By Lance Guma
A shocking new video supplied to SW Radio Africa has exposed the murderous role of ZANU PF’s MP for Mudzi North, Newten Kachepa (also known as Milton in other reports).
Despite the formation of a coalition government in February 2009 the MP was filmed this year warning MDC-T supporters that ZANU PF doesn’t just ‘kill’ but ‘destroys’ those who provoke it by supporting ‘sell-outs’ in the opposition.
A headman who also gave his testimony in the video says Kachepa boasted to him during a meeting that he had killed MDC-T activists known as Muronde, Tambo, the son of an official called Mweza and another activist in Ward 2.
The headman said Kachepa told him: “All these four people were killed by me. The only one left is you (he said pointing at the headman). He said ‘You are the only one left and I am yet to kill you. You are easy to kill.”
The video dated 20 April 2012 and which we have also posted to video sharing website You Tube, clearly captures Kachepa inciting violence at Dendera Business Centre in Mudzi.
Speaking in Shona he tells the crowd: “Don’t be taken away by things to do with sell outs (MDC-T). If you do sell out things, I am telling you, you will cry.” He proceeds to warn them: “You should stop provoking the spirits of the dead heroes. That’s why there was chaos in 2008.”
Kachepa was referring to the violence that preceded the June 2008 presidential run-off. After MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai won the first round of the March 2008 presidential election, state security chiefs loyal to a defeated Mugabe launched a retribution campaign killing over 500 people and maiming tens of thousands.
“We should not support something that will make us suffer and lose our human aspects at the end,” Kachepa lectured the crowd. “When we talk about the nation, we talk about death. I am with you here because of the issue of death. You say ZANU PF kills. It doesn’t kill. If you provoke it, it destroys,” he warned them.
Several days after Kachepa’s speech in which he was inciting violence, a group of over 300 ZANU PF supporters advanced on a gathering of some 70 MDC-T supporters who were having a rally at Chimukoko Business Centre. The skirmishes resulted in the death of MDC-T official Cephas Magura.
According to the testimony of a young boy herding cattle at the time, Magura was hit with a stone by the ZANU PF gang, who continued to assault him as he lay on the ground. He was then dragged to the roadside and left for dead. Seven other MDC-T activists were injured and treated at the Avenues Clinic in Harare.
Two ZANU PF MPs, Kachepa (Mudzi North) and Acquilina Katsande (Mudzi West), were implicated in this and many other incidents in the area. Several witnesses saw Kachepa’s pick up truck and Katsande’s Mazda T3500 truck being used to ferry the ZANU PF youths, who later attacked Magura. SW Radio Africa