Mashonaland West Situation Report

Hurungwe North - Kazangarare

Jawet Kazangarare, the notorious Zanu PF war veteran responsible for spearheading the violent persecution of MDC supporters in the Hurungwe areas, is accused of raping 13 year old Ella Ruvanga at a base camp prior to the June 27 runoff.

The case was reported to the police at Zimbabwe Republic Police Kazangarare Sub Office but no action has been taken to date, as with all the other cases of politically related violence reported countrywide where Zanu PF supporters are the perpetrators.

The victim and other young girls from the area where forcibly taken from their homes and taken to the base camp where they did household chores (cooking,washing clothes e.t.c) for the war veterans and Zanu PF youth as they went about their day to day business of terrorizing accused MDC sympathizers and supporters.

After the alleged rape, the victim did not seek medical treatment and is reported to be experiencing vaginal bleeding to date.


Hurungwe West - Magunje ,Ward 11


The Grain Marketing Board manager, Homela , Zanu PF District Coordinator ,Dr. Karonga and the Zanu PF MP for Magunje Frank Ndambakuwa have spent the previous five days denying maize grain to the winning MDC councilor for Ward 11, Ruth Chinhanho on the basis of being MDC.


They told her that she was only going to obtain maize grain from the GMB after she reformed to being Zanu PF. Frank Ndambakuwa went on further to threaten her with death, telling her that he would prefer to see her dead because of being MDC.

Ndambakuwa is responsible for the April shooting of Peterson Kwenda, who he shot in the leg for being an MDC activist. Kwenda was denied the urgent medical assistance he required as ambulances where being turned away from Karoi Hospital by State Security Agents and Zanu PF loyalists resulting in the wound be gangrenous.By the time medical help came his way it was already too late and he had to have the leg amputated in two places, below the knee and later on above the thigh.


On August 10 2008, Ndambakuwa,armed with a gun, and a certain Zanu PF youth by the name Darlington drove to Richard Chokumanda’s place, with unknown intentions. Chokumanda is a well known MDC activist in the area. He saw Ndambakuwa’s car prior to its arrival and ran for dear life. Later during the day he accidentally had a run in with Ndambakuwa at the local business centre where he threatened him with death because of his participation in the MDC.

The gun that is used for threatening MDC supporters by Frank Ndambakuwa and used in the Peterson Kwenda shooting belongs to the GMB, and he confisticates it from the security guards who guard the GMB premises whenever he feels like it.



Hurungwe West - Nyamupfukudza Town ship, Ward 26


The Nurse In Charge for Doro Clinic, Mrs Bwanari was assaulted on the 26th of June 2008 by Zanu PF youth led by a Zanu PF Councilor known as Chakanyuka after being accused of being a MDC supporter. She then sought refuge in the far away town of Kadoma amongst relatives and only returned to her place of work last week, more than a month after the assault.

After learning of her return, Chakanyuka assembled his band of Zanu PF thugs and assaulted Mrs Bwanari again, this time seriously injuring her and breaking one of her ribs. Battered and bruised, she returned to her relatives in Kadoma.

Three days after the assault, two heavily pregnant women arrived at the clinic seeking medical attention only to find out that the only nurse for the clinic, Mrs Bwanari was not around, chased away from her place of work by Zanu PF youth and the only personnel manning the clinic were HIV/AIDS care givers who could not help the two patients in any way.

One of the patients died at the clinic due to heavy bleeding and the other while being transported to far away Magunje Clinic aboard an ox drawn scotch cart. Residents from the community were outraged by the deaths, teamed up and approached Councilor Chakanyuka rebuking him for the continued assaults on health workers and laying the two womens deaths squarely on him.


Chakanyuka then travelled to the Ministry Of Health offices Karoi in a bid to request another nurse for Doro Clinic. His bid was denied on the grounds of the ongoing assaults and the clinic is now on the verge of closure due to lack of medical personnel, with devastating effects on the community.


Hurungwe West - Magunje, Ward 13


Vaison Kavharasiya worked as an ambulance driver for Karoi General Hospital but was dismissed from work after being accused for being an MDC supporter. He then returned to his rural homestead in Rengwe, a community not very far from the town of Karoi, and took over the position of Village Head from his ageing father.

He benefited from the farm mechanization program, launched by the Zanu PF government as a vote buying gimmick just prior to the March 29 elections and continued ahead of the June rerun. He was given a knapsack and ox drawn plough.

After the rerun, Happy Dandawa , the Chief for Rengwe area, to whom all Village Headmen report to, organized Zanu PF youth goon squads that moved around the area collecting the government given farm implements from all residents accused of being MDC after the March 29 election, including those given to Vaison Kavharasiya.


Information reached him that a jealous relative had “sold him out”, telling the Chief that he was MDC and had benefited from the government program. Vaison approached his relative and a fist fight ensued yesterday that resulted in injury.

This shows the polarization along political lines that has become prevalent amongst most if not all communities in rural Zimbabwe, and has resulted in the destruction of previously cohesive family structures.


Chief Dandawa is now calling for the forced removal of all residents accused of being MDC. The same Chief is responsible for spearheading the pre June 27 assault by Zanu PF youth of Apostolic Faith Mission Church in Zimbabwe pastor, Pastor Muguti resulting in his hospitalization. The flimsy reason given for the assault was that the rate of attendance at Pastor Muguti’s church is always high while attendance to Zanu PF rallies is low. So the Pastor is MDC because he is not instructing his flock to attend Zanu PF rallies. The assault resulted in condemnation from Zimbabwean church bodies.