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E-mailFive residents of Foothills farm were on Thursday attacked, and their homes destroyed, by a gang of six ZANU Pf youths hired by former mayor of Bindura, Webster Bepura, for resisting eviction. Webster Bepura is evicting the five from a farm that he took over from David Baliey during the farm invasions in 2003.
Around 0700hrs in the morning, Jacob Chiripanyanga a self confessed war veteran, accompanied by Webster Bepura , Masanzu, Nhauriro and other three unidentified man stormed the homes of Obert Mujeri and his colleagues, beat them up using sticks and clenched fist before confiscating a bicycle belonging to Lanos Zakeo.
Obert Mujeri, Fanuel Musona, Lanos Zakeo, Lazaurus Mafunga and Gift Mhembere, have lived at Foot-hills farm all their lives until hell broke loose when they were given a notice to vacate the farm before the 29th of August. They believe they are being targeted because of their support to the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) .
In a shocking move, constable Nyekete from Bindura Rural Police Station, refused to open a docket for the case but instead opted to give the assaulted a letter to deliver to their assailants. The letter summoning Jacob Chiripanyanga and company to Bindura Rural Police Station read: “Bindura Rural Police Station: You are hereby summoned to Bindura Police station without fail tomorrow Friday 28 August to explain why u have assaulted Lanos Zakeo and others please bring the bicycle you have taken back. Constable Nyekete.”
The rights of farm workers continue to be violated with impunity, as law enforcement agents ignore their plight. It is regrettable, that despite the existence of the six months old coalition government, the rule of law remains elusive and the police continue to act unprofessionally especially in cases that are politically motivated involving culprits from the ZANU Pf party. If ever the law is applied, it is done so selectively.
In a separate incident, residents of Bindura are living in constant fear following threats of violence made by Mathias Machiridza, a ZANU Pf losing councilor for Bindura ward 3, at a meeting held at Kingstone Farm last week. The people who attended the meeting were threatened with severe violence in the event that they contributed contrary to the controversial Kariba draft constitution during the envisaged Constitution outreach consultation process.
The Constitutional making process has so far been marred with deep mistrust and misinformation amidst reports of fresh rounds of intimidation campaigns looming ahead of the setting up of thematic committees. Last month ZANU Pf thugs disrupted the all stakeholders constitutional conference at the Harare International Conference centre in an effort to derail the proceedings and prevent Zimbabweans from writing their own constitution.
From the information Department of Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR)
