Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum Report — Of Stuffed ballots and Empty Stomachs hand. Other youths joined in assaulting him in the face and stomach with booted feet and took some of his property. The victim reported the case to the police. Further incidents of violence reported elsewhere include the following: 1. In early April ZANU(PF) youths and war veterans kidnapped the son of the MDC parliamentary candidate for Mazowe together with a number of other people. The son was severely beaten up and left for dead close to his family’s shop. He had to be hospitalised.89 2. In April ZANU(PF) was allegedly using youths located in special camps in the Midlands to beat up MDC supporters, apparently in retribution. Two MDC supporters celebrating the MDC’s parliamentary victory were allegedly assaulted by 7 unidentified ZANU(PF) supporters wearing t-shirts emblazoned with a picture of the losing ZANU(PF) candidate for the constituency.90 3. In May, an MDC supporter in Murehwa South, who worked as an election agent at Karumazondo Primary School, was severely assaulted by a group of four ZANU(PF) functionaries at a tuckshop he operates.91 The Counselling Services Unit (CSU), a registered health institution, which is based in Harare and renders medical assistance to victims of violence, has dealt with numerous cases in which MDC supporters reported that they have been assaulted by ruling party supporters prior to or in the aftermath of the March 2005 elections. Many of the alleged assaults prior to the elections were upon MDC election agents – a direct consequence of the electoral legislation which requires the names and addresses of election agents to be published in local newspapers. Apart from taking statements from these persons, the victims were all given medical examinations by CSU. In the majority of these cases, the assaults were perpetrated by ZANU(PF) youths. The cases reported occurred both in urban and rural areas. A few typical examples of reprisals against MDC supporters after the elections are the following allegations by the victims. 1. On 3 April 2005 at a village in Mount Darwin three ZANU(PF) youths went to the victim’s home. They told her their previous suspicions that she was a MDC supporter had been confirmed by her appointment as an MDC election agent. The youths proceeded to beat the victim all over her body with booted feet and fists and completed the assault by pouring some unknown liquid irritant into her eyes. 2. This victim avers that on 2 April 2005, on leaving a nightclub, he was confronted by about 8 people accusing him of being an MDC supporter. He was beaten with a baton across the 89 90 91 SW Radio report 7 April 2005. ZPP 13 April 2005. Zimbabwe Standard 8 May 2005. 34