Time for accountability 15 74-year-old attacked because of his son’s political affiliation Denga is a rural farmer who was attacked because his son was a local MDC activist in Gokwe. Before the attack his family had been made to renounce the MDC and join ZANU-PF. He was fined a goat by the local ZANU-PF leadership for having voted “wrongly” during the 29 March election. “On 3 July my daughter came and knocked at my door screaming that my son, [a local MDC-Tsvangirai secretary], was being attacked by ZANU-PF youths. I saw them assaulting my son and daughter. When I came out they ran away and I took my son into the house, but the youths came back and started stoning my house. I came out and started running, but I fell. They caught up with me and started to hit me with stones. My leg was fractured in three places. After that they ordered me to accompany them to the ZANU-PF camp but I could not walk. They then assaulted me some more and left. I then crawled and sought help at a neighbour’s home. I found that everyone had also run away. I managed to light a fire and slept in one of the huts. On 4 July my son reported the case at the police base at Marapira but no action was taken by the police. I was only taken to the hospital on 5 July. “I am now disabled and cannot work. Before the attack I could work in my fields and feed my family as old as I am.” 86-year-old woman assaulted for not attending ZANU-PF meetings Lyn, an 86-year-old peasant farmer from Beatrice resettlement area, said: “In resettlement areas we were told that ZANU-PF leaders did not want MDC. We were forced to feed people at the camp. We gave them maize, money, goats to celebrate Mugabe’s ‘victory’. The ‘war veterans’ said that all my children were MDC supporters. On 19 July, I was taken from my home by ‘war veterans’ and ZANU-PF supporters. I was made to lie on the ground and they assaulted me with sticks. I was assaulted for a very long time and sustained injuries on my back and buttocks. I also suffered a broken arm. One of my neighbours had sold me out to the ‘war veterans’. I am now disabled. I can't work in the field. I want to be compensated for the injuries. I want to talk to my attackers and be told the truth about why I was beaten. I also want them to be brought to justice.” Amnesty International AI Index: AFR 46/028/2008