Five civilians shot by Zimbabwean Army
Posted by ZDN on October 30, 2009
Five Zimbabwean farm workers have been shot on Friedawil farm in the Chinhoyi district about 100 kilometres north of Harare. Rubber bullets were used at short range in what amounts to attempted murder.
Currently there has been no confirmation of any police reaction to the latest violence. As a rule, police do not attend to incidents which they categorise as “political”.
The farm belongs to Louis Fick, a South African citizen, who is vice president of the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers’ Union (CFU). The property is one of the farms protected under the SADC Tribunal ruling in November 2008.
Fick’s cook was shot in the chest, a second female employee was shot in the head and is seriously injured. A third sustained leg injuries. The situation regarding the other two employees is still to be confirmed. The injured employees have been rushed to Chinhoyi and will be taken to Harare by ambulance.
In addition a number of homes belonging to the farm workers were burnt down – the exact number has not yet been confirmed.
As has been the case on previous occasions, workers are being prevented from feeding Fick’s cattle, pigs and crocodiles.
The person allegedly responsible for the shootings is Tichiona (surname unknown), an employee of Edward Mashiringwani, deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, who has been threatening to violently take over the farm.
It is reported that after the shootings, the attacker, Tichiona was beaten up and is believed to have been taken to Chinhoyi hospital. There is no information on his condition.
Riot guns and rubber bullets were used – to which, as a rule, only the armed forces have access.
“Rubber” bullets, which are metal encased in rubber, are lethal at short range.
Military weapons instructors teach trainees that firing a special impact weapon (a rubber bullet) at certain body parts is considered lethal force. Those places are the head, groin, spine and stomach.
Intelligence reports indicate that violence against the remaining white commercial farmers is to be stepped up by Zanu-PF.
Mr. Fick has met with the South African ambassador in Harare on numerous occasions to seek assistance but has received no support from either the ambassador or from the South African government.
“We have been fearing a flare up of this type of violence as reports are being received countrywide of the upscaling of violence by Zanu-PF and the redeployment of the youth militia, especially in the rural areas,” said Deon Theron current president of the CFU in Zimbabwe.
“There is a complete breakdown of the rule of law and the situation is extremely volatile – the country is on a knife-edge,” Theron warned. “SADC, the African Union and the international community need to understand that it will take just one small spark to ignite the violence countrywide.”
This latest incident comes the day after UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowak, was denied entry to Zimbabwe and was detained overnight at Harare airport.
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