By Lance Guma
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai will this Saturday revisit the scene of a gruesome massacre committed by Zanu PF militants aided by rogue army units in the Chaona area of Chiweshe in the Mashonaland Central province.
Early this month Tsvangirai and wife Elizabeth visited victims of Zanu PF political violence in Zaka. Zanu PF members in army uniforms petrol bombed MDC-T offices at Jerera Growth Point killing two party activists Crison Mbano and Washington Nyangwa.
Three days after Mugabe’s regime finally released the official results of the March 2008 presidential election, in which Tsvangirai beat Mugabe, over 200 Zanu PF militias rampaged through the village killing 14 MDC-T supporters.
Tsvangirai will join hundreds of MDC-T members and families at a memorial rally to be held at Chaona Business Centre to remember those who were killed. The Zanu PF mob was led by Major Cairo Mhandu and Major Maravadza.
Women were stripped and beaten so viciously that whole sections of flesh fell away from their buttocks. The militias also resorted to genital mutilation in their attacks. One post-mortem listed, ‘crushed genitals’ as one of the causes of death.
Killed in the attacks were: Gibbs Tayengwa Chironga, Joel Ngowani, Joel Lewis Musiiwa, Chironga Hama, Dofo Fushirayi, Godfrey Jemedze, Remember Kanyemba, David Mapuranga Tachiwa and Doreen Marufu.
Also killed were Arthur Matombo, Partson Madzuramhende, Rumbidzai Samhu, Runyararo Mugauri, Runyararo Musoni and Fungisai Ziome. The 14 are part of nearly 500 opposition supporters killed by the regime in 2008.
In 2009 the MDC-T compiled a list of the perpetrators and handed it over to the Attorney General Johannes Tomana and Police Commissioner General, Augustine Chihuri but no arrests or prosecutions were made.
Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) agent Elias Kanengoni is also accused of leading the Chiweshe Massacres. In the 1990 elections Kanengoni shot then opposition candidate Patrick Kombayi before getting a presidential pardon.
Meanwhile the memorial in Chiweshe by Tsvangirai follows a similar memorial rally held in Zaka this month when the PM was accompanied by his new wife Elizabeth Macheka.
Both listened to victims narrating their harrowing stories of how Zanu PF members in army uniforms petrol bombed MDC-T offices at Jerera Growth Point killing two party activists Crison Mbano and Washington Nyangwa.
Those who survived the attack like Edson Gwenhure, Kudakwashe Tsumele and Isaac Mbanje met the PM and his wife and narrated their horror stories.
A truckload of Zanu PF thugs besieged the offices at midnight and first shot the victims before bombing their offices. Also housed in the building were some victims of political violence in the area who had sought refuge there.
Soon after the attack the charred remains of 2 bodies lay on the floor in the burnt out MDC-T office and all had bullet wounds.
To contact this journalist e-mail lance@nehandaradio.com or follow him on twitter @LanceGuma
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