Harare — MDC legislator for Harare North constituency Mrs Trudy Stevenson was admitted in hospital on Sunday afternoon after she, and four other high-ranking officials from her faction, was severely assaulted by youths aligned to the rival camp led by Mr Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mrs Stevenson, who is recovering at Avenues Clinic, sustained a deep gash on the back of her head, which her colleagues said was inflicted by a machete; a fractured cheek bone; a broken radius and ulna (arm bones); a broken wrist; and bruises on her back and chest.

Doctors were expected to operate on her arm this morning.

The other two officials who also sustained serious injuries were Mr Linos Mushonga, the faction's acting organising secretary for Harare Province and Mrs Simangile Manyere, the provincial treasurer.

Mr Mushonga suffered a broken arm and two fingers while Mrs Manyere, whose bruised face was still swollen yesterday, lost some teeth.

The two were treated and discharged the same night, while the other two officials -- Mr Tawanda Udzerema and Mr Laxon Mudachira -- escaped with minor injuries.

Mrs Stevenson said she and four other party members had held a meeting at a house in Mabvuku and were on their way to town when they were waylaid near Circle Cement and attacked by about 50 youths belonging to Mr Tsvangirai's faction with an assortment of weapons, including a machete.

Narrating her ordeal from her bed in Room 4 Ward 1S at the Avenues Clinic, Mrs Stevenson said the youths, who accused her of turning against Mr Tsvangirai, intended to kill her.

"They attacked me using enormous boulders, some of which were bigger than my head. They actually intended to kill me as they kept shouting my name.

"I had never been physically attacked all my life, and in all my years as an opposition politician. Zanu-PF never physically harmed me, it really hurts to be harmed by people I used to work with," she said.

The group said they lost three cellphones valued at $600 million, cash amounting to $20 million, two pairs of shoes and wedding rings as the marauding youths tried to undress them during the assault.

Mrs Stevenson's car, a GTI Golf, had all its windows smashed before the youths fled in a truck.

Mr Mushonga challenged Mr Tsvangirai to condemn the barbaric attacks.

"I have a golden question, if, as Tsvangirai says, he has a lot of support why is he beating us? We worked so hard to make the MDC what it is today. I challenge him to condemn the barbaric actions by his followers," fumed Mr Mushonga.

The spokesman for the Mutambara faction, Mr Gabriel Chaibva, expressed shock at the attacks.

"The MDC is shocked by the barbaric and intolerant behaviour perpetrated by Tsvangirai's group. We put it on record that this is not the first time such violent acts have been committed by these thugs and we are left wondering what kind of democracy (Mr) Tsvangirai is fighting for if he cannot accept views contrary to his own."

Efforts to get comments from the Tsvangirai faction were fruitless as the spokesman Mr Nelson Chamisa referred The Herald to the faction's secretary-general, Mr Tendai Biti, who could not be reached for comment.

Mrs Stevenson becomes the third legislator to be assaulted by youths aligned to Mr Tsvangirai's camp in less than a year after Mabvuku-Tafara legislator Mr Timothy Mubhawu who was attacked at Mr Tsvangirai's rally at Zimbabwe Grounds in Highfield and Glen Norah lawmaker Ms Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga who was beaten up at Harvest House, the party's headquarters.

Last month, the party's former secretary for legal affairs Mr David Coltart made startling revelations that youths aligned to Mr Tsvangirai's camp tried to murder the party's director of security, Mr Peter Guhu, in the presence of senior party officials at Harvest House, in addition to assaulting several senior officials.

Mr Coltart blamed the party's split on violence that he said had become endemic in the MDC.

The latest assault on the three high-ranking MDC members contradicts a controversial report by the US State Department that alleged that the Government was perpetrating violence on, and torturing political opponents while absolving the MDC.