to this exercise, MDC-T hauchisiri musangano mudiki nokudaro hapana kwausiri hapana kusingasvikike uyezve hakuchina nzvimbo inganzi istronghold yezanu pf.
Well said guys, the special army should be in place like yesterday and build skills and capacity. I can see some youths benefitting from this gesture.