Saviour Kasukuwere: Zanu (PF) candidate for Mount Darwin
On 25 March, Edward from Pfura Location in Mount Darwin was assaulted. He said he was one of the first victims in his area to be attacked and that over 200 Zanu (PF) youths and war veterans, led by Jacob Juma, were responsible. According to Edward, the attackers had been "grouped at Madondo" by Saviour Kasukuwere, the Zanu (PF) candidate for Mount Darwin. He said: "they had the house numbers of the MDC people" and two others were attacked that day. Edward sustained bruises on the face, whip lashes on the back among other injuries according to his medical report. Juma was arrested, but later released after paying a fine of $500. A month later, Edward was attacked a second time by the same group.

Zanu (PF) was discussing how they should attack me during the night. They said they would arrange for guys from a different area to come... Kasukuwere agreed to the idea of eliminating me.

Taurai has fled his home. There has been one arrest of a man called Daos who was among the attackers.

Around 5:00 pm on 8 April, a marketeer and another MDC chairman, Tawanda, was attacked in Mount Darwin by a gang of more than 300 Zanu (PF) youths. He claims they were paid to carry out the attack and that Saviour Kasukuwere, who is also an ex-CIO officer, and Terry Marodza, the Zanu (PF) provincial secretary, organised the attackers, most of whom had come all the way from Chitungwiza on their way to a rally. Tawanda was hospitalised and his records note bruises and swelling as a result of assault. He was still receiving treatment the following day when he was brought a message that his home and car had been burnt and his family had fled. He was smuggled out of the town by a relative and taken to a village elsewhere in the province. He reported the case to the police, and later asked his brother to go and find out if there had been any progress. The message from the police was clear:

My brother was told: "We cannot make any arrests because Kasukuwere is behind the issue and you know what he is like. He is an ex-CIO and we haven’t been given any orders from the top to do anything about him.

There were four pick-ups and a maroon Mercedes which belongs to Saviour Kasukuwere waiting for us. There was another truck with Zanu (PF) supporters in it. They blocked the road and four of them pulled their pistols, including Kasukuwere. Then they began smashing the windscreens of vehicles.

Albert was in one of the cars which Kasukuwere attacked while the police looked on.

Kasukuwere took an iron bar and began hitting my windscreen. He broke through the window and then the bar hit me on the face and when I got out of the car he hit me in the eye. I have now lost an eye. He then went to the next car and with the others they were hitting them. The windscreens and all the lights were broken.

It appears the army arrived in a helicopter before Kasukuwere could attack the MDC candidate for Bindura directly. Albert and many other MDC supporters fled into the hills fearing that the army would be against them. Some were chased by Zanu (PF) supporters, among them one man who had been assaulted with an axe and later had four stitches in the head. The candidate described how the army handled the matter.

They ordered everyone to lie down and everyone complied except Kasukuwere. He was asked to identify himself and he said he was a candidate for Zanu (PF). They told him that they don’t belong to Zanu (PF) and he must lie down and he did obey. They beat him and disarmed him. They said to Kasukuwere: "We were watching you and you are the main culprit". The army beat three Zanu (PF) members, but no one from MDC. Another truck then arrived full of Zanu (PF) and they were stopped and asked to disembark and lie down on the ground. We were then allowed to proceed and the army instructed the police to escort us to Bindura. Kasukuwere was ordered to be locked up in the cells, but he was set free at the police station.

At least 80 MDC supporters were injured in the ambush, including one woman who was beaten with an iron bar and sustained injuries to the head and right hand and a man whose shoulder was injured. But out of at least 1000 Zanu (PF) supporters, not one was arrested.

Kasukuwere is said to have been working closely with Terry Marodza, his "campaign manager", in organising other violence in his district. Comrade Tinashe accuses Marodza of being behind an attack upon him on 13 or 14 April in Mount Darwin centre. He is one of several victims who spoke of the establishment of militia bases in the area, one at Kamutsenzere school near Mukumbura and another in Mount Darwin centre.