JUSTICE IN ZIMBABWE 28 ____________________________________________________________________ Joseph Mwale, a Central Intelligence Officer accused of killing MDC activists Tichaona Chiminya and Talent Mabika in Buhera during the June 2000 parliamentary elections campaign, is reportedly spearheading retributions on MDC supporters in Chimanimani. Roy Bennett, the MP for Chimanimani, said Mwale is being assisted by another CIO agent known as ‘Cobra’, Major General Matsatswa, Lieutenant-Colonel Bangidza and two others identified only as Mutisi and Masabaya, all serving members of the Zimbabwe National Army who went on leave three months before the presidential elections. Last year, the High Court ordered that Mwale be arrested and charged for Chiminya’s death but up to now nothing has been done.”39 In August 2002 another local newspaper gave this report: “CIO’s Mwale allegedly leads assault on Bennett’s workers Joseph Mwale of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), implicated in the murder of two MDC activists in 2000, on Sunday reportedly led a group of pro-ZANU (PF) vigilantes in assaulting security guards and workers at Charleswood Estate owned by Chimanimani MP, Roy Bennett. It is understood police and soldiers assaulted several workers on the farm, accusing them of planning to attack war veterans and ruling ZANU (PF) supporters in the area. … Six of the injured workers fled to Harare following the beatings. … The government security officers allegedly ordered all farming operations at Bennett’s farms to cease with immediate effect in accordance with Section 8 of the Land Acquisition Act. The workers said Mwale, the police and the soldiers arrived at the farm at about 6am in two police vehicles from Chipinge Police Station. [One of the workers said] “Mwale ordered all those workers without identification documents to sit on one side. The soldiers then declared that they had taken over the farm. They severely assaulted about 25 workers who had no identification documents. …”40 As with the torturers of Chavunduka and Choto, the killers of Chiminya and Mabika appear to have a de facto immunity from prosecution.