Mugabes beating even at the opening of parliament

As Mugabe was getting out of his vehicle, crowds of his ZANU-PF supporters, some dressed in party regalia, were throwing stones and beating up some members of the public walking through the central park, called Africa Unity Square. This is a park i know all to well from 1998 beatings that i got.

A few streets west of parliament, the Movement for Democratic Change party, which is in a difficult 30-month-old inclusive government with ZANU-PF, decided to close the steel entrance gates to its headquarters to protect party officials inside.

A member of the security team protecting the party leadership, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was in the city center monitoring the violence.

"What I saw there it was actually terrible, people were being harassed in the park, Africa Unity Square by ZANU-PF people,” he said.

He said the violence continued against civilians as Mugabe and his wife Grace arrived outside parliament.

“They were singing party songs and slogans and if you failed to answer the slogan then they will start beating you, even stones they were throwing, everything,” he said.

Since the unity government came to power in 2009, several months after disputed and violence-plagued elections, MDC officials, legislators and party supporters have suffered from recurring attacks and arrests, usually at the hands of state security forces.

Despite protests to Mugabe and police chiefs, the violence continues, although at a lower level than after the 2008 elections won by the MDC.