These accounts of organised violence, when taken together, provide a picture of a national condition of insecurity and fear greater than Zimbabwe has known since independence. Many of the people who have been attacked feel that they have no access to protection in their own country. New victims are being identified by the project on a daily basis, but ? due to concerns about security ? information from some of the hardest-hit areas is being provided mostly by those who have fled. The likelihood is, therefore, that most of the violence has yet to be documented.

Consistencies in the descriptions of the attackers and their methods in this week’s interviews reinforce concerns raised in the previous update that the violence is being orchestrated and condoned at a high level. There have been further allegations against Zanu (PF) officials and candidates. There were reports of Zanu (PF) "bases" in existence in Sadza beer hall, Chikomba, the home of Gladys Hokoyo in Budiriro, the Zanu (PF) offices in Musami township and Muparadzi grinding mill in Mukurazhizha, Murehwa. Militia are also said to be operating from the Mudzi cocktail bar and Mutoko country club. There were further claims that the ZexCom offices in Murehwa have become a "torture house". The belief that the CIO were involved was shared by several interviewees, although there was little direct evidence of this.

Pungwes are taking place across the countryside in farms and villages and regular attendance is required in some areas, with penalties enforced upon absentees. One rape was reported to the project this week and fears raised that the rape of young girls are taking place during all-night political meetings demand further investigation.

The Forum is aware that there have been a number of instances of alleged MDC violence in the reporting period and has included press reports relating to some of these. It has not gathered any direct statements related to these cases as yet, although it has taken statements from MDC supporters who admit involvement in fights with Zanu (PF) supporters.

Attacks upon United Party (UP) supporters have been as vicious and comprehensive as those upon MDC supporters. Interviews with some of the victims provide a clear understanding of why so many UP supporters and candidates have fled their homes in Mashonaland East in particular.

State Involvement
Further details were given this week of the violence in Shamva district on 24 April, which was reported in last week’s summary. Joshua, an unemployed MDC chairman from Shamva was attacked by a group of around 20 youths, allegedly led by a man he recognises as a Zanu (PF) member, Artwell Chiwara. Several other MDC supporters were victimised in a series of attacks that week and one MDC supporter, from Nehanda village in Madziva Reserve, Shamva, was killed. Joshua described the assault.

One of them hit me with a knobkerrie on my right hand and it broke and I was also hit on my right hip and fell down. The other one hit me twice on my head with an axe and I fell unconscious and I also realised that I was beaten by the sjamboks all over my body. The police later came and an ambulance later ferried me to Shamva hospital. The police delayed in responding, but they are just a few metres from the house.

Since the attack, Joshua believes that the CIO have been watching him. He has had to leave his home, fearing further attacks.

From Shamva hospital I was transferred to Bindura hospital where members of the CIO tracked me and I recognised one, Mafura. I then started to refuse eating food from the hospital. I survived on the food from my relatives. From Bindura hospital I then went to Ponal surgery and then I went into hiding.

Isaac, a secondary school teacher and MDC member from Shamva, spoke of three attacks upon his home. On the third occasion a group of about 80-100 Zanu (PF) supporters are said to have burnt down his house and destroyed his property. He accused the Zanu (PF) leadership of involvement.

They used the area board premises to launch their attack. The people are being financed by Nicholas Goche through Chiwara and Big Sam, the Shamva area manager.

Pungwes
James, a 38-year-old teacher from Sadza in Chikomba, was severely beaten on 18 May by a group of war veterans and Zanu (PF) supporters. He sustained wounds to his head and has been forced to flee his job and his home due to a series of threats and the attempt upon his life. He says those responsible are a mixture of locals and people from other areas. He claims they are using the Sadza beer hall as a base from which to launch attacks as well as to hold nightly political meetings of around 100 people in the style of "pungwes" [all-night political meetings based upon traditional Shona rituals, developed during the 1970s liberation war].

They are booking rooms at Sadza beer hall or at Tatenda rest. They will be sleeping, eating, drinking all in the hall. There are war veterans from Harare, from Plumtree. Some are Ndebele. In Sadza Hall, people are forced to renounce MDC and give their T-shirts as well as to confess how they got into MDC. Everyone involved in politics, the Zanu PF youths, the captured people, local teachers are all supposed to go. There were over 100 of them at the meeting when I went.

According to James "the beatings" started in Sadza in mid-April. He was first threatened on 22 April - his house was stoned by around 17 Zanu (PF) supporters, but no one was injured. When he was warned of an impending attack on 28 April, he took his wife and children and left for Harare.

The school term began again on 9 May, so James went back to Sadza with two children of school age, leaving his wife and youngest child behind. On the morning of that first day, at around 9:15 am, James said: "60-70 Zanu PF supporters came toyi-toying to my school. On seeing them I knew that they were after me. I disappeared".

Later that day, James learned that the group - which he said was led by a Zanu (PF) member, Mr Katandita, and the local Zanu PF chairman - had gone to find his daughter who is in Grade 7 at the same school. They ordered her to hand over the keys to the family home. The Zanu (PF) supporters then emptied James’ house of its contents, placing all his belongings in front of the school. They gave the keys to the School Development Authority Chairman and warned him that he could only return them to James in the presence of the police. Hearing this, James went to the local police who accompanied him to the Zanu (PF) leaders who had initiated the incident. They told James that the decision would be made at the evening Zanu (PF) meeting at Sadza hall. At the hall he was interrogated, but no decision was reached on the matter. James was allowed to leave and told to come back the following day. James explained that: "They are telling people to come every day and if you don’t come they will look for you".

After the meeting, James asked the police for help and they managed to retrieve his keys for him and helped him to take his belongings back home late that night. He then fled to Harare. While James was gone his family and fellow teachers were being intimidated so, on Thursday 18 May, he decided to return to Sadza. On the bus he recognised a Zanu (PF) supporter and, fearing that news of his arrival would reach those in Sadza hall, James decided to attend the meeting that night and make an excuse for his absence. He described their response:

Some of them closed the door so I could not get out. One was using a long rubber stick to hit me across the head. Another used a metal chair to attack me. Some others were using fists and legs. There were many beating me, more than ten. I was just worrying about how to get out of the hall. I managed to struggle with them and reach the door. These ones wanted to make sure they beat me into the ground. I resisted. I pushed open the door heavily until I managed to overcome people who were outside blocking the way. I ran, but I was losing balance and was dizzy. I was almost going to faint, blood was oozing from the four wounds on my head. My jacket and shirt were full of blood.

Once again, James fled and he is now too afraid to return to the area.

Another assault victim described the pungwes which have become a feature of everyday life in his home township of Mukurazhizha in Murehwa. Gibson was beaten with bricks and steel rods in the township on 21 May 2000. His brother was beaten and wounded with a knife in the same incident. Both were targeted because of their MDC membership. Gibson said around 15 people were involved in the attack, most of them youths, and two of them were later caught by the police. Gibson lost several teeth and has wounds on his face and lips. He said that there have been several other similar incidents in his area and that the violence is being promoted by a group of more than 100 Zanu (PF) supporters who are based in the Muparadzi grinding mill in Mukurazhizha, and by those operating from the ZexCom offices in Murehwa. He said the mill is owned by a Zanu (PF) member who is feeding the youths:

Mr Chitongo is also involved. He is always there and he knows they are there. He supplies them. There are about 20-30 staying there all the time. They go round the area each night and collect all the youths at around 6:00 pm. They take them to the mill where they hold pungwes all night until the morning around 6:00 am. They also take young girls of around 15-16 years old or more to the pungwes where they stay the whole night. One of my brother’s daughters, Judith, was taken by them. She is 15. The girl initially failed to explain what really happened there, but some of the prostitutes in the township have been and have told us that it is really bad at the pungwes. It is said they are forcing the girls to have sex. They are taking the girls and abusing them.

While the pungwes are going on the war veterans are usually drinking at the bottle stores, but they go to the mill from time to time. There are about 180 youths drinking and eating there. No one can stop them. When the police came they just said: "We gave them the go-ahead to do pungwes."

Teachers
Reports of violence against teachers continue. This week, five of those interviewed were teachers; all of them had links to opposition parties. They spoke not only of their own experiences, but of threats, beatings and intimidation of their colleagues. In Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe (UMP) in Mashonaland East, teachers at Chitimbe School were targeted on 18 April. Joseph is a 35-year-old teacher at the school. He said that at around 11:00 pm his house was visited by a group of about 15 people wearing Zanu (PF) T-shirts. They demanded MDC cards and T-shirts from Joseph and a fellow teacher who was also at the house. He recognised one member of the group but said only some of them were locals and the others boasted that they could "do anything since they ... came from Macheke and were based at the ZexCom office in Murehwa".

Joseph’s colleague was beaten but managed to escape. Then the group handcuffed and assaulted Joseph. They searched the house and after one youth attempted to rape Joseph’s wife, she was beaten with sticks. Joseph described how he was then taken from one house to another looking for MDC supporters. He witnessed assaults upon three other members of the teaching staff at Chitimbe, as well as the rape of the wife of a teacher.

They took me with them to another house where my colleague lives. They demanded T-shirts, cards... They began assaulting him. One youth got in and I could see through the window that he pulled out a knife and raped his wife. When they were through there, they went to the next house. The lady refused to open, but they kicked the door open and broke her toe. They wanted to rape her. She screamed. The other youths called the one who was attempting to rape her... They went to the house of another teacher who gave them a T-shirt through the window. One jumped in and began assaulting her. She had a black eye and swollen face when I saw her the next day. Of the other teachers, some had got away. They managed to get another T-shirt from one. He could be an MDC sympathiser, but not openly. He has three cuts on him as a result of the assault. Then they beat me again and left me near my house. This was around 2:00 am.

The following morning the teachers reported the incident to the police and some arrests were later made. The police warned Joseph that he should leave the area for his own safety, which he did the same day. Joseph said there were some arrests after he had left, but that most of those arrested were fined for common assault and only the suspected rapist was detained. The attitude of the member in charge towards the case is worth noting:

He even wanted to detain people over the Easter period, but he couldn’t. He has told me he would like to see the law maintained, but he thought he might have to leave his job because of the tough stance he is taking. He expected at least to be reprimanded by his seniors.

United Party (UP) supporters
Precious is the UP chairperson for Mudzi in Mashonaland East. She accused a number of Zanu (PF) supporters from the area of threatening her on 26 April and of stealing money from her house.

They told my child that I should leave the area because if they saw me they were going to kill me. I was not there because I was warned before by my neighbours whilst I was hiding in the bush. I slept in the bush and spent the following day in the bush... The same day almost every member of the UP in my village was assaulted.

Precious believes that the aspiring Zanu (PF) candidate for Mudzi is involved in sponsoring the violence: "He promised them $20 000 if they capture any UP member" and she spoke of three deaths which have occurred in the area as a result of political violence.

One Matzona Mushai and his son were killed by the Zanu (PF). Another Nyandoro was killed, but they alleged that it was MDC who killed them.

The UP candidate for Mudzi is among the many who have now left the area to seek sanctuary in Harare. He has been assaulted twice and has a broken arm among other injuries as a result. The first attack occurred on 28 April at the Kotwa cocktail bar, where he was lured by Zanu (PF) youths and then beaten on his hands, face and buttocks. The candidate said another UP supporter and a driver and conductor of the 1st Class Enterprise bus company were also being beaten at the same time. The victims were released after some time and they reported to the police, but no arrests were made. The UP candidate described the second assault, which took place on 7 May at his home and in which he was severely beaten again. Asked about his attackers, he replied: