A church pastor involved in counseling traumatized Movement for Democratic Change (MDC ) activists has been abducted by unknown armed men from his Harare home, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s party said last night.
MDC said in a statement to the media that “Pastor Lawrence Berejena was abducted by unknown armed men at his Tynwald home in Harare,”
“Pastor Berejena has been involved in offering spiritual counselling to thousands of MDC supporters who were victims of political violence across the country perpetrated by ZANU PF thugs and state security agents,” it added.
No comment could be obtained from the police this morning.
Pastor Berejena, is a close spiritual friend of Tsvangirai and has also been a spiritual strength to so many of the victims of political violence over the past 14 months.
Zimbabwe witnessed some of its worst political violence between March and June last year after the MDC defeated ZANU PF in general elections while Tsvangirai beat President Robert Mugabe in a parallel presidential poll although he failed to garner enough votes to avoid a second round run off.
The bloody campaign to retain Mugabe at all costs saw Tsvangirai withdrawing from the run-off because of the violence by state security agents, ZANU PF militia and war veterans that the MDC says claimed the lives of at least 200 of its supporters, displacing 10 000 families and injuring several thousands others.
The sham election saw Mugabe polling 85 percent of the cast votes.
The international community and regional countries did not recognise Mugabe’s victory, prompting the African Union (AU) at its summit in Egypt in July 2008 to resolve that Zimbabwe should form an inclusive government made up of Mugabe, Tsvangirai and a smaller formation of the MDC.
The AU asked Southern African Development Community (SADC) to facilitate dialogue between the three Zimbabwe political parties, which culminated in the signing last September of global political agreement and the formation of the inclusive government in February this year.
The coalition government is seen as offering Zimbabwe the best opportunity in a decade to restore stability and end a devastating economic and humanitarian crisis but hardliner top commanders of the security forces are said to be working with other hawkish elements in Mugabe’s ZANU PF party to derail the unity government.
