Caiphas Chimhete
11 October 2008
Armed soldiers and war veterans last week disrupted an MDC meeting in Manicaland organised to update the party structures on the talks between Zanu PF and the MDC formations.
The MDC said the armed soldiers arrived in Chabata village in Buhera South, where the meeting was being held, and ordered everybody to disperse, claiming the gathering was illegal. The meeting was being attended by MDC legislators from Buhera district, Manicaland provincial executive members, councillors and ward chairpersons.
MDC provincial spokesperson for Manicaland, Pishai Muchauraya, said the soldiers, led by one colonel Morgan Mzilikazi who allegedly spearheaded a reign of terror in the district after the March 29 election, also wanted to abduct local legislator Naison Nemadziva but were resisted by party supporters.
Nemadziva was voted MP for Buhera South after defeating war veterans' leader Joseph Chinotimba during the March elections.
"They fired two shots in the air but the crowd kept coming and they were forced to speed away in a Mitsubishi truck," said Muchauraya, who is MP for Makoni South.
"I don't know how they want us to communicate what is going on to our supporters," he said. "Mugabe himself has told his party officials to go out and tell supporters about the power-sharing negotiations."
Addressing a Zanu PF central committee meeting recently Mugabe said the success of the power-sharing agreement hinged on the support from the grassroots and urged his party leaders to explain the implications of the deal to the ordinary people.
"Go out and explain to the people kumusha (in the communities). There are people who are yearning to understand how it is going to work now that our opponents yesterday are now our partners today," Mugabe was quoted as saying.
But Muchauraya said the disruption by soldiers showed that Zanu PF was not sincere when it entered into a power-sharing agreement with the two MDCs.
He said despite the power-sharing negotiations President Robert Mugabe, who is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, has kept armed soldiers, who terrorised people after the March elections, in the villages.
"As a party, we are concerned about what is happening in Buhera. Soldiers continue to terrorise villagers. People there are living in fear. If Mugabe is sincere why is he keeping soldiers, who killed people during the elections in the villages?" said Muchauraya.
He said several MPs still feared for their lives despite the power-sharing deal meant to end the crisis in Zimbabwe.
After Mugabe's March election defeat by MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, soldiers and war veterans led a violent campaign to ensure the 84-year-old's "victory" in the June 27 election run-off, which the opposition boycotted citing excessive violence.
Reports allege that senior army officers and Zanu PF hawks are working to derail the agreement for fear of prosecution for crimes they committed against humanity.
Army spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Simon Tsatsi could not be reached for comment.
Zanu PF and MDC supporters have had an acrimonious relationship since the March elections. The MDC has said that at least 130 of its supporters were murdered by ruling party activists, war veterans and security agents since the March elections.
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