via Daily News – Anti-Mugabe graffiti explodes in Harare
Fungi Kwaramba
HARARE – Graffiti has exploded across Zimbabwe’s capital Harare protesting the disputed results of the July 31 vote that saw President Robert Mugabe romp to a landslide victory.
After weighing the risk of staging mass action against Mugabe’s re-election and deciding to refrain from confrontation, graffiti alluding to the “stolen election” under the “Zanu PF dictatorship” has erupted everywhere, with others drifting toward a style questioning the continued leadership of Mugabe and Zanu PF.
Bottled up emotions had been kept in check after Tsvangirai urged his supporters to remain calm as he pursues peaceful means in order to overturn Mugabe’s victory.
Apart from going to the courts, the MDC is also preparing a dossier of alleged poll irregularities which it will hand-over to Sadc member states as proof that elections were rigged.
Several walls in Harare’s central business district and some high density suburbs such as Budiriro, Glen View and Mbare are littered with messages of protest against Mugabe’s landslide win which gives him another five year term.
Window panes of popular shops in the city centre have not been spared either. Some of the messages inscribed on the walls read, “Mugabe rigged elections, batai munhu: We want a re-run.”
Other graffiti messages are openly inciting Zimbabweans to rise up against the “Zanu PF regime”.
“Election fraud: Arise and protect your vote”.
The graffiti is mainly anti-Mugabe messages plastered on city walls, streets and billboards.
Some of the messages are scribbled on billboards located at main bus termini such as Market Square and Copa Cabana.
Anti-Mugabe graffiti in Zimbabwe is an outlaw art done in the cover of darkness.
Political analysts say the political propaganda is being fuelled by the “stolen election” and the contest for power in elections which Mugabe controversially won.
No-one has claimed responsibility for the messages.
Charity Charamba, the police spokesperson, said whoever was defacing walls through the damning graffiti was breaking the law.
“I haven’t seen the writings, but obviously it is a crime,” she warned.
COMMENTS
Graffit graffit graffit everywhere, send the message. Let it be seen and known that Mugabe stole our write to vote.
That reminds me of the old days at boarding school when I was still young. We had a cheeky boarding master who was ruthless to boarders.If he catches you in any misdemeanor,he would give you a thorough beating. In turn as a sign of protest we had literally all gum trees at this mission school inscribed with his nickname ‘mhenya’ much to his annoyance. You can imagine how he would fume whenever he sees his nickname inscribed on a tree!
Then what. You are just failing democracy you were beaten fair fair. If two people go crazy we cant say the whole Zim is in support of these giraffiti. Its a sign of immaturity. Viva Bob tonga kusvika vapfunhwa. Asijiiki
There is at least circumstantial evidence to suggest that Mugabe did not win fairly and squarely, unless you have challenges reading what is on the ground now.
It’s so sad to realise that before Independance, the African people’s voice and vote was not allowed to be heard in Rhodesia…..and now AFTER Independance, their voice and votes is still not allowed to be heard in Zimbabwe…..what a tragedy!!
Dear my fellow Zimbabweans. Don`t let the past steal your present.We have not more than 100 000 Police& Army, against 8-10 million Zimbabweans and the international community.Lets rise up to regain our Zimbabwe.The international community has seen the how Zanu Pf is stealing our present. Surely we will get help and they shall be called to answer for their crimes.Great for you Bob because once the skies are lightened with explosives you will not stand, we will find you gone, but woo to the your supporters we will take then one by one.
Yes we can.
Well said shingi and I hope that we will catch him in a drain like his friend gadaffi and that other guy from Iraq. Funny how dictators seem to end their days hiding in sewers.
The west will leave you high and dry…zimbabwe military and zanupf will rise together if challenged..beat you in voting and will beat you in war.
i done it
I done it too
I will join the war
My fellow Zimbabweans. Let’s put it this way. There is always a reason why things happen, which point to a much bigger picture. If it is true that Israel helped with the election process, it also infers that our so-alled mortal enemies, the Americans, want something out of the winner. Either way, no politician of any party in Zimbabwe truly represents the peoples’ will.
If you want to pray to God, or hope that things will get better, that’s fine and dandy. But at the end of the day, Zimbabwe is just another African country, where hope gets knocked down and kicked in the face by reality until its skull cracks.
it dosen’t matter what america, china or (not even israel) nikov want from zimbabwe, it is about our stollen vote. let us make our choice freely and deal with other countries through ellected reps. every country wants one thing or onother from other states and zimbabwe is no exception. our right to choose our reps in that interaction was stolen and that is what this is about. wake up and smell the coffee.
if you think yu votd in privacy and yo x was stolen in privacy then lets go and put more graffit in privacy
I am now the Judge: 66% of the assisted voters should be taken away from zanu pf and shared to all MDC T contestents on pro rata basis. All the old AND DEAD people 100,000 should be done like wise. 700,000 returned voter should add to MDC T. All people who where not allowed to register the number should be added to MDC T. NOW THE NEW RESULTS WILL BE 200 members of Parliament MDC T., 10 members of parliament zanu pf. MDC T Won the majority 95% aand zanu pf 5%.
IF ANYONE DOES NOT ACCEPT THESE RESULTS LETS GO FOR A RERUN or DO A REFERENDUM SOON.
Lets wait and see the end
Did you people vote. I voted with my wife, my three children, our 10 farm workers. We all voter ZPF. After the vote farm workers came to inquire if we had won. If you are educated compute 600 000 farm beneficiaries with their wives, children and workers all voting ZPF. Dont under rate our intelligence, some of us are MBAs.
MBAs as in Mabenzi amugaBe nA diSgress
A thief is a thief. First he stole his way to lead ZANUPF, then stole Grace and for years now he has been rigging elections.He now has another degree of rigging. That is how well educated he is.
Dr Rigging Mugabe is his rightful name.
Rhodesia was far much better than Zimbabwe under Dr Rigging Mugabe
@mashinga P
You should have done better to take to the polling station all your goasts, your cattle,your pigs, your turkeys and your chicken to vote for ZANu Pf. Kana morambidza huku dzenyu kuvhotera Zanu Pf yozonzi Jongwe pakudii?
Shame.
We voted the way we wanted but dont under rate our intelligence
@ Mashinga P,is it not ur vote is ur secret? So how far r u sure that ur family and farm workers voted 4 ZPF and the rest of all the land beneficiaries? Okay mr intellegent let’s do the math(ur family+worker)=11*600000(beneficiaries and their families+worker(families too). This should sum up to ±6.6million.AND YET there were 6.4m REGISTERED voters.that’s there reason why we r crying foul play. So thank u for proving our point that its immpossible that zanu won the election fair and of course to some extent they were peaceful….
If the so-called DIASPORANS are anything worth writing home about, then they should investigate this NIKUV company and expose the evil they perpetrated in our country in the name of money. We can leave the MDC leadership in Zimbabwe dealing with how one Mudede got $100million to pay Nikuv and why that money never went through the hands of Finance Ministry. But we in the Diaspora must surely be able to do our part. The least we can do is petition our host nations to thoroughly investigate Nikuv.
Exactly, Doug! They do have the resources available there to investigate what the Israelis (and ultimately the United States) got out of helping with the elections. But alas, they’re busy hiring The Zimbabwean photographers to take emotionally-griping shots of the next candlelight prayer vigil, with some junk article by Cathy Buckle somewhere nearby.
Meanwhile, it’s business as usual in Zim.
F*@# Bob