HARARE – A group of Zimbabwean fishermen have written to President Robert Mugabe to intervene to stop soldiers from beating them and stealing their fish, in a bizarre case that highlights how members of security forces have become rogues that regularly terrorise civilians.

In a letter to Mugabe, who is Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, the fishermen based at Darwendale Dam, 60 kilometres south-west of Harare, said they appealed to the President after the latest attack last Thursday, when soldiers raided a fishing cooperative, beat up fishermen, stole their property and burnt their fishing nets.

The attack that was apparently in retaliation after the fishermen had earlier apprehended a soldier who was stealing their fish and handed him over to the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority of Zimbabwe (PWMAZ) was reported to the police who, as in previous cases, have not arrested or charged the soldiers.

“On the 15 of June 2010, four soldiers, one armed, arrived at our base and started beating 12 fishermen with a gun, steel rods and boat oars. They destroyed everything-kitchen utensils, tents-and blankets and several nets were burnt,” the fishermen said in the letter that was sent to Mugabe last week and copy of which was shown to ZimOnline yesterday.

“We are failing to do our normal business because the soldiers are busy hunting us,” the fishermen said.

The letter was also copied to Defence Minister Emerson Mnangagwa, his justice counterpart Patrick Chinamasa, Attorney General Johannes Tomana, PWMAZ and the police.

Efforts yesterday to establish from Mugabe’s office whether the President has seen the fishermen’s letter and if so, what action he has taken or plans to take were to no avail, with his spokesman George Charamba said to be unavailable to take questions from ZimOnline.

Zimbabwe’s soldiers have been accused in the past of brutality against civilians, mostly during elections when they have joined youths from Mugabe’s ZANU PF party to wage violence against perceived opponents of the veteran leader.

The army has also been accused of committing human rights abuses at the controversial Marange diamond field in eastern Zimbabwe where soldiers sent to guard the mines ended up committing violence against local communities.

The government and Zimbabwe Defence Forces commanders deny that their troops attack or harass civilians.

According to the Darwendale fishermen, trouble started in 2008 when a soldier from an army base near the dam was caught removing fish from the nets of a fishing company called Irvodale.

The soldier was handed to the PWMAZ that supervises fishing at the dam and is the country’s anti-poaching authority. The wildlife authority however let the soldier go scot-free. 

The fishermen said since that incident two years ago they have regularly caught soldiers including senior officers such as captains stealing fish.

They said they have reported all cases to the police and the PWMAZ who have however not taken action, while on the other hand the soldiers have stepped up attacks against the fishermen for reporting the theft to the police.

The fishermen claim in the letter to Mugabe that attempts to appease the soldiers by regularly supplying them with fish free have failed to stop the raids, beatings, and theft of fish. – ZimOnline.