The political violence in Zimbabwe has worsened over the past two weeks, with the continuing trend of ZANU-PF led violence against the MDC, against human rights workers, and against lawyers and teachers and others in civil society viewed as opposition supporters. The number of deaths has now risen to over 60. [See www.sokwanele.com for an interactive map and details of the violence.]
President Mugabe has already stated he will not accept an MDC victory, and was quoted in the party’s newspaper, The Herald, as having told an election rally, "We shed a lot of blood for this country. We are not going to give up our country for a mere “X" on a ballot. How can a ball point pen fight with a gun?"Agnus Shaw, “Mugabe Warns He Will Not Concede Power in Zimbabwe” June 16, 2008, Associated Press, Yahoo News
Meanwhile, as the UN and Mbeki are in Harare this week to “mediate”, more deaths of opposition supporters occur openly and blatantly. The newly elected MDC Mayor of Harare, Emmanuel Chiroto, was away from his home when his 27-year-old wife and 4-year-old son were kidnapped in a suburb of Harare. After the kidnapping, their home was destroyed by petrol-bombs. His son was fortunately released, but reports today indicate that his wife was killed, her body left outside a police station, still blindfolded. As Peta Thornycroft reports in the Daily Telegraph, Chiroto told her, “’My son keeps on saying to me, “Daddy, go and get mummy from the forest, go and get her and bring her home”,’ Mr Chiroto said. ‘I have not told him his mummy is dead.’”8 Chiroto had only been elected mayor of Harare by the city councilors a few days ago, on Sunday, June 15th. Peta Thornycroft, “Zimbabwe: wife of Harare's MDC mayor killed” Daily Telegraph, June 18, 2008