Tsvangirai to visit Chaona massacre survivors in Chiweshe today

Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai and the entire leadership of his party are expected to visit Chaona in Chiweshe today to interface with survivors of a massacre in which 14 villagers were killed in one night, three days after the delayed release of the 2008 harmonised elections.

The massacre followed the defeat of a senior Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front leaders Chen Chimutengwende who was beaten by an MDC candidate in the parliamentary elections.

Mashonaland East was a ZANU-PF stronghold but the party lost two of the 18 seats in the province. It retained all the seats in last year’s elections.

According to Wikileaks, Cairo Mhandu, the ZANU-PF Member of Parliament for Mazowe North after the 2008 elections, went “mad” as a result of his involvement in the massacre.

MDC MP for Mazowe Central Shepherd Mushonga and MDC local councillor Martin Musemwa told United States embassy officials that Mhandu had gone mad because of the ngozi that was haunting him.

Mushonga said Mhandu wanted to give a cow to the family of one of the victims through one a traditional leader Chief Makope but the chief refused to serve as an intermediary, telling Mhandu to do it himself.

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