A protester from Monday’s demonstration is alleged to have been beaten to death at ZANU PF’s offices in Fourth Street, Harare. Newsreel has been told that Osborne Kachuru from Mbare was abducted immediately after the demo by unidentified men, and bundled into a twin cab truck belonging to ZANU PF. A few minutes later 3 other people were abducted by youths using a Nissan single cab truck, believed to be owned by Zanu PF political commissar Eliot Manyika. Manyika was allegedly driving the car and instructing the youths to beat up some of the protesters.
Speaking to Newsreel on Tuesday Edgar Chikuvire, the Information Director for the Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR), said their lawyers traveled to Parirenyatwa Hospital in an effort to positively identify Kachuru’s body. The lawyers were turned away by hospital authorities who told them they needed to bring at least one relative for the identification exercise. Kachuru’s friends insist their colleague was killed inside the ZANU PF office after being brutally assaulted.
Newsreel spoke to several of his friends who say they saw his body being removed from the ZANU PF office and transferred to the mortuary at Parirenyatwa. Of concern is the role a prominent ZANU PF official such as Manyika plays in such acts of violence. He is said to have hired the youths from the Machipisa high density suburb of Harare and witnesses saw him driving the single cab truck with the militant youths crammed in the back. Manyika is well known for leading violent attacks against the opposition, particularly in his home town of Bindura. He is also known for his involvement in Zanu PF’s youth militia.
ROHR say 23 of their members were hospitalized 7 arrested, while 4 are still missing. Moses Mutasa from Hatfield, Tinei Tinarwo from Glen Norah, a Mr Ncube from Dzivarasekwa and Adam Muchiriri from Hatfield are all still unaccounted for. The Women’ Coalition meanwhile reported that 47 of their members were arrested and a further 11 had to seek treatment for injuries sustained from police beatings.
On Tuesday ROHR staged another demonstration in Masvingo but fortunately reported no major incidents. They distributed fliers in the city centre as part of their ‘Demand for Democracy and Justice Campaign’.These protests happened on the sidelines of the SADC summit and there is no doubt that the leaders would have been informed of the brutality that was taking place, while they were sitting talking and having tea with the architect of the repression.
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