Online Reporter
The Herald, 4 December 1990
ABOUT 5 000 people in Mudzi district will be moved into security villages as a matter of urgency because of increased attacks on civilians by MNR bandits.
With 16 people murdered this year alone, five of them during the past four months, the villagers are alarmed and hundreds have fled their homes, especially in the Goronga and Mukota wards.
Thousands still flocked to schools every evening where they get protection from the army and police during the night.
The District Administrator. Cde Standreck Magunda said over the weekend that the setting up of security villages had now become a matter of urgency.
Since the bandits began attacks in Zimbabwe about three years ago, Mudzi district had planned security villages in the affected areas but could not implement the project because of lack of funds.
Although the funds are not yet available, the villages will have to be set up anyway because of the security situation.
“Because of increased attacks, we are now going to accelerate the villagisation programme,” Cde Magunda said during an interview at the funeral of Cde Lucia Chabvonga, who was murdered by MNR bandits at her home at Mutesva village on November 24.
The fact that the villagers were fast becoming refugees in their own area underlined the urgency of the matter.
The sight of men, women and children trekking in their hundreds to schools for security is reminiscent of television scenes from some war ravaged Third World countries.
“The villages are to be set up as an interim measure to avoid people having to sleep at schools at night,” Cde Magunda said.
However, as a member of the defence forces in the area observed, there are bound to be problems with the setting up of the proposed nine or 10 security villages at this time of the year.
Lessons for today:
- Even years after independence, communities like Mudzi faced violent attacks from external forces (MNR bandits). Mudzi being near the Mozambique border, was highly exposed to cross-border insurgency.
- Geographic proximity to unstable regions can prolong insecurity, demanding targeted interventions.
- Villagers were sleeping at schools for safety, showing extreme vulnerability. The government acted swiftly, even without full resources to protect civilians. Plans for security villages existed but were delayed due to lack of funds.
- Families became “refugees in their own area,” highlighting displacement and trauma. Conflict erodes community stability and dignity, requiring not just physical security but psychosocial support.
