How MDC Voters are Punished in Harare

Jan Raath continues excellent coverage from Harare for the Times [London] with "Zimbabwe: ‘They beat you...even old men and pregnant women’" (June 24, 2008). Raath describes the MO of the ZANU-PF youth who forced members of Harare's townships, in this case Epworth, to come out for 're-education' after voting solidly for the MDC during the March 29th election.

A source described to Raath the process:

"“Then one man reads out the names of the MDC people,” said Tambudzwa. “One by one, they come to the front and they have to lie on the ground on their stomachs. Then they are beaten, for about five minutes, on their backs. The women cry. The men grunt.

“They use a heavy stick they have broken from a tree. They use all their force, with two hands. And after they have been beaten, they have to stand up and give the Zanu (PF) fist salute. Then they have to say, ‘Pamberi ne-Mugabe. Ndadzoka ku Zanu (PF) [Forward with Mugabe. I am back with Zanu (PF)]’.”

Then they go and sit down again and the next one’s name is called.” The affair was punctuated with slogan chanting and singing, including one song with the words, “Tsvangirai is HIV positive”, she said.

In spite of the calculated terror, when people returned to their seats after the beating, she said, “they were whispering secretly to each other . . . They will never vote for Zanu (PF)”. "

This particular form of mass punishment and "re-education" is an old part of Zimbabwean political violence. The dreaded approach of ZANU-PF youth in a lorry is something most Zimbabweans have grown up with. The bravery of the opposition voters in the face of this is truely amazing.

Read the entire article to get a sense of the way ZANU youth and other paramilitary groups act with impunity, and why the MDC's decision to pull out of the run-off election was justified. See Farai Sevenzo's account for the BBC of the attacks in and around Harare leading to Tsvangarai's announcement last Sunday.

In addition, many articles can be found at the Kubatana.net archive of articles about the elections