The Daily IIJ » Conrad Dube

Abducted activist bares all

Conrad Dube — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:58:02 +0000

Jailed activists pass out during brutal torture and assault while in unlawful custody, court papers show. Kisimusi Dhlamini was abducted from his home in Harare in November last year. He was taken to Goromonzi prison complex where he was subjected to brutal beatings torture and mock drowning, all in an effort to extract information about the training of bandits in Botswana by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

His captors took him to undisclosed locations force him to disorient him and confess out a confession on bombing police stations and railway lines.

Dhlamini tells of some of the harrowing experiences that went on during the time human rights and opposition activists were abducted.

For more go to http://mwanawashe.wordpress.com

Human righst trampled upon in Zimbabwe

Conrad Dube — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:14:01 +0000

I have followed with keen interest the kidnapping, forced disappearance, torture and subsequent court appearance of prominent human rights activist Jestina Mukoko and many Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) activists.

In respect of Jestina, the Director for the Zimbabwe Peace Project, a non-governmental organization, she was kidnapped at beginning of December last year in the early hours from her home.

Her abductors took her to unknown places where they interrogated her, tortured her in an attempt to force her to admit that she had been recruiting people for military training for the purposes of banditry and insurgency.

The case makes interesting twists.

One the police admitted when a report for here disappearance was made, that they were treating the matter as kidnapping. A High Court judge made an order for her release which was however, as the norm is in Zimbabwe, ignored by the powers that be.

The police all along refused that they were keeping Jestina. Several weeks latter, Jestina and many other activists who had been abducted surfaced at police stations and were taken to court and charged with various crimes ranging from recruiting people for military training for the purposes of banditry and insurgency to bombing and committing acts of sabotage.

For someone who has been in forced disappearance to then be brought before the court to answer charges is ridiculous and frivolous to say the least. Jestina and others should actually have been complainants in the matter. But there they are being forced to remain in custody for crimes they did not commit. Imagine doctors have prescribed that all the accused be admitted to a medical institution that has state of the art equipment for further examination and treatment for injuries sustained because of the torture but the state is reluctant to release them to a clinic. The state continues to want to keep them in prison clinics which have no equipment let alone doctors worth their salt.

Her lawyers led by Beatrice Mtetwa have tried their level best but it never works in a shrewd democracy.

On Tuesday, a magistrate remanded Jestina and seven other activists to 14 January in custody blatantly ignoring that they had not been lawfully brought before the court.

The blatant disregard for human rights and international conventions in Zimbabwe has reached alarming levels.

May God help us.

For more stories on this case go to http://mwanawashe.wordpress.com

Zimbabwe’s MDC sets tough conditions

Conrad Dube — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:36:26 +0000

Zimbabwe‘s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has set tough conditions to be met before its participation in a government of national unity with Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF.

The refusal by the MDC to participate in a new government has further cast a damper on a political agreement signed on September 15 2008.

Political analysts say the continued impasse between the political parties will worsen the Zimbabwe situation which is already in a critical state.

Zim power sharing deal faces collapse

Conrad Dube — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:21:17 +0000

A power sharing deal to resolve Zimbabwe’s crisis faces stillbirth as the major poliical parties failed to reach a compromise on Monday.

Read more on Conrad Dube’s blog: http://mwanawashe.wordpress.com

Podcasting, partying and Lumumba

Conrad Dube — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:34:47 +0000

I had my first experience with planning and scripting for a podcast, last week.

It was also my first hands on experience working with Audacity. What a wonderful experience it was. Once again Joachim Vogele was up to the task, sitting besides me to share with me his experience. There was Kat also, old time buddy and web journalist puting things together. By the time our group podcast was presented it showed one piece of hard work which would not have been had it not been for the co-operation of the whole team.

Podcasting is a good way of communicating with the reader and compliments text.

Friday was presentation day and after that, it was time to party.

To sample Berlin’s night life, I made sure Lumumba would be my first target. They play mostly African music. My two friends and I sweated the whole lovely night away.

What a way to end the first week of the Advanced Multimedia and Online Journalism programme.