Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum: Report on political violence in Bulawayo, Harare, Manicaland, Mashonaland West, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South and Midlands Case 5 – Area Kariba Isaac Mackenzie, the Zanu (PF) candidate for Kariba threatened whites in Kariba with death if they supported the opposition, especially the MDC. Mackenzie was addressing his first campaign rally in Nyamhunga Stadium in the resort town. Mackenzie said “Let me assure you whites here, that one you support MDC, Zanu (PF) is not going to treat you as business people, but like politicians. It is like signing your own death warrants. The political storm will not spare you. Let you be informed that our reserve force, the war veterans, will be set on you.” There were five white people at the rally, whose total attendance was set in the region of 1000. He warned the people that any association with the MDC was tantamount to “signing your own warrants, as Zanu (PF) will spit fire on you.” Zanu (PF) youths were intimidating members of the opposition. They were beating drums, and chanting intimidatory slogans such as “The enemy will be beaten to death by Zanu (PF)”. Case 6 – Area: Hurungwe On 10 May Mark Madiro, the current MP for Hurungwe is alleged to have brought a gang of youths to the township. When the people who went around the shops saw this, they ran away from the township to their homes. He mobilized the people for a rally, to which most people came predominantly because they were afraid. They had a list of MDC supporters, which they used to identify the opposition supporters. They handcuffed and tied an MDC youth chairman to a tree and started brutalizing him. They accused him of receiving training to make petrol bombs from a retired soldier. He was left tied to a tree for the whole night, as they had gone to call the war veterans to continue the interrogation. He later escaped when he was untied to go to the toilet. Case 7 - Zvimba On 21 May an MDC co-ordinator visited his rural home in Murombedzi. When he was at the bus stop on his way to Chinhoyi, three Zanu (PF) youths came and greeted him, saying “How are you, brother? Your ancestors have betrayed you by letting you come here, because you have fallen in to the hands of the devil”. The grabbed him by the collar, and accused him of being an MDC supporter. More than thirty people gathered around him, and they wanted to take him to the Zanu (PF) offices, but he refused. They attacked him with iron bars, rubber sjamboks, wire and knobkerries. In retaliation, he hit one of them, who lost a tooth. Case 8 - Norton The complainant was sticking up MDC posters in Norton, when he was spotted by a group of about 20 Zanu (PF) supporters. They gave chase, and when they caught up with him they assaulted him with an iron bar. Two of his fingers on his right hand were fractured. A report has been registered with the police. Case 9 - Karoi I am employed by General Agriculture Plantations Workers Union of Zimbabwe (GAPWUZ) as an organising secretary. On 1May around 10.00 pm when I was coming from Chinhoyi GAPWUZ offices, I was assaulted by members of Zanu (PF). The gang was being led Paradzai whom I managed to identify. They followed me into a shop where I had gone to buy some cigarettes. They then accused GAPWUZ of sponsoring and having its offices being used by MDC. One of them said that they were going to deal with us but I took this lightly. On my way home just behind some shops in Chikangwe Township I was struck with an iron bar just above the left eye, forehead and left eye. Some of them used booted feet and hands to attack me and I lost conscious maybe because of the excessive bleeding. The people left me for dead and around 6.00am the police discovered me lying in a pool of blood. They then took me to the hospital where I received medication. Four of my assailants were arrested but I am not aware of the outcome. I am currently feeling some chest and back pains including my left leg. My left eye is also giving me some problems. Case 10 - Norton I am an ordinary MDC member. On 13 April, when we were attending an MDC rally in Chikangwe, a group of Zanu (PF) supporters came and attacked us with iron bars, pick handles and stones. They first of all ordered us to take off our MDC t-shirts, but we refused. There were over 80 of them, and some of our colleagues managed to escape, but Moses Chongovesa and I were captured. They assaulted us all over. I suffered multiple injuries and had to be stitched seven times on the head and two times just below the eye. My right hand is currently unable to function properly, and my whole body is painful. My colleague managed to strike one of them with an axe handle, and we escaped to the police station in Karoi, where we made our report. We gave them some of the names of our assailants, and no arrests have been made so far. When I went to enquire from the police what steps had been taken, they told me that I was troubling them and it had already been forgotten about. I went and sought treatment at Karoi Hospital as an outpatient for seven continuous days. I could not 7