Farai Dziva|Following the disturbing report about the abduction of MDC A members by soldiers, economists fear that the rising political temperature in the country will drive away investors.

The MDC A yesterday chronicled how its members were terrorised by soldiers in Manicaland Province:
Heavily armed soldiers abducted the Saunyama brothers
Robert Saunyama, popularly known as Jack Roberts, of Zimunya Township in Mutare South and his younger brother and Chikanga-Dangam
vura Ward 6 Councilor, Danmore Saunyama.

The two were abducted by ZNA soldiers suspected to be from 3/1 infantry battalion around 2130hrs today(yesterday).

Jack Roberts is the MDC District Chairman for Mutare South and he represented the MDC Alliance as a Parliamentary candidate in the 30 July harmonised elections in the same constituency.

The soldiers are reported to have arrived in an unmarked Toyota double cab truck. They numbered around 8 and were heavily armed.

They forced their entry into Jack’s house where he was hosting his brother who had visited him with his wife and that of his other brother Jericho.

The soldiers started assaulting the wives of the three brothers and their children, together with Clr Danmore.

All this while four soldiers were training their guns on Jack Roberts threatening to shoot him should he attempt to fight them.
The victims of this barbaric military brutality bled profusely and suffered various degrees of injuries.

The soldiers then bundled the two brothers into their truck and took them to an unknown destination.

This brutality is coming only three weeks after we buried Noah Sahumbe of Zimunya Township who succumbed to injuries he sustained after being assaulted by soldiers from 3 Brigade.

The residents of this sleepy township have not known peace ever since.
What is clear from this incident is that Zimbabwe is descending into a dark period of kidnappings, abductions, beatings and extrajudicial killings.

The dark days of Gukurahundi and 2008 run-off killings are upon us once again.

One cannot fail to link the veiled threats by Mr Mnangagwa over the weekend in Masvingo province with this heinous operation.

It’s clear the junta has stepped up the terror campaign against ordinary, peace loving citizens.
Is this the new dispensation? Clearly there is nothing new but a continuation of Mugabe’s legacy of brutality.

Trevor Saruwaka
MDC Manicaland Province Spokesperson