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Misanet.com / Daily News, 29 April - Militias of the Zimbabwean ruling party, ZANU-PF, before, under and after the disputed 9-11 March elections have been harassing suspected supporters of the opposition party, MDC. Now, they have turned their anger against the ruling party and hijacked a government truck demanding payment of outstanding allowances promised by the government. The militias, some of whom have reportedly deserted their bases after going for days without food are on the loose in Bulawayo - Zimbabwe's second city and an MDC stronghold - where they have been linked to the thefts of foodstuffs from shops in the city. Last week, the youths hijacked a government truck in Inyathi, about 60 km from Bulawayo and vowed they would only release the vehicle upon payment of their allowances. The police were on Friday maintaining a hawk's eye on the angry militias who are based at various camps in Bulawayo and the surrounding province Matabeleland after they threatened unspecified actions against the ruling party. Armed men in civilian clothes believed to be war veterans and policemen are now guarding the youths at most of the camps in Bulawayo. The youths, who spearheaded President Mugabe's re-election campaign, have not been given food or money since the announcement of the results of the presidential election last month. On Friday, the youths broke their silence and narrated the conditions under which they were living. Jacob Mudenda, a top ZANU- PF official involved in the recruitment of the militia in Matabeleland North, refused to answer questions posed by 'The Daily News'. He said: "Are you on a mission to find out their problems? If those youths have a problem they know the channel to use." One of the youths from Bulawayo said they were continuing with the pre-election violence, which they were notorious for in order to survive. At Sizinda community hall, one of the notorious militia bases in Bulawayo, the youths have been accused of breaking into shops and stealing foodstuffs. One of the youths said they were surviving on bread only and their blankets were now infested with lice because their clothes have not been washed as they do not have money to buy washing soap. "Food supplies to the camps were discontinued soon after the election results were announced more than a month ago." - Since then we have been surviving on begging which is increasingly becoming difficult, said one youth who spoke on condition of anonymity. He said they had initially been told that they would be released after the elections and would be recalled later, but this had not still happened. Youths based at camps outside Bulawayo were reportedly only paid Zimbabwe dollar (Z$) 1,300 (euro 26.20) since joining the militia in December last year. Their colleagues in Bulawayo have so far been paid Z$ 3,700 (euro 75.50) out of the Z$ 18,000 (euro 362.50) promised to each one of them. - We are bitter, said one of the youths. "We have suffered enough and now we are spoiling for a fight. We will fight them; after all, they are old men." He said their leaders had made sure the youths from the various camps had no means of communication so as to control them easily. However, he said efforts were underway to bring the militia groups together including those who had deserted the camp to map out strategies on how to deal with their predicament. At the Ntabazinduna camp, about 30 kilometres South of Bulawayo some of the youths, who abandoned camp, were forced to walk back home to Nyamandlovu a distance of nearly 50 kilometres. When 'The Daily News' visited the camp on Friday, some of the barefooted youths said their shoes had worn out due to the daily drills. Their frustration and anger reached breaking point about two weeks ago when their bosses broke their pre-election promise of giving them jobs in the uniformed service. Travellers from various parts of Bulilimamangwe District and along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road reported seeing some of the youths walking back to their homes in solemn groups. A number of the female members of the militia are now pregnant while two of them from Bulawayo camp were recently admitted to Mpilo hospital after they tried to terminate their pregnancies.
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