By Vusumuzi Sifile
THE ambassadors of five Western countries, the European Union and representatives of Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc) on Friday toured the Avenues Clinic in Harare where 33 victims of alleged Zanu PF terror are detained.
They immediately called for an end to the "absolute brutality" by Zanu PF supporters and offered assistance to the hospital to cope with the ever-increasing number of casualties.
The envoys represented the US, Britain, Germany, Spain and Sweden. Sadc organ chairman Angola was also represented.
Although The Standard could not independently confirm their allegations, all the patients who spoke to the diplomats said they had been assaulted by Zanu PF supporters.
Speaking after the tour, US ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee said the situation was "horrible".
"What I see here is absolute brutality. How can an 84-year-old woman be assaulted simply because her children are MDC supporters? This is absolute brutality and it should stop. Violence in Zimbabwe should stop. Whoever is perpetrating it has to stop. There is no reason for this violence," McGee said.
He said he would "take the issue up with the government".
The British ambassador, Andrew Pocock, said the plight of the victims was "very moving".
"Seeing it personally gives you an idea of the human impact and the scale of this (the violence.) This is being done by the government against its own people. It is being done for one single purpose — to keep this government in power," he said.
The Spanish ambassador, Santiago Martinez-Caro, said he was "shocked" by the experiences of the victims, while his Swedish counterpart, Sten Rylander, said he would explore ways of helping the affected.
Among the most serious cases were a three-year-old child, and a woman who could not remember her age, but was estimated to be 84 years old, basing on events she could recall. The woman had serious injuries to her back and buttocks after being hit with bricks because her children are MDC supporters.
Her assailants later burnt her hut.
Two of the victims, the envoys were told, died on Thursday night, while five were still in a critical condition.
Outlining her ordeal, the old woman said it was "miraculous" that she had survived.
"I know the people who attacked me. I even called one of them by name and asked him to finish me off, but then he ran away. He was holding a knife. They then burnt my hut and took my four goats and one ox," she told the diplomats.
Another of the patients, a former teacher from Uzumba who was an MDC polling agent, sustained two broken hands and a leg. He said his assailants tied him to a tree before assaulting him.
"They left me for dead in the middle of the night. I am told the village head said he would deal with whoever would transport me to the clinic," he said. The name of the village head was not given.
Avenues Clinic matron, Patricia Tavaziva said of late they were struggling to cope with the number of victims admitted to the hospital.
"It is not easy. . . We are being challenged because of the numbers. The Counselling Services Unit (CSU) has so far handled more than 800 cases," Tavaziva said.
A doctor at the institution said although they were struggling to cope with the patients, for them "the biggest challenge is those people in the rural areas who have not been able to come here".
Tavaziva said two of the victims had died the previous night.
"One of them had brain injuries. The other was severely injured on the buttocks. . . There are three others who are critical," she said.
Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena could not be reached for comment.
Also in The Standard on 11 May 2008
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