They took me to Hunzvi’s surgery and beat me badly. This was on 12 May. They said, ‘you are the secretary for MDC and the one who knows where Sithole stays’. I said, ‘I don’t know where he lives but I work with him’. They caught me by the hands. There were 12-14 of them. I was beaten on my buttocks till they were bleeding. They tortured me on both sides of my body using short circuit electrics plugged in. This was for about two days. There were about 9 women and 14 men involved. They were always coming and going. There was one controlling the gang. He was wearing a yellow tracksuit and had dreadlocks. He was the commander that hit me. He was middle aged and could be a war veteran. Three women said leave him or you may kill him. At night they put us in a toilet. There were nine victims when I was there. There was also a commuter driver and a conductor. They were taken because they refused to stop on the orders of the war veterans. I was beaten and tortured on the first day and the second morning. Then someone just turned up and said, ‘leave him as he may not be one of the MDC supporters’. When I was released I reported to police but they said they couldn’t do anything with these war veterans. The following Tuesday they were arrested but later released.

I was coming from work. I am self-employed. I had gone to Ziggy’s place and was drinking. It was around 8:00 pm. There were five Zanu (PF) youths who came there and abducted me. They took me because they knew my brother was a supporter of MDC. I don’t know who identified me. They asked me my name and I said, ‘(name withheld)’ and then I regretted it. They dragged me, beating me and I called for help. There were two or three who arrested me and they squeezed my private parts. It was less than fifty metres to the surgery (Hunzvi’s). When I saw the direction I was going I realised I was in great danger and tried to escape. Some were kicking me and one guy was holding my neck.

When we got to the surgery I was thrown into the crowd and then beaten. It was in what would have been the reception room. One woman shouted from behind that this is (name withheld). Later I was given into custody of the top guys. Ndlovu, who is Ndebele is the commander-in-chief. Chanurwe is another one.

I was kept there being ill-treated for four days. A woman called Mai Mahenda was very rough with me. I was bleeding that time through my nose and mouth. I was either in the vehicle, a land cruiser where 16 others were also locked, or I was kept in the toilet. I was beaten firstly then they took a broomstick broken where the broom bit was and the beat me with that on my back, my buttocks, my hands or under my foot. They asked, ‘who has a heart to finish him off’, and they produced a knife. There was one volunteer. I knew him as the quartermaster. He was responsible for feeding them. Then one old man from the rural areas asked them to spare me. He was part of the Zanu (PF) war veterans. He was Ndebele, light-skinned with a bulging head. They took me to the bathroom and made me swing round and round until I saw "Smith’s eye". I was dizzy and I vomited. Then they made me lie in the bath under the shower water and took off my shirt and rolled it and tied it round my mouth. They took me to the toilet bowl and put my head in it. Then they called others and told them to relieve themselves in it. I pretended to be unconscious. And on the third day during the night, a Zanu (PF) lady went to the surgery and told them to release me.

On a Thursday last (11 May) I happened to be moving around. I was on my way back from Zioja church in Budiriro 5. After paying money there I went to Budiriro 4. I wanted to meet someone who had asked me to plaster his house. On my way from where I was to my job, I saw Zanu PF people were at the shops having a meeting. They asked me: "Where do you come from." I said, "Budiriro 2. I’m here to see a person." I was not wearing an MDC T-shirt, but I am an MDC member. They said I was an MDC spy. I was taken to Dr Hunzvi’s surgery and there I found two young boys, aged about 17-20 who had been caught on a rally. They had no T-shirts or cards. They were also from Budiriro. When I got inside I was given a paper to write all of the structures of MDC, the Chairman, organising secretary, MP etc. As a member I have never participated and didn’t know anything. They detained me from just before 12 midday on Thursday to around 1pm on Friday. They were beating me and using electric wires. They changed over; sometimes there were three, sometimes two. They took our clothes. Three of us were locked all naked in one room. Three people could be hitting one person at a time. I have wounds of wires all over my body. At around 11 p.m. on Thursday night, they took us out into the yard inside the wall around the premises, but outside the house. There were a good number of them, more than forty. They wanted us out so they could sleep inside. We were guarded outside. I was beaten. I can’t hear with one of my ears now and someone stuck his finger in my eye. I could identify only one person who resides in Budiriro. I have known him since about 1996. Most of the guys are Ndebele speakers. Some of the people at the surgery are war veterans, others are not. The last guy who released me is a soldier from Mutare. When MDC started campaigning, I participated. I was chosen to be vice organising secretary in the ward of Budiriro 2. A policeman was standing there. Even around 12 midnight where we were. He was near us just outside, trying to get them to release us. During the day the police were not allowed inside the wall, but at night they were allowed to come and take victims out. Those young guys were not released because they wrote down some names of those in the party structures. They were kept and told that they would be released if the other guys whose names they had mentioned were found and brought in. I was allowed to go, but the others were not. The policeman remained inside and continued to try and persuade them to release the others. I made a report to the police and they gave us letters to go to hospital.

Last Monday (8 May) I was taken to Hunzvi’s surgery. We were at the shopping centre trying to buy bread - myself and Wilson Mandeya and Patrick Mutodanziso. I am well known, someone must have pointed me out. Patrick is (MDC) youth chairman for Budiriro 3. There were about 20 of them. But they were also about 90 war veterans who came to the shops. It was about 7:30 in the morning. They caught Patrick and me but Wilson escaped. They took us to the surgery and told us to remove our clothes. They started to beat us on the ribs with a wooden stick. They tortured us with car jumpers (jump leads). They gave us electric jolts under the arms and on the genitals. They wanted to know our names and positions. They came with a book where names and positions were written. I told them a false name, but when I was checking the book I saw my real name. No 10 on the list with a star beside it. They told me the names with the star are the ones we want. Then they asked me where the others are and where they stay. They beat me under foot using electrical wires. We were tortured in shifts of guys and including women and they were different people who came each time. I told them that I am not MDC but in the NCA so they started to ask me about Lovemore Madhuku (former NCA vice-chairman) and others. The commander there is an old man, an ex-combatant. A group of them came from Gutu and some from my home village there. There were about 150 people there altogether. It is a big house with seven rooms. The women were fond of electrical jolts, they seemed like war veterans. They were not only war vets. Some of them were young, some even less than 22. They spoke Shona, Ndebele, Venda. They just wanted me to go back from MDC. They want us to surrender T-shirts and cards and said that if you join us then we can give you money. They said some of the people there used to be MDC but have changed to Zanu PF, but I didn’t see any I knew. They may be lying. After about three hours then the police support unit came. They didn’t come in, but those inside saw the police and told me to put on my clothes and get out of the surgery. They let me out but not Patrick.

My husband was an MDC member and ward treasurer in Budiriro 2. On the 14th of May 2000, my husband, Patrick Chipunza, left home around 9am going to buy some goods. On the way back Zanu (PF) members whom I do not know forcefully abducted him from the public transport he was using. They took him to Chenjerai Hunzvi’s surgery in Budiriro 4 and started assaulting him. They beat him to death. I went and reported the matter on the following day at ZRP Glen View and I was told by one of the officers about the whole incident and he alleged that they had taken to him to Harare Hospital only to receive a call later that he had passed away. My husband was self-employed as a cobbler. I am currently finding it very difficult to fend for my two children who are not yet at school. My husband was laid to rest on the 20th of May 2000 and the funeral expenses were covered by the MDC to the tune of $15 000.

Tortured at the Bikita Minerals by members of the ZANU (PF) led by Chenjerai Hunzvi.

They hit him with an iron bar on the lower part of each leg. When he was walking along the main road they forced him to participate in their rally at Svosvera Growth Point. Anyone not present was assaulted. Suffered injuries. Matter could no be reported to the police, because some of them were involved in the assault.

Threatened at the Nyika Growth Point in Bikita with death by a group of ZANU (PF) supporters, armed with guns, iron bars and knobkerries, led by Chenjerai Hunzvi. Suffered injuries on the right arm, when he tried to escape. Did not report nor seek medical treatment out of fear of victimization. About 20 MDC supporters fled into the mountains.

I am the youth district chairman for MDC in Kambuzuma. On 28 April 2000 I held a meeting at the section 3 shops in Mufakose to arrange for primary elections on the morrow. After the meeting we went to drink beer. Around 9 pm I left for home. On my way I saw a blue 504, and a white Sunny and a cream Mazda 626. The owner of the Sunny is CIO. After some 500 metres from the shops, the 626 sped and stopped in front. The back passenger dropped out and pointed a gun. He slapped me in the face and pushed me into the car. He said we should not hold MDC meetings anywhere. They said: "You think you are clever, you MDC people are now behaving like you are already ruling the country." There were four men in the back of the car and two in the front. One of them I recognise. He is from the President’s office. I recognise him from Kambazuma. I know where he lives. They were also CIOs in the car. I was forced to sit on the lap of one of them who was sitting in the back. I was sitting in the middle and my arms were outstretched. Each arm was handcuffed and it was held by the two guys sitting on either side of the car. The guy in the front seat was slapping me in the face. The other one was sitting behind me and hitting me at the back. I screamed and a cloth was put in my mouth. The car moved. I was bleeding. They took me to a bush near Willowvale industrial area. When they parked the driver didn’t come out, but the others took me out. I was made to lie on my back and one of them was stepping on my stomach. Two were holding handcuffs with arms outstretched. One of them took a wire from the car and put it in my anus. Then he put it in my penis as well. I fainted and they left me for dead. I came round twice. Once on the spot and then I got to the road and a car found me and took me to Kambuzuma police. I came round again at the police station. An ambulance was called. I fainted again and I don’t know how I got to hospital. At the hospital, they came two times asking for me. The first time they came on the 3rd of the month. One of the guys came to the hospital, when I was in bed. I saw him and I told the sister who was in the ward and she went to call the police, but he went away. The following morning he came and said I’m a doctor. He actually came and examined my stomach. I recognised him. My brother was there. Afterwards when the doctor came back the CIO went away. My brother asked the doctor about him and he confirmed he’s not a doctor, saying he thought he must have been a friend of ours. He was wearing a blue T-shirt.

On our way back from a campaign mission at Ivan's farm we met Zanu (PF) supporters in a white pick-up. They were carrying small axes, bicycle chains and knobkerries and screwdrivers. They had another sharp object that I don’t know which they used to try and mark an axe on my back. They stripped us both of our T-shirts and beat us. They beat the lady I was with, P.M. and Alois Nhizva, the candidate. They chased him and pushed him in the water in a quarry. They took $14,000 cash from him and $3000 from me. They destroyed the car headlamps and left me for dead. P.M. was unconscious. Farm workers found us and they poured water on us. We walked a distance and then couldn’t go any further. Then a lady driving by saw us and took us to Parirenyatwa. The assailants are resident in Mbare and we gave the police their names but no arrests were made. Their leader was Ali Manjengwa. The others are George Tsvuura, Admore, Baba Dhi, Gozho Simango. When they were beating us they told us we have to do our work because we get good pay. Ali said: "We must take the T-shirts or you will die for nothing." Ali was once arrested, but Tony Gara is said to have gone and got him out of the police station telling them they could not arrest his campaign manager. He is the one who sponsored them and sometimes went to their base or their meeting place at the Zanu (PF) offices in Mbare.

On the 1st of June I was campaigning on Derbyshire Farm with about 36 people, and there were about 120-150 people attending the meeting. While I was addressing the people, a white Mazda pick-up carrying about 15 people wearing Zanu (PF) t-shirts drove up. I know some of them: Ali Majengwa, Edmore Tinaruro, Miriam, Jahannes Mudhuwiwa, Stanley "Rasta", Paddington Nyama, George Tsvuura, and several others. They were wielding sjamboks, iron bars, bicycle chains and knobkerries. Since my people were not armed, I advised them to flee for their lives. The Zanu (PF) people started attacking everyone who was present at the rally. I ran away. It’s a rocky area, and many people fell down, injuring themselves. The Zanu (PF) supporters caught up with me whilst shouting, "We want (name withheld)!" Ali Majengwa pushed me over a cliff. I fell a distance of about 6m into the dip and injured my left leg on the shin. I crawled for about 40 to 50 minutes, trying to get away form the assailants. I managed to reach the Seke road and hired a lift to Chitungwiza Police Station where I made a report. We arrived back at the site of the incident to find that the tyres on my car had been deflated, and some of the property and parts of the car had been stolen. The damage to the car comes to about $10 000, and the spare wheel, jack, wheel spanner and my jacket were also stolen. There was a sum of about $38 000 stolen in cash as well. A report was compiled by the Waterfalls Police but the police now claim that the docket has been lost.

After a rally in February thugs employed by Sabina Thembani attacked us. There were about fifteen people armed with iron bars, axes, hoes and stones. We had not anticipated such violence and as a matter of fact we did not have anything to defend ourselves and everyone that could, ran away. Unfortunately five of our members were assaulted - one of them an elderly man of about 76 years old. His name is Sydney Pandehuni. He was severely assaulted and sustained deep cuts on the back of his head.

B.M and a youth organising secretary were abducted from their homes and taken to Sabina Thembani’s Zanu PF offices in Mufakose and severely assaulted. They both fainted during the assaults, were doused with water and as soon as they recovered they were beaten again until Sabina herself claimed she was tired of the beating and called off the assault. They were then dragged out of the office premises.

They came to my place and produced pistols and they took cards and T-shirts to surrender to Sabina Thembani. They come to my place on a daily basis. We have tried with the police, but as soon as you give a complaint your details are there. The police have told us: "You MDC people - we want nothing to do with you". Cobra, one of the MP’s thugs was arrested but when he was taken to court Sabina Thembani came and they released him. She was ululating.