Marcus Stern
I've been reviewing political sites and introducing myself to political bloggers. I've just co-writtten a book about the downfall of Randy "Duke" Cunningham, the most corrupt congressman ever caught. I'll give you a link to the book's somewhat lame Web site (we did it ourselves) site in case you are interested in doing a q&a with me or one of the other authors. We frequently speak about the Cunningham scandal, the problem of earmarks in Washington and political corruption in general. We were winners of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting for our work in breaking the story. The was released a month ago. http://thewrongstuff.net
I received the following from a totally trustworthy source in Zimbabwe. We are witnessing here atrocities the like of which the workd might not have seen in a decade.
My friends, please cut and paste this on every blog you know of around the world. This message must reach those who have the power to do something about it immediately. PLEASE ALERT ANYONE IN ANY POSITION OF INFUENCE ANYWHERE. THE WORLD MUST BE MADE AWARE OF AND MUST INTERVENE TO STOP THIS BEFORE IT RESULTS IN GENOCIDE ON A MASSIVE SCALE
THIS IS AN INTERNATIONAL EMERGENCY OF HORRENDOUS PROPORTION AND THE WORLD IS IGNORING IT!
wILL YOU PLEASE E-MAIL ME THE LINKS TO ALL BLOGS WHEN YOU POST SO THAT I CAN POST ANY FOLLOW UPS DIRECTLY TO THOSE BLOGS.
Subject: Mount C*****l (i HAVE OBLITERATED THIS TO PROTECT THE PERSON WHO WROTE THIS. I CAN VOUCH FOR ITS AUTHENTICITY. I HAVE SEVERAL RELATIVES IN ZIMBABWE WHO REPORT SIMILAR EXPERIENCES.
EVERY LEADER OF EVERY NATION NEEDS TO BE AWARE OF WHAT IS REALL HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. NOBODY SHOULD EVER HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAY
"I DIDN'T KNOW"
IT IS UP TO US TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ALL KNOW.
THANK YOU, MY FEARLESS FRIENDS
farm - a weekend at home in Zimbabwe...
Please pass this along - perhaps it might reach someone in government who
could find a conscience and be persuaded to sit up and do something
honourable for a change and denouce Mugabe once and for all. (I received
this via a school friend in the US who still has many friends in Zimbabwe -
as do many of us.)
Heather
.... and this a week prior to the "free and fair elections"
Mount C****l farm (I HAVE OBLITERATED THE NAME TO TRY TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE CONCERNED) - a weekend at home in Zimbabwe...
Sent: 16 June 2008 14:40
Dear all,
It has been quite a weekend.
We were made very aware of impending problems on our Mount C****l farm
before it even started. Various letters came in as well as verbal warnings
from concerned people all over the district. People were told that Mt.
C****l cattle and potatoes would be dished out to them. The election
campaign is being fought on "one hundred percent empowerment"
ie. taking everything that belongs to people who are not black and giving
it to Party faithfulls. The Party has got nothing else to offer the
people... People were told if they did not come they would be beaten.
President Mugabe arrived in our little town of C*****u that afternoon and
people were only informed that morning.
Everyone had to suddenly go to his rally whether they wanted to or not. He
apparently told the people that if the opposition got in it would be war.
The unexpected Presidential rally must have thrown the organisation for the
Mount C****l "programme" [as it was referred to in a letter from one of the
organisors].
That evening we only ended up with about 500 of the expected 1500 people
that were to come. They were bussed in from all over on tractor trailors,
lorries, car and busses. We even had one bus from Shamva hundreds of kms
away. The drums and chanting started soon after dark. Nearly fifty fires
were lit all around. The leaders were waving guns around and had everyone
doing their bidding. The chanting and sloganeering was military style - all
in unison for hour after hour after hour all the way through the night. We
could not sleep.
When dawn broke and the birds started to call the chanting broke into a
noise that sounded like a terrible swarm of bees on the rampage. We knew
that the beating had then started and we prayed. It turned out that anyone
who they believed had been polling agents at polling stations was covered
in cold water. We had frost that morning and it was cold.
They were then told to beat each other with sticks while the crowd egged
them on. The noise went on for a few hours. Some of them had already run
away. Those people will not vote; still less be polling agents in the next
election because you have to vote in your own ward I understand and they
are designating which polling station too so that they can check who you
voted for.
They had been searched for any cell phones so that they not relay any
atrocities on to anyone. They were told that they would be killed if
information leaked out. Everyone is tight lipped about what went on. Today
they go through the day mechanically with terror written all over them. A
neighbor, Marius Erasmus, drove past on the main road and was
stopped at a road block that they had set up on our road. He managed to get
through that but at the next one they put burning logs on his bonnet and
tried to get into the car. A couple of hundred people came out from the
packshed where the indoctrination was taking place. He managed to reverse
and turn around and get through the other road block taking some rocks on
his windscreen and other places on the car.
Meantime Bruce [Lauras brother] had been at the C*****u police station
trying to get police out. We had been there on five occasions the previous
week trying to tell Chief Inspector Gunyani and Inspector Manyota and
Assistant Inspector Bupera of what was to take place. We had given two
letters for the attention of the officer in charge, Chief Inspector
Gunyani. Bruce waited for six hours at the police station but could not get
a reaction to stop the beating and dismantle the road blocks. He saw Chief
Inspector Gunyani, Inspector Manyota and Assistant Inspector Bupera amongst
others. It is clear that they are under orders not to react.
Our electricity went down and both cell phone networks also ceased to
operate. We were left with no communications and our way out onto the main
road was sealed off by a road block. We prayed and read psalm 118.
Bruce eventually decided to come out himself. Miraculously, just before he
arrived, the road blocks were dismantled and everyone disappeared. Shortly
after the guards came to tell us of thieves in the maize - about 30 people
were just helping themselves. We caught some of them and chased them off
and recovered their booty.
That evening we got a call from Nettie R****s who was very badly beaten up
with her husband six weeks ago by Gilbert Moyo and his gang. They had also
had everything from their house and workshops stolen in that raid including
even their clothes. Gilbert Moyo was taken into custody by police but was
then let out again as a hit man. He "hit" Billy and Nova Nicholson in the
area a few nights ago and they had half an hour to get out of their home and
off their farm or end up the same way as Bruce and Nettie had. We do not
know what has been looted there yet.
Bruce and Nettie were staying in a cottage on another farm when Gilbert Moyo
arrived with thirty people and said he was taking the farm for Senator
Madzongwe. They managed to get to the main homestead with the Etheredge
brothers while I went to police with Dirk V*****e.
We spent an hour at the police station but they refused to react as it was
an "issue of land." I told them that disposession of ones home and assault
of ones workers were matters that were important for them to deal with; but
after Bruces six hours fruitless wait for a reaction that morning I knew we
were wasting our time; and so we eventually proceeded to St**kdale to give
whatever support we could.
As it happened an army Major by the name of Indora spoke to Gilbert Moyo
and the Etheredges and Bruce R*****s eventually ended up transporting Moyo
and his gang back to their base 20 km away on Ranwick farm in the early
hours of the morning as the "hit" had not got official sanction. They got to
a road block of 50 ZANU people on the main Concession Hill road but they
were allowed through and back without incident.
Such road blocks are now common at night to stop observors and anyone from
"outside" getting to any pungwes and seeing the atrocities that are taking
place. A friends worker went to their rural area near to the Nyamapanda
border post to see his elderly mother last month. In these areas any
movement needs official sanction from the Party and written ZANU permits are
even required to visit the next ward in many places. I have seen such
permits.
The friends worker was stopped at a road block and had to wait 2 days to get
someone to vouch for him. During that time 4 people who had not got anyone
to vouch for them were asked if they wore long sleeves or short sleeves. The
first replied "short sleeves". They cut his right arm off at the top with an
axe. The other three replied "long sleeves". They cut each of their right
hands off. He said that he saw the hands wriggling on the ground detatched
from their owners. Those hands can not vote any more. I have heard of many
other hands like that.
It seemed macabre that Bruce who was so badly assaulted by Moyo 6 weeks ago
was taking him back to "his" home scott free. Presumably all Bruces worldly
possessions are now in that place that they took him to. Nettie asked Bruce
to look out for their dog which also disappeared on the 6 May; but they most
probably killed it. Bruce saw no evidence of it.
There appears to be no sign of any SADC observors out here. A friend said
he had seen some sipping drinks and reading the newspapers in the Meikles
hotel in Harare over the weekend. Voter registration goes on even now.
The old people at Greenways Old Peoples home say they are now off the voters
role but the ones that are dead are still on...
Meanwhile the atrocities go on at the all night pungwes and the people
tremble with fear. I read that the observors are officially not allowed out
after dark because their safety can not be guaranteed. They need to defy
that and get out and see with their own eyes these things if they care at
all.
We ask you to pray and send brave people and peace keepers to stop the
atrocities before they get even worse. Maybe I write this in vain; but I
write this crying.
With love in Christ who is our Saviour whatever happens,
Ben.
Posted: June 20th, 2008 | Report This Comment