Windhoek, - An exhibition hosted by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZIMRIGHTS) and a documentary highlighting the problems that are being faced by farm workers in Zimbabwe after the start of the land reform programme of 2000 left many civic society leaders attending meetings on the sidelines of the SADC summit here with tears.

Emotions ran high as many civic representatives from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) gathered hear watched the gory acts of violence meted out to ordinary Zimbabweans during the 2008 elections through the pictures and video presentations.

The ZIMRIGHTS exhibition of pictures chronicling the violence that took place during the June 2008 election which was banned in Harare in May, left many delegates shocked.

Some even argued that the pictures were not from Zimbabwe but somewhere in Africa in places such as DRC or Sudan which are synonymous with war and strife.

So powerful was the exhibition that it dominated discussions at the meetings being held here.

ZIMRIGHTS decided to stage the exhibition here after failing to showcase it in Harare due to police threats.

The exhibition held at the Catholic Cathedral in central Windhoek featured a host of pictures showing gory acts of violence that was meted out especially to Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters about 500 of whom died during the violence.

The exhibition showed chilling pictures of how eyes were gorged out, buttocks and feet burnt among many other horror acts.

"ZIMRIGHTS path of preaching truth telling and advocacy around national healing using the pictures in our country was thwarted by state security agents. This left us with no option but to use such platforms like the SAPSN gathering here in Windhoek," said ZIMRIGHTS director Okay Machisa.

He was speaking at the Southern African People's Network (SAPSN) meeting held in Namibia.

A documentary of the plight of farm workers also left delegates in tears.

One of the delegates immediately called for the arrest and subsequent trial of President Robert Mugabe at the Hague for the disregard of human rights in Zimbabwe.

"He is no different from Saddam Hussein or Omar Al Bashir, he must be at the Hague because that's where he belongs," said the delegate from Lesotho.

The documentary was done by the Research and Advocacy Unit.

Gertrude Hambira, Secretary General of the General Agricultural and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe (GAPWUZ), who produced the documentary and plays a trailblazing role in protecting the rights of farm workers fled the country early this year after the production of the documentary.

By Radio VOP