An urgent need: Zimbabwe 16/06/2008
As the nation of Zimbabwe faces further political upheaval, we ask for your prayers. Operation Mavhoterapapi (Who Did You Vote For?)The presidential run-off between President Robert Mugabe of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party and Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) will take place on Friday 27 June. However, in a clear attempt to ensure the outcome, the government has unleashed an arsenal of brutality on the country’s rural population in what church sources describe as “a state planned militarised operation of retribution and intimidation on the opposition MDC officials, activists, members and supporters”. In an orgy of rural violence, war veterans, the army, ZANU-PF’s youth brigade and other government militia are currently roaming the countryside, beating and mutilating suspected or known opposition supporters. Opponents have been assaulted with a variety of implements, including logs, iron bars, chains, and fan belts. In many cases their limbs have been broken; their meagre possessions looted; their homes and granaries torched; their precious livestock slaughtered, and even their friends and loved ones murdered with impunity. Some of the worse violence is occurring in Mashonaland, Mugabe’s tribal area. In April this year, MDC organiser for the Hurungwe East constituency, Tapiwa Mbawanda was beaten, stoned and stabbed to death at his home in Mhereyenyoka Village. His family was ordered to bury him immediately. In another appalling incident that occurred at the instigation of a ZANU-PF village headman in UMP Constituency’s Kavamba Ward, opposition supporter Moses Bashitiawo was beaten, then forced to climb a tree with a rope around his neck and jump off. His relatives were also ordered to bury him quickly. Then, just this month, Mrs Amai Chipiro, wife of the MDC’s organising secretary in Ngezi village, Mohondoro, was burned to death in her hut. According to the MDC, 66 of its supporters have been murdered since the first round of elections. In addition, 200 people remain unaccounted for and a further 3,000 have been hospitalised. In an attempt to hide the extent of the violence, many areas have more or less become no-go areas. When diplomats from the US and UK embassies attempted to investigate reports of violence, the Zimbabwean security forces detained them at a road block, threatened to burn them in their vehicles, and severely assaulted their local staff. The government is also using every means available to ensure the opposition’s political message goes unheard. In addition to having a monopoly on airtime in the state media, Morgan Tsvangirai has been detained three times while attempting to campaign. Worse still, as Robert Mugabe joined world leaders in Rome to discuss the global food crisis, Zimbabwe's own food crisis was guaranteed to deteriorate further following the government’s announcement that aid groups and non-governmental organisations should immediately cease their activities and re-apply for permits. In a further irony, ZANU-PF accused these organisations of “buying votes” for the opposition, yet a document leaked to the BBC reveals ZANU-PF’s intention to withhold food aid from a people who are already struggling to survive. Increasing Church AttacksThe government has become increasingly suspicious of churches and church organisations as the latter have risen to the challenge of caring for victims of the political and economic climate. In a prevailing atmosphere where prayer meetings for peace are mistaken as arenas for the expression of anti-government sentiments, members of ZANU-PF are now attending church gatherings to report on prayers or sermons that are allegedly “off-message”. Consequently, the government is increasingly taking action against certain churches and church organisations. In the Inyathi area, an Assemblies of God Church has been forced to close down. In another area, churchgoers were warned gy government represntatitives to avoid the church because “church meetings are political”. Intimidation is said to be particularly severe in rural areas, where church attendance is reported to have rapidly deteriorated. There has also been a spate of attacks on Anglican churches following the removal of the pro-Mugabe former leader of the Anglican Church, the Rt. Rev. Nolbert Kunonga, as a result of allegations of corruption. His replacement, Bishop Sebastian Bakare, faced a considerable challenge as Bishop Kunonga illegally seized Harare’s Anglican Cathedral and initiated court proceedings in a failed attempt to retain control. Worse still, there were also a series of attacks on churches loyal to Bishop Bakare. According to a statement released by the Archbishops of Cape Town and Canterbury, “on May 18 there was a sharp escalation of violence, when Sunday services were disrupted and worshippers beaten or prevented from attending church by security and police force attacks on churches across the diocese.” Bishop Kunonga, has now been officially excommunicated. More recently, on the afternoon of 9 June, riot police raided the Harare offices of the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA). The ZCA is a network of Christian leaders and organisations seeking a peaceful resolution of the country’s current crisis and an ordered transition to democracy. During the raid, ZCA newsletters were confiscated and five members of staff were taken in for questioning. Although they were brought before a court on the following day, so far no charges have been proffered against them. Please stand in solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe. What can you do?
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