From special correspondent
Villagers in Manicaland have complained that ZANU-PF is re-establishing militia bases in the province, saying they are now living in fear of harassment and beatings by thugs aligned to the former ruling party.
The villagers said there is a high presence of armed soldiers in the province who are moving with Zanu pf youths terrorizing perceived enemies of the former ruling party.
One villager in Rusape said former state security and lands minister, Didymus Mutasa is coordinating the terror campaign and is currently in the process of chasing away the few remaining white farmers in the province.
“Mutasa recently addressed telling that by the end of 2010, there will be no single white owned farm in the province,” said the villager.
Villagers also complained that they are being mobilized to vote for the Kariba draft in the ongoing constitution making process and have been threatened with unspecified action if they fail to support the Zanu pf sanctioned document.
The co-chairman of the Parliamentary Constitution select committee and MDC member of the house of assembly for Nyanga, Douglas Mwonzora confirmed receiving reports of villagers being intimated by Zanu pf youths who are setting up bases in various parts of Manicaland.
“I have come across such bases in Nyanga and Makoni districts,” he said. “ I have complained to the police, telling them to immediately dismantle such bases,” he said.
Mwonzora said it is important for people to freely express themselves if the country is to have a truly democratic constitution.
“We have said no to the Kariba draft. Our position as a committee is that people are going to write their own constitution and not to impose any document on them,” he said.
ZANU-PF is trying to impose the Kariba draft in the constitution making process, arguing that all the three political parties to the Global Political Agreement signed the document. President Robert Mugabe has also spoken several times calling on the parties to use the Kariba draft as a reference document in the crafting of the country’s new constitution.
However, the MDC, civil society and a majority of Zimbabweans are rejecting such calls as with the Kariba draft, Mugabe will still hold sweeping executive powers.
The parliamentary constitutional select committee has already replaced the Kariba draft with talking points which will be used by the 17thematic committees which will spearhead the consultation process.
The questions will be asked to the public when soliciting their views.
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