Horsetrading: A proposal for an electoral pact between the two MDC parties

http://www.sokwanele.com/

 

AUTHOR:

SOKWANELE

DATE:

JUL 24, 2013

COMMENTS:

0

This document was forwarded to Sokwanele for publication. It was originally sent to an intermediary party - someone identified as a suitable 'go-between' - to liase with key members in both MDC parties. The document was shared with the two parties but, as Zimbabweans are aware, the public position is that 'coalition' talks have failed. While not exactly demanding 'reunification' , the document pleads at minimum for an electoral pact between the two parties to prevent ZANU PF from winning seats by default. The author (Sokwanele does not know their identity) outlines their electoral pact logic in the document. We believe this is of interest to Zimbabweans as 31 July approaches. The key part of the document is as below, and it can be downloaded in full in PDF format from this link.

Horsetrading

As it looks as though any form of reconciliation between the two MDC factions will not happen, most Zimbabweans would the want to minimise the electoral damage of the two factions opposing each other in a Westminster Constituency /First Past the Post system.

Ideally the two formations could agree not to challenge each other in the few constituencies where it may significantly advantage Zanu PF. Obviously this could be difficult to agree on. Difficult, but not impossible.

However the benefits to each party hugely outweigh the costs.  (83 advantageous situations to 7 possibly disadvantageous situations)

Mutare South is a typical example:

Mutare South	Chiri Gideon Chamuka	Independent	362
	Gombakomba Sarah Faith	MDC	2089
	Kanzama Fred	ZANU PF	7606
	Saunyama Robert	MDC Tsvangirai	5705

In cases such as these (and there are many of these) , Zanu PF has won the seat, thanks to the MDC’s divisions.  It isn’t easy however to convince a candidate that they can’t stand in an election, even if it is for a greater good. It is my belief that it was actually the complete inability of the two MDC formations to formulate a mechanism to choose a candidate in constituencies where they both had structures that played a large part in preventing any attempts at MDC unity.

However in a case like Mutare South, a reasonable person could ask- has the MDC-N trebled  its support in this constituency?

The MDC-N also lost seats because of the split; for example:

Lupane West	Khumalo Martin	ZANU PF	3311
	Ncube Vigilance	MDC	3044
	Ndlovu Sylvester	MDC Tsvangirai	2005

There were many seats where the split made no difference to Zanu’s fortunes; either because Zanu was very weak in that constituency:

Luveve	Mdlongwa Esaph	MDC	3 178
	Moyo Getrude	ZANU PF	940
	Moyo Reggie	MDC Tsvangirai	3 325
	Mujuru Kidwell	Independent	697
	Phiri Simba	FDU	146
		% Poll	32.80

Or because ZANU PF were overwhelmingly strong in that constituency:

OPEN Mt Darwin West	Mujuru joice Teurai Ropa	ZANU PF	13236
	Gora Madzudzo	MDC Tsvangirai	1792
	Shanya Joseph	MDC	887
		% Poll	53.94

Using the results of 2008, if MDC-T were to allow MDC N to stand unopposed in 19 constituencies, and MDC N were to allow MDC to run unopposed in 84 constituencies this would result in:

71 Advantageous situations for MDC T and only 4 possibly disadvantageous situations

12 advantageous situations for MDC N and only 3 possibly disadvantageous situations.

Advantageous being defined as  being allowed to stand unopposed when either that MDC section or Zanu PF are (roughly) within 30% of each other. Eg:

Gokwe MDC_T ONLY	Ganyani Linet	MDC Tsvangirai	4533
	Mangami Dorothy	ZANU PF	5570
	Penduka Limmu	MDC	1273

Disadvantageous being defined as not being allowed to field a candidate when that party had (roughly)more than 30% of the winning vote in 2008 . As I only identified 7 possibly disadvantageous situations, I list them below.

Firstly those disadvantageous to MDC T

Bubi MDC ONLY	Goosen Alex Peter	MDC	3755
	Jourbert David Andrew	MDC Tsvangirai	2334
	Sibanda Clifford Cameroon	ZANU PF	7413
		% Poll	41.92

 

Lupane West MDC ONLY	Khumalo Martin	ZANU PF	3311
	Ncube Vigilance	MDC	3044
	Ndlovu Sylvester	MDC Tsvangirai	2005
		% Poll	37.09

 

Gwanda North MDC ONLY	Matutu Leonard	ZANU PF	3273
	MnkandlaThandeko	MDC	3645
	Sibanda Beki	MDC Tsvangirai	2509
		% Poll	41.61

 

Mangwe MDC ONLY	Moyo Mkhosi Edward Tshotsho	MDC	3928
	Ncube Luke Daniel	MDC Tsvangirai	2294
	Ncube Mafesi Rolendi	ZANU PF	2627
		% Poll	26.74

 And those disadvantageous to  MDC N

Matobo North MDC_T ONLY	Dube Kotsho L.	ZANU PF	3102
	Moyo Lovemore	MDC Tsvangirai	3503
	Ndlovu Albert	MDC	1566
	SibandaMarvellous	Independent	432
		% Poll	37.32%
Matobo South MDC_T ONLY	Ndebele Gabriel	MDC Tsvangirai	3226
	Nkomo Nicholas	ZANU PF	2858
	Sibanda Clemency	MDC	1452

 

Vungu MDC  T ONLY,debatable	Gasela Renson	MDC	2160
	Madubeko Josephat	ZANU PF	4287
	Moyo Mark	MDC Tsvangirai	2518
	Sabola David	MDC Tsvangirai	1023

Now a major problem with working out the formula based on the 2008 election results is that things  have changed, and all 3  political parties will claim they have massively gained support.  In some constituencies this may have happened. In others,  a reasonable person might find it unlikely that one party will have increased its support by more than 500%..

Another problem is that agreeing among the MDC factions to allow each other to go unopposed in their strongholds will  further strengthen a tribal and geographical emphasis amongst the parties, particularly MDC –N.  However the majority of seats in the country would be open for all 3 parties to field candidates in. Furthermore,  if MDC T were to allow MDC N to go unopposed in Mudzi South , the MDC N might win its first seat in Mashonaland, something that seems unlikely otherwise.:

Open or MDC M ONLY Mudzi South	Kadera John	MDC	2735
	Kanomakuyu Milton	MDC Tsvangirayi	2735
	Mariwo Chamanga	UPP	182
	Navaya Eric	ZANU PF	8202

And even within constituencies where one or other faction were not fielding a candidiate, that faction should still maintain its structures there, ideally supporting the other MDC’s candidate.

I have only looked very cursorily at the statistics of 2008, and made some off the cuff recommendations of where it wouldn’t matter if both MDC factions fielded candidates (labelled “OPEN”) or where it would be adviseable in my brief opinion that  only MDC T fielded candidates (Labelled MDC T Only) or MDC-N only field candidates (labelled MDC –N only) .

A final list would be the  have to be the result of much further thought, research and discussion and negotiation in good faith. We have only done a cursory proposal as I fear the arguments over possibility of 7 disadvantageous situations will scupper the possibility of 83 advantageous situations, but if both sides were interested we could do further work.

It was sobering to see the same party fielding two candidates in some constituencies, in 2008 always to the detriment of that party.

By Province here is a breakdown of  the seats where we recommend  an “open” election, or whether we recommend only  MDC-T candidate stand, or only a MDC N candidate stand.

Bulawayo metropolitan

11 open

1 (by election)

 

Harare Metropolitan

Open 25

MDC T only  4

 

Manicaland

Open 9

MDC T only 18

 

Mash Central

Open 11

MDC T only 6

 

Mash East

Open:11

MDC T 12

MDC M only 1

 

Mash west

Open 14

MDC T only 8

 

Masvingo

Open 9

MDC T ONLY 17

  

Mat North

Open 4

MDC T only  0

MDC only 9

 

Mat South

Open 0

MDC T only 5

MDC  only 7

 

Midlands

Open 11

MDC T only14

MDC only  2

Finally here are all the constituencies, from a  list supplied by ZESN (Sokwanele note: list supplied in document)

Political parties still don’t have the voters roll

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Tichaona Sibanda
SW Radio Africa
24 July 2013

With just one week to go before the general elections, political parties
have still not been given the national consolidated voters roll.

Joyce Kazembe, the deputy chairperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
(ZEC), said the Registrar-General’s office was still working on printing the
voters roll for all the country’s 1,958 wards.

At a media briefing in Harare on Tuesday about ZEC’s state of preparedness
for the July 31st polls, Kazembe explained that once all the registers are
printed, they will be transmitted to all the wards in the 210
constituencies.

The briefing was attended by local and foreign observers, including those
from SADC, AU and COMESA. Civil society organisations, NGO’s and
representatives of political parties also attended.

But the unavailability of the consolidated voters roll for the whole country
is raising tensions between political parties and ZEC.

Last week, the MDC-T’ secretary-general Tendai Biti said by now the RG’s
office should have handed over the voters roll to ZEC for onward
transmission to political parties contesting the poll.

Political parties are obliged to inspect and audit the voters’ roll and then
sign off the one that will be used for the elections. Biti said they were
aware of the shenanigans around the voters’ roll, claiming that it was the
new theatre of vote rigging.

The registration of voters ended on 9th July with the Registrar-general,
Tobaiwa Mudede revealing this week that a total of 6.4 million voters are
eligible to vote in the elections.

He refuted claims of vote rigging saying it was impossible to do this using
the voters’ roll. But that has not allayed fears of manipulation of the roll
following persistent accusations that an Israeli company, Nikuv
International Projects, was working with Mudede to rig the elections on
behalf of Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party.

Nikuv, which specialises in population registration and election systems, is
accused of providing technical support to the former ruling party in order
to manipulate the voters’ roll.

Quoted in the South African Mail and Guardian newspaper Nikuv has said the
allegations that they are helping to rig the Zim vote are untrue.

At the ZEC briefing Kazembe said ballot papers will be sent to all
constituencies by Thursday and said that there will be enough polling
stations for people to cast their votes easily.

She said each polling station will have enough space to accommodate three to
four voters at any given time during the twelve hours of voting.
There will be three translucent boxes in each station, clearly marked for
the Presidential, House of Assembly and Local Authority election.

Voting will be conducted between 7am and 7pm but if there are people in
queues after the 12 hour deadline passes, they will still be allowed to
vote.

‘We will ask security personnel to put a marker on the last person standing
in a queue so that they will be able to cast their votes. Anyone wanting to
join the queue after 7pm will not be allowed to vote,’ she said.

The electoral body said it has accredited 18,000 local observers to monitor
the poll.

Increased intimidation ahead of next week’s elections

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By Tichaona Sibanda
SW Radio Africa
24 July 2013

MDC-T President Morgan Tsvangirai has called on Zimbabweans to repudiate
violence and hatred during and after the upcoming elections, in order to
avoid a repeat of the 2008 mayhem.

The Prime Minister made the call during his rallies in Kotwa and Murehwa,
Mashonaland East province, where he came face to face with voter
intimidation. In Kotwa, vendors and shopkeepers were ordered not to sell
airtime or food to anybody wearing an MDC-T shirt.

His rallies were also poorly attended after ZANU PF supporters went around
the areas, using loud hailers threatening to deal with anyone seen going to
the MDC-T rallies. About 500 ZANU PF youths invaded the venue of Tsvangirai’s
rally at Mutoko centre, scaring away people who had wanted to attend.

Reports say Tsvangirai, however, managed to address small crowds of between
500 and 2,000 at Mutoko centre and in Murehwa, advising supporters to go
ahead and wear the ZANU PF regalia for their safety, but to exercise their
free choice inside the ballot box.

Tsvangirai condemned the actions of the ZANU PF supporters. He told those
who attended his rallies that intimidation and electoral violence has the
potential to undermine and jeopardise the whole process.

He said recent reports of violent events and increasing tensions in the
run-up to the elections are deeply worrying and urged all Zimbabweans ‘to
take the necessary steps to ensure that violence and hatred play no part in
these elections.’

In Mutare on Tuesday, ZANU PF youths were seen running around the city
threatening war or a military coup if President Robert Mugabe doesn’t win
the election.

In Chegutu last week a group of MDC youths led by Bento Tshuma was attacked
at Pickstone mine area by ZANU PF activists, leaving at least 17 people
injured. No one has been arrested from ZANU PF.

Earlier this week, a member of ZANU PF was arrested for erasing the
president’s face from campaign hats and selling them for $2 each. The
alleged cottage industry was revealed by the mines minister Obert Mpofu, at
a campaign rally in Bulawayo last Sunday, according to NewsDay, newspaper.

Chinamasa says ZANU PF has money to fund election

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By Nomalanga Moyo
SW Radio Africa
24 July 2013

The drama surrounding funding for next week’s election continued Wednesday
with Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa insisting that there was enough
money for a credible election.

Chinamasa told state media that the government had secured funding for next
Wednesday’s poll, contrary to Finance Minister Tendai Biti’s statements that
more than $80 million was still needed for a credible process.

Biti has repeatedly said the government is broke and has no money and called
for political will and cooperation from both President Robert Mugabe and
Chinamasa to mobilise resources from the country’s diamonds to help fund the
elections.

“We don’t have money for these elections, and everyone knows it. It’s a
horror movie except that you are not watching the movie, you are part of
 it,” Biti told SW Radio Africa earlier this month.

Biti further stated that his efforts at securing funding from the
international community were being undermined by Chinamasa and ZANU PF who
were on a warpath with all potential donors, including SADC.

But Chinamasa told the state-run Herald newspaper that money was available,
and that Biti was simply playing politics: “Where we are right now money has
been found to run the elections,” he said.

“The elections will be held on the 31st of July 2013 without fail. There is
no problem about funding and thanks to ZANU PF which has been able to
maintain an independent line to maintain the sovereign status of our
country.”

In a tacit admission that he was indeed sabotaging Biti’s fundraising
efforts, Chinamasa told the Herald that last week he shot down the finance
minister’s efforts to source funding from the Electoral Institute of
Southern Africa (EISA)

According to the report, Minister Biti approached Chinamasa last week
seeking his support to write a joint letter to elections and governance body
EISA, seeking election funding.

But that request was declined, with Chinamasa saying ZANU PF will not allow
foreigners to fund critical internal processes as this will be tantamount to
surrendering the country’s sovereignty.

“As you know EISA is not the source of the money but it is merely the face
of the countries that imposed sanctions on us.

“So clearly I rejected it with the contempt it deserves and I did not
understand why at the eleventh hour he (Minister Biti) would make such a
request especially given the fact that we know how donor money is raised and
disbursed,” he said.

An earlier funding appeal to the United Nations Development Programme was
aborted after Chinamasa went behind Biti’s back and told the world body that
Zimbabwe will not accept assistance that came with conditions, such as
meeting civil society organisations.

Chinamasa would not say where the funds for the poll had come from, but his
party, which has access to the country’s diamond revenue, is also believed
to have received substantial assistance from the dictatorial governments of
Equatorial New Guinea, China, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Finance Minister Biti could not comment on Chinamasa’s claims that funds had
been found as he was addressing a rally when contacted.

Meanwhile, there is still no word from the government on whether polling day
will be declared a public holiday, making it difficult for businesses to
plan for the day.

A Public Service Commission official told SW Radio Africa that was yet to be
made, but added that there will be an announcement on the issue “soon
 enough”.

ZEC urged to tackle hate speech

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Alex Bell
SW Radio Africa
24 July 2013

With just a week to go until the elections in Zimbabwe, the Commission
tasked with delivering a free and fair poll is under pressure to tackle the
worsening problem of hate speech.

Incidents of hate speech have been on the rise, as the campaign trails of
the main political parties contesting in the polls next week, hot up. The
worst incidents have been seen in the ZANU PF aligned state media, which has
been ratcheting up its hate speech in recent weeks.

The main victim of this has been MDC-T President and Robert Mugabe’s main
rival, Morgan Tsvangirai. Most recently, the ZBC has been flighting
political adverts for ZANU PF which have been dragging Tsvangirai’s name
through the mud. This includes a series of interview with the Prime Minister’s
alleged sexual conquests.

Tsvangirai is not the only target of the hate speech. Recently, the ZANU PF
mouthpiece newspaper the Herald has been publishing increasing acid attacks
against the South African facilitation official, Lindiwe Zulu. The hate
speech against her has continued, despite Mugabe’s successful bid to have
her silenced by South African President Jacob Zuma.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) last week pledged to tackle the
problem, saying it is getting more reports of hate speech in the run up to
elections next week. In a statement last Friday, the electoral body said it
had received several complaints and would make individual follow ups on each
complaint with a view to charging offenders.

“The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has received various complaints from
across the political divide on use of inflammatory language and hate speech
by political players and in media reports,” ZEC said.

Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe executive director Takura Zhangazha said
it is critical for the editorial policies of newsrooms to change, if hate
speech was to be tackled effectively. He said this would only be successful
when people actively complain and these complaints are followed up.

“The biggest challenge is that these complaints are not always brought
forward, so a change is only likely in so far as people complain,” Zhangazha
said.

ConCourt to rule Friday on ZEC ‘second chance’ vote application

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By Alex Bell
SW Radio Africa
24 July 2013

Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Court will on Friday rule on an application filed
by the Electoral Commission (ZEC), which is seeking to allow those who
failed to vote during the Special Vote period, a second chance to
participate.

ZEC, citing ‘logistical challenges’, revealed this week that of the 63,268
people who were authorised to vote during special voting exercise, only
about 37,000 managed to vote.

The exercise, which was marred by late delivery of ballot papers and delays
at polling stations, was meant to give all those who will be on duty during
the election next week the chance to cast their vote.

ZEC’s Chairperson Justice Rita Makarau filed the application at the
Constitutional Court on Tuesday, amid concern that it does not have the
authority to allow this ‘second chance’ voting to take place.

Constitutional lawyer and Education Minister David Coltart said this week
that while every citizen should be allowed to vote, there is a provision in
the Electoral Act that stipulates that if a person has applied for a special
vote they would not be allowed to vote during the harmonized elections, to
prevent double voting.

Special Vote Court Challenge Faces Serious Legal Hurdles

http://www.voazimbabwe.com/

Blessing  Zulu
24.07.2013

WASHINGTON DC — The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s application to the
Constitutional Court seeking a reprieve for special voters faces serious
legal challenges, lawyers have warned.

ZEC filed papers seeking an order to allow the 26,160 security forces and
civil servants, who failed to participate in the July 14 and 15 early
voting, to cast their ballot on July 31.

Over 69,000 voters had applied to participate in the special vote. But the
Electoral Act clearly stipulates that once one misses the opportunity to
vote, they cannot be allowed to cast their ballot at any other time.

ZEC lawyers are arguing it is a constitutional right for Zimbabweans to
vote.

Lawyer Chris Mhike, who usually represents Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai,
says ZEC’s case is difficult to argue.

Lawyer Terrence Hussein, who sometimes represents President Robert Mugabe,
concurs with Mhike and admits that ZEC is in a fix.

Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyusiku has ruled that the ZEC application is
urgent and should be heard Friday at the Constitutional Court.

Rights group intensifies protests against electoral fraud

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By Nomalanga Moyo
SW Radio Africa
24 July 2013

Scores of human rights campaigners gathered at the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission (ZEC) Harare offices Monday and Tuesday, as part of on-going
protests against alleged electoral fraud.

The group, all members of the Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe,
argues that ZEC lacks the capacity to run a credible election given the
chaos and controversy that continue to hound the process.

They further argue that the Commission presided over a flawed voter
registration process which has left thousands of people unable to vote in
next week’s election.

ROHR President Ephraim Tapa said there are several aspects to the electoral
process that they are not happy about.

“This is about the rights of Zimbabweans to vote. Millions of young people
and the so-called aliens could not register to vote due to bottlenecks
within the system.

“We are also unhappy that 4 million Zimbabweans in the Diaspora were denied
the right to vote. So the election has already failed to meet the free and
fair threshold if millions at home and abroad are being denied their right
to vote,” Tapa said.

Despite growing concerns about the process leading up to the elections, the
Commission’s chairperson Rita Makarau insists that all systems are in place
for July 31st.

But Tapa remained unconvinced, saying that such pronouncements by the
Commission were clearly calculated to back President Robert Mugabe’s calls
for an early election.

“What’s been happening on the ground negates what the Commission has been
saying that it is prepared to hold a credible election, as the
just-concluded Special Vote shows. If they failed to run a small-scale
election for less than 100,000 people, what about when 6 million people are
involved?

“The registration process was marred by discrepancies but, still, ZEC said
they were prepared and ready. So we are saying a discredited process can
only lead to a discredited poll result,” Tapa added.

The group says it also wants the Commission to re-open registration until
the day before polling to allow every eligible voter to participate.

Leading up to the election, ROHR says its members will be picketing at all
ZEC command centres demanding the right to vote.

Protests are also taking place at different venues across the UK, as a way
of briefing the international community that ZANU PF will fraudulently win
the election, according to Tapa.

On July 31st the group will be joined by rights campaigners Action for
Southern Africa and UK labour body, the Trades Union Congress, in a demo to
be held outside the Zim Embassy in London. The protesters are expected to
hand over a signed petition questioning the legitimacy and credibility of
the electoral process.

Additionally, in Ireland, pro-democracy group the Zimbabwe Solidarity
Campaign will on Thursday conduct a ‘mock vote’ demo outside the City Hall
in Belfast.

The group’s coordinator Denford Farai said: “The mock vote will be an
illustration of how Zimbabweans abroad have been denied the right by their
own government.

“We will meet from 1pm to 8pm. We will also be collecting signatures
petitioning the Zim government, through the Embassy in London, to reinstate
voting rights for those in the Diaspora,” said Farai.

Zanu PF forces people to rally

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

BERNARD CHIKETO, OWN CORRESPONDENT  •  24 JULY 2013 12:22PM

HARARE - President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF yesterday forced thousands of
people to attend their rally in Mutare where their 89-year-old presidential
candidate once again resorted to history lectures.

State-run bus firm Zupco and a lorry drop off Manicaland residents for
President Robert Mugabe's rally in Mutare yesterday. Pic: Bernard Chiketo

Sedans, open trucks, omnibuses, lorries, buses and haulage trucks hauled in
Zanu PF supporters from across the province while some locals were driven to
attend fearing victimisation.

The Mupedzanhamo Flea Market in the city was largely empty after stall
holders were commandeered to the rally.

Vehicles used to bus in people were strewn along Chimanimani Road and jammed
the Mutare Grain Marketing Board turn-off, littering its grounds as they
offloaded their precious cargo to beef people to Mugabe’s star rally at
Mutare Aerodrome.

In an address to tens of thousands, Mugabe said Manicaland played a crucial
role in the liberation struggle, and said he hoped the province will not
ditch him again in the forthcoming harmonised elections.

In the 2008 elections, Zanu PF won a paltry six parliamentary seats out of
the 26 in the province.

Mugabe invoked the names of the late Herbert Chitepo and Chief Rekai
Tangwena saying they were instrumental in the establishment of ‘Dare
reChimurenga’ together with Chief Tangwena’s wife, whom he said was a spirit
medium who advised the chief to accompany him and the late Edgar Tekere to
Mozambique to spearhead the liberation struggle just after he was released
from jail.

“As we were in jail, we instructed Chitepo to form Dare reChimurenga, Mugabe
said.

“Many children who crossed the border to join the liberation struggle came
from here and many of them lost their lives in the struggle. Most of the
people who died in the struggle were also from here… but what happened in
2008? Did you forget Chitepo,” Mugabe said to muffled laughter from the
crowd.

Mugabe had the crowd crackling in laughter as he went on to query if
Manicaland enjoyed the “enemy’s bread” so much that they forgot the
sacrifices they made in the liberation struggle.

He even asked the crowd what improvements the MDC had brought to the
province.

“We erred, it happens,” Mugabe said.

He however, said his party would “never” allow “zvimbwasungata” or running
dogs to rule “my Zimbabwe” just after a lecture on how the MDC was formed by
the British Labour, Conservative and Liberal parties and assisted with
funding from the Westminister Foundation to dethrone Zanu PF, an allegation
strenuously denied by the MDC.

This, Mugabe said, was common knowledge as “the British would brag about it,
that Mugabe and (the late Joshua) Nkomo would see it.”

He said at the formation of the inclusive government in 2009, he staunchly
resisted to have the MDC take charge of the Defence ministry.

“On defence we refused, that’s where our life is. We feared they would spy
on us,” Mugabe said to applause.

Meanwhile, a vendor in Mupedzanhamo who was clad in Zanu PF regalia said he
had come assuming he would be able to return to his stall.

“While it’s a norm that we don’t operate when the president is around, l
came because there was an option that we could take turns to attend and sell
our wares,” he said.

“However, most people didn’t turn up because they didn’t want to be forced
to attend the rally.”

A Chikanga resident said he attended the rally under duress to appease Zanu
PF heavies in his neighbourhood as he had been issued with a T-shirt and a
cap.

“What option do l have? They run the country with fear now, there is no need
to beat up people because we all know what they can do when they think they
are cornered,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Another Chikanga resident said he had to attend to protect his family as
Zanu PF youths were in the past few nights, running around the suburb
singing songs advising people to vote for the party or risk war or even a
military take-over.

“Zanu PF youths have been running around our area threatening war or a
military coup if the President (Mugabe) doesn’t win,” he said.

“We even came as a group with my neighbours and made sure that people saw
that we had come.

“On the night, the police only came out an hour after the youth had gone.
But they had passed less than a hundred metres from the police post,” he
said.

Tsvangirai warns chiefs

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

XOLISANI NCUBE  •  24 JULY 2013 12:10PM

HARARE - Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday warned traditional
leaders against force-marching their subjects to Zanu PF rallies, saying
this is in contravention of the country’s new Constitution.

Tsvangirai told hundreds of MDC supporters in Mashonaland East — who braved
Zanu PF intimidation and threats — that traditional leaders must be
apolitical.

At Murehwa Centre, one of the venues where the MDC leader addressed a
sizeable crowd, vehicles ferrying Zanu PF supporters wearing party regalia
constantly circled the venue — keeping a close eye on everyone attending the
rally.

“I hear that some chiefs and headmen are forcing people to go to Zanu PF
rallies, stop it!” Tsvangirai said.

“The new constitution does not allow you to do that. I know that at times
you are also threatened but you will not stop change which is inevitable,”
Tsvangirai said to applause from the crowd.

The MDC leader addressed rallies at Kotwa Business Centre, Mudzi Centre,
Mutoko and Murehwa Centre.

A number of MDC supporters in Mashonaland East Province told the Daily News
that fear and intimidation from Zanu PF prevented a number of party
supporters from attending the rallies.

Party activists said they feared being targeted for vindictive treatment as
happened in the 2008 polls.

Tsvangirai told his supporters to wear Zanu PF regalia and attend the former
ruling party’s rallies in order to maintain peace but vote for him on July
31.

“This election is about choosing the future and the past. It is about the
old and the young generation. It is about darkness and light which the MDC
represents and Zanu PF being darkness,” he said.

“Ask Zanu PF and its leader, President Robert Mugabe what they will offer in
the coming five years which they failed to do in their 33-year-old rule.

“We saved this country from collapse in 2009 when we formed the inclusive
government,” the former opposition leader said.

The MDC leader said his government will create jobs and transform rural
areas into semi-industrial hubs.

“Hospitals were closed, schools had become museums under Mugabe’s rule, but
today, you can confidently send your children to school, thanks to the MDC
contribution in this inclusive government,” the MDC leader said.

Tracy Mutinhiri, former Zanu PF minister — now MDC candidate for Marondera
East constituency — said Zanu PF was employing “dirty-tricks” of
intimidation in the province in a bid “to stop change from taking place”

“I am glad that the people here have a slogan which says zviri mumoyo, (it’s
my secret) when it comes to who they support. They will attend Zanu PF
rallies but not on voting day, it will be their secret as to whom they would
have voted for,” she said.

MDC officials up for tearing Zanu PF posters

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

CHENGETAI ZVAUYA AND NYASHA CHINGONO  •  24 JULY 2013 12:07PM

HARARE - Ten members of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC in
Mashonaland Central province are facing charges of malicious damage to
property after tearing down Zanu PF posters, while a Bulawayo MDC official
has been fined over the same charge.

The Mashonaland Central officials were granted bail of $30 each yesterday by
Bindura magistrate Elisha Singano for defacing and removing Zanu PF posters
and replacing them with MDC posters.

Councillors Hilton Mushonga (Ward 38,) Mike Choto (Ward 21,) Shingirai
Gweshe (Ward 21,) Hilda Nyamukanda (Ward 32,) Glenda Njekese (Ward 23,)
together the youth members Caroline Sambureni and Shingirai Masau were
arrested on Thursday night in Mazowe West in the Concession area.

They have been jointly charged with MDC aspiring candidate for Bindura North
Tobias Tapera, who also faces charges of political violence.

The MDC members are expected to appear in court on Thursday for trial.

They are all denying the charge.
Meanwhile, a Bulawayo provincial magistrate has fined a city resident $100
for tearing down Zanu PF posters.

Irvine Manyangadze, 35, of Barbourfields suburb pleaded not guilty of
tearing down campaign posters belonging to aspiring candidate for Bulawayo
Central, Mlungisi Moyo.

But Bulawayo magistrate Crispen Mberewere slapped him with a 3 months
suspended jail sentence and fined him on the charges as defined in the Act.

Jeremiah Mutsindikwa told the court that on July 13 around 5pm, Takura
Mbovora of Queenspark saw Manyangadze tearing down two campaigning posters
pasted on a pole at corner Herbert Chitepo and Five Avenue.

Mbovora reported the case to the police, leading to his arrest.

Zimbabweans see red over Mugabe

Election Alert
23 July 2013

ZIMBABWEANS SEE RED OVER MUGABE, Zanu PF POLITICAL CAMPAIGN POSTERS

MORE than 30 Zimbabweans are seeing red after being arrested and charged for
pulling down President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party’s political campaign
posters in contravention of the country’s obnoxious electoral laws.

With just a week away before the country’s harmonised elections scheduled
for Wednesday 31 July 2013, about 37 Zimbabweans have been arrested and
detained for allegedly contravening various sections of the Electoral Act in
particular Sections 152 and 153.

Court papers gleaned by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights show that those
arrested for breaching the Electoral Act are citizens accused of defacing
election posters thereby stoking tensions in the troubled southern African
country.
It is apparent from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)’s
statistics that most of the people who have fallen foul of the tough
electoral laws largely include supporters of MDC-T party leader Morgan
Tsvangirai and Professor Welshman Ncube’s MDC party.

Authorities in Mashonaland Central province appear to be enforcing the
clampdown on dissent the most as the mining town recorded the highest number
of Zimbabweans charged with committing electoral transgressions.

In Manicaland, Ncube’s supporter, Memory Nyambuya, is currently standing
trial after she was arrested on 16 July 2013 and charged with contravening
Section 152 (1) of the Electoral Act in that she allegedly removed a Zanu PF
campaign poster bearing the picture of Innocent Benza, an aspiring
parliamentary candidate representing the former ruling party in Mutasa
Central constituency on 16 July 2013 at Mutasa District Community grounds.
Nyambuya is represented by Cosmos Chibaya, a member lawyer of ZLHR.

Another MDC member, Godfrey Munyama, who is the party’s aspiring
parliamentary candidate for Mutasa South constituency will stand trial on
Thursday 25 July 24, 2013 after he was arrested on Saturday 20 July 2013 for
allegedly breaching Section 152 (1) of the Electoral Act. Prosecutors allege
that Munyama unlawfully and intentionally defaced a poster displayed by
Irene Zindi a ZANU PF aspiring parliamentary candidate contesting to
represent the same constituency. Munyama, who is represented by Chibaya is
denying the allegations and argues that he was arrested while he was pasting
his own political campaign posters.

Ordinary residents whose political affiliation is not known have also been
targeted as can be testified by Thembelisi Ndhlovu, who was arrested on
suspicion of removing posters. However, police did not have any eveidence
against her and proceeded to release her after being profiled and indicated
that they will summon her after consucting further investigations.

Another ordinary resident Johnson Mlambo of Bulawayo was assaulted by some
Zanu PF youths after he refused to take some flyers that they were handing
out to people during a campaign programme.

The bulk of the victims who are Tsvangirai’s supporters include Tapiwa
Dandajena, who will stand trial next month after he was arrested on 10 July
2013 for allegedly placing an MDC-T poster at Shamwarijoe Hotel in Mvurwi,
Mashonaland Central province.

The trial of Elisha Chitofu and Shingirai Mhembere of Bindura, who are
represented by ZLHR member lawyer Ernest Jena and who were charged with
destructing some Zanu PF political party posters as defined in Section 152
(1) of the Electoral Act commences on 2 August 2013.

In Bindura, some unidentified MDC-T activists were also apprehended and
charged for allegedly spray-painting some bridges with graffiti.

Other MDC-T victims include Johannes Chipadaza of Rusape, who was remanded
out of custody ton $100 bail to 7 August 2013 and Stanley Chawira, who was
recently released on free bail by Magistrate Feresi Chakanyuka.

Simbarashe Mberenga of Bindura was recently arrested on 16 July 2013 and
charged with disorderly conduct in public place as defined in Section 41(a)
(b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act. The State alleges that
Mberenga uttered an MDC-T party slogan ”Chinja maitiro maitiro chinja”
whilst passing close to some Zanu PF party supporters who were receiving
T/Shirts and caps from an aspiring Councillor one Innocent Zvigumbu. He
returns to court on 1 August 2013 for commencement of his trial.

Also up for disorderly in a public place as defined in Section 41 (a) (b) of
the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act are Ronald Mapfumo and Fanuel
Tangi who were arrested at a shopping centre for allegedly wearing MDC-T
T/shirts with the portrait of their party leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

In Karoi, Mashonaland West province, six MDC-T party supporters including
Ophias Chiputire were arrested and charged with criminal insult after they
were accused of insulting Zanu PF member Frank Ndambakuhwa while they were
pasting their party campaign posters.
Still in Karoi, police only released some campaign material for Blessing
Mandava, the MDC-T parliamentary aspiring candidate for the Hurungwe East
constituency, which had been seized as some parents claimed that he was
conducting some campaigns within Kasimhure Primary School, after the
intervention of lawyers.
The police had confiscated Mandava’s consignment of campaign material, which
he stored at his house at Kasimhure Primary School where he is teaching.

Kudzai Choga lawyer is sweating it out representing several Chinhoyi
residents Charles Mashonganyika, Calisto Mukucha, Farai Chisakambwi, Desmond
Charuza, Lucky Kautende, Defend Chisango, Jefta Twaya, and Bezel Tsunge and
Patrick Magadzire of Karoi who were arrested for pasting up some political
party campaign posters in Mashonaland West province.

In Chitungwiza, Unganai Dickson Tarusenga, the MDC-T aspiring legislator for
St Mary’s constituency is answering to charges of violating Section 40 of
the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act after he allegedly
distributed his posters with the support of two youths when more supporters
started to assist him during the with this process.
In Victoria Falls, Matabeleland North province, Nqobani Ngwenya and Charles
Ncube, who are MDC-T party activists were arrested on 8 July 2013 for
wearing MDC T T-shirts. However, they were released without a formal charge
being levelled against them. The police indicated that they are conducting
further investigations and will summon the two activists if need be.
In Bulawayo, Oswell Rusike was spared to stand trial after the complainant
in his matter elected to withdraw charges of contravening Section 153 of the
Electoral Act before plea. Rusike had been arrested and detained at Luveve
police station on 16 July 2013 on allegations that he defaced a Zanu PF
political campaign poster.

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights

Zanu PF tears down rivals’ campaign posters

http://www.theindependent.co.zw/

July 24, 2013 in Elections 2013, News

WITH just a week to go before crucial general elections on Wednesday,
militant Zanu PF youth groups are tearing down and destroying rival
political parties’ fliers and posters in some parts of the country, Zimbabwe
Independent can reveal.

Faith Zaba

Campaign posters and fliers for the MDC formations led by Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai and Professor Welshman Ncube are hardly visible along the
Harare/Mutare road. Tsvangirai’s posters are few and far between in Mutare’s
suburbs, like Sakubva, Chikanga, Dangamvura and Yeoville.

In an interview, MDC-T Makoni South aspiring candidate Pishai Muchauraya
said to avoid violent clashes with Zanu PF youths, his party had now
resolved to halting putting up posters after most of its campaign material
was destroyed.

“Zanu PF has been removing our posters. They have gone as far as plastering
their posters on my billboard at our MDC-T offices here in Nyazura. We had
painted Christmas Pass red but if you play a game with people who do not
follow rules then you will have problems like what we are going through,” he
said.

“So we agreed that we will suspend putting up our posters. Zanu PF
supporters are even going as far as plastering Mugabe’s posters on people’s
private vehicles and combis without their consent and they have dared them
to remove the posters. People will not do anything because they are still
afraid of the violence that was unleashed on them in 2008.”

Muchauraya said although Mugabe has told his supporters to allow other
parties to freely display their party loyalty and regalia during election
campaigning, a common practise in other countries, there is now burgeoning
fear because Zimbabwe’s elections have been marred by violence and alleged
vote rigging since 2000, mainly by Zanu PF.

“There is no open violence that we can talk of but there is subtle
intimidation. There are these twin-cabs with menacing looking people that
just drive around and they look at party supporters with an intimidating
look. People think it’s just too calm and don’t  believe it will end like
this,” said Muchauraya.

High-Powered AU Delegation Arrives in Zimbabwe for Polls

http://www.voazimbabwe.com/

Staff Reporters
23.07.2013

WASHINGTON DC — A high powered African Union (AU) delegation has started
arriving in Harare for observing Zimbabwe’s general election to be held July
31.

The first to arrive Tuesday afternoon was AU Commissioner for Political
Affairs, Aisha Abudullahi, who will be followed Wednesday by AU Commissioner
Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

Addressing journalists at Harare International Airport, Abudullahi said the
AU is supposed to monitor or observe elections in member states.

Abudullahi said the AU is happy about Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa’s
deliberations on the role of the military in Zimbabwe’s political processes,
including elections.

Abdullahi said the AU expects Zimbabwe to hold a free and fair election this
year.
The AU is guided by the African Charter and principles of democracy in
monitoring and observing general elections in African countries.

Over 20,000 Observers To Monitor Zimbabwe Polls

http://www.bernama.com.my/

HARARE, July 24 (Bernama) - The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has to
date accredited nearly 20,000 observers for the July 31 polls, Zimbabwean
news agency New Ziana reported.

ZEC deputy chairperson Joice Kazembe said that at least 18,000 local
observers and 1,500 foreign observers have been accredited so far.

"The date for closing of applications will be four days before the
elections," said Kazembe.

Foreign observer groups already in the country include the African Union
(AU), Southern African Development Community (SADC), Common Market for East
and Southern Africa (COMESA), SADC Parliamentary Forum and non-governmental
organisations such as SADC Electoral Support Network and SADC Electoral
Advisory Council.

Local embassies have also been allowed to select a maximum of five observers
to watch the election.

A host of local NGOs and church organisations from across the country's 10
provinces will also observe the polls.

The observers will be deployed across 9,650 polling stations in 1,958 wards
around the country.

ZEC limits EU, US embassy observers

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

23/07/2013 00:00:00
     by Joseph Mashizha

THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has allowed only five election
observers from each of the embassies of European Union countries, the United
States and other western nations.
President Robert Mugabe has said Zimbabwe will not invite observers from
“hostile” countries which imposed sanctions on the country – effectively
banning European Union countries, the United States, Canada, New Zealand and
Australia.

But Mugabe said African and South American countries were welcome to send
observer missions – either as regional groups or individually because
Zimbabwe had “nothing to hide”.

Ahead of general elections on July 31, the ZEC on Tuesday announced that it
had approved 7,561 local and foreign observers for accreditation.

Of that number, 6,650 were local observers; 589 foreign observers, 294 local
journalists and 28 foreign journalists, ZEC deputy chairperson Joyce Kazembe
told reporters in Harare.

The ZEC confirmed it had turned down dozens of applications by some EU
country embassies and the United States mission after deciding to limit
observers to just five from each embassy.

Official observer missions including the Sothern African Development
Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU) will deliver the final verdict
on the credibility of the vote which Mugabe is keen to see pass off
peacefully after a violent presidential run-off in June 2008.

The European Union and the United States have both been leaning on Zimbabwe
to invite observer missions from their countries.
At a rally in Chinhoyi last week, Mugabe appeared to apologise to some EU
countries which he said were paying for the sins of Britain which engineered
the imposition of sanctions on Zimbabwe.

His comments appeared to be directed at Germany and Spain whose
representatives held a meeting with Zanu PF national chairman Simon Khaya
Moyo and asked for their observers to be accredited. The requests were
rejected.

Chombo debt write-off illegal - Masunda

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

WENDY MUPERI  •  24 JULY 2013 12:00PM

HARARE - Outgoing Harare mayor Muchadeyi Masunda has said Local Government
minister Ignatius Chombo’s directive to write-off outstanding rates was
thoughtless and lacking in legal basis.

Chombo on Tuesday directed councils nationwide to write-off all accumulated
water bills, unit tax, rentals, fees and levies outstanding from 2009 to
June 2013.

According to the law, Chombo was supposed to make a proposal to council, to
which after critical evaluation, the authorities report back to him in 30
days, Masunda said.

“Chombo’s decision is not valid at law,” Masunda said. “It is council, on
its own, which after due consideration of the debts at hand writes them off,
excluding rates.

“This is the most thoughtless and outrageous decision I have ever heard in
my life and the repercussions are severe. We are going to become another
Detroit and suffer politically-induced bankruptcy all in the name of
politics, God forbid.

“Running of the city is not for politicians and they should stay away.”

According to Masunda, Harare city — which is currently owed $400 million —
usually stocks water chemicals that last for a week and said very soon the
city will run out of chemicals and there will be a crisis with devastating
consequences.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC said the minister’s edict — which
comes six days ahead of a major poll — was a populist directive by a
“caretaker minister.”

“While the MDC understands the plight of residents and sympathises with them
for the hardships they are facing in failing to pay their bills because of
mismanagement and corruption of the Zanu PF government, we note with concern
the timing of Chombo’s directive,” the MDC said in a statement.

“It is not a genuine directive meant to benefit the suffering people of
Zimbabwe but it is a Zanu PF campaign tool as it has realised that the
people of Zimbabwe are going to punish them on 31 July for mismanaging the
economy over the last 33 years.”

The MDC statement described it as “cheap populism” and a “thoughtless
development” that has no legal basis and will land Zimbabwe in a serious
service delivery dilemma.

HRT Position on the Debt Cancellation Directive from Minister Chombo

23 July 2013, Harare- The Harare Residents’ Trust (HRT) receives with
caution the decision by the Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban
Development Ignatius Chombo to direct that all local authorities in Zimbabwe
cancel all debt accrued by residents from February 2009 to 30 June 2013.

Minister Chombo’s approach is similar in nature to the directive issued by
the then Minister of Energy and Power Development Engineer Elias Mudzuri in
April 2009 directing that residents in low density areas should pay US$40
for electricity consumption while those in the high density should pay US$30
per month, his solution to the exorbitant bills that residents were getting
from the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA). Still, ZESA went on
to disconnect all defaulters three months down the line.

Engineer Mudzuri was commended by the residents, because he immediately
responded to the calls for a review of bills by electricity consumers. To
residents, leadership must timeously respond when consumers of services
raise legitimate concerns.

While residents across Harare welcome the principle of debt cancellation, as
provided by legislation, the timing of the action remains suspicious. As the
citizenry celebrate this belated victory on debt accumulated by residents,
mostly unjustified, and unrelated to services rendered, it is important to
acknowledge that the HRT mobilised plus three thousand Harare residents to
sign a petition on 19 October 2012, handed to the Deputy Mayor Emmanuel
Chiroto and copied to the Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban
Development among other stakeholders.

Residents are demanding the cancellation of all debt accrued from February
2009 to 31 December 2010, a period when the City of Harare evidently did not
provide essential refuse and water services to the majority of the
citizenry. During this cited period, life was extremely difficult,
economically and socially for residents, and the council experienced this
hardship, no doubt.

To our dismay the Mayor of Harare Muchadeyi Masunda was reluctant to engage
on this issue of service delivery and debt cancellation, viewing council
business as a profit making organisation, which it is not.

In response to Masunda’s reluctance to lead conclusive discussion on the
residents’ petition in council, the residents of Harare, backed by the HRT,
then led a demonstration in Harare on 6 November 2012 at Town House, still
demanding the cancellation of all debts accrued by residents from February
2009 and 31 December 2010. These bills are based on estimates, and the City
of Harare continued to charge residents 51 percent interest on overdue
accounts, causing most bills to rise. All those residents with debts from 1
January 2011 to the present should have their bills re-calculated,
reflecting the actual debt situation. This is the demand of the HRT. Our
expectation then was that the Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban
Development, should have acted, facilitated dialogue among City of Harare,
residents, business and industry, and or directed the City Council to
respond to the demands of the residents timeously, in a concrete manner. The
action taken by Minister Chombo is commendable in as far as the legal
provisions cited in the Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29.15) section 303 and
the Rural District Councils Act (Chapter 29.13) section 133 is concerned,
bonded by the Prescription Act Chapter (11) section 15.

It is our hope that genuine dialogue is pursued among all stakeholders with
an urgent desire for a win-win situation as a way forward.  This is in line
with the HRT’s mission of ‘building capacity for productive engagement among
service providers, residents, and their elected representatives as means to
improve living standards in communities.’   In June this year, the Council
made a resolution to give residents 30% discount to ratepayers who would
have been able to settle their debt by 31 December and just a month later
the Ministry orders all the Councils to clear all debt; this demonstrates
that there is a disconnection in policy formulation by the Local government,
the local authorities let alone the ratepayers implicated.

The organisation is concerned mostly that Minister Chombo did not act on the
petition by the HRT in October and November 2012. It is important to note
here that while this directive will impact negatively on the income
generated by the City of Harare, it is now more critical that the incoming
council at Town House should handle this matter with sensitivity because
residents face daily hardships, which they hope to overcome, and any relief
given is most welcome.

Going forward, the HRT makes the following recommendations;

-          The principle of debt cancellation should be applauded by all
citizens

-          Residents should not be billed for refuse not collected; water
not supplied, and estimate water consumption. All interests charged on
overdue accounts should be reviewed to at most five percent per annum and
not the current 10 percent.

-          The incoming parliament should repeal the Urban Councils Act to
ensure the full participation of residents in the affairs of the council,
and also define the roles and responsibilities of councillors.

-          The Minister should review his decision, by possibly putting a
maximum monetary figure of debt to be cancelled, or alternatively taking
cognisant of the HRT’s call for total debt cancellation for the period of
February 2009 to 31 December 2010 to allow for continued and improved
service delivery other than crippling the work being done apparently by the
Council.

-          The City of Harare, in collaboration with its stakeholders can
undertake a means testing to determine what amounts owed should be repaid by
individual debtors. This will help the local authority to share the
experiences of the communities in meeting their financial obligations, and
also evaluating the abilities of the people to repay their debts.

-          Budget formulation by the City of Harare should be
stakeholder-driven with proposals guided by the ability of the residents to
fund the budget. Currently, budgets produced by the City of Harare are not
linked to the incomes of the average resident, resulting in a lot of debts
not being cleared at all, becoming bad debts on the books of accounts of
council.

-          The City of Harare should produce audited books of accounts, a
legal obligation the local authority has failed to do since 2009.
Ironically, the City of Harare has continued to formulate new budgets, yet
there is no way residents have access to crucial information on how the
revenue generated has been utilised, and for what purposes.

-          The incoming council to be elected on 31 July 2013 should review
all policy decisions that are being made by the commission currently running
the affairs of Harare of Provincial Administrator Alfred Tome and Town Clerk
Dr Tendai Mahachi, from the time the council was ‘dissolved’ by the Minister
of Local Government, Urban and Rural Development until the day a new council
is installed at Town House.

Email: hretrust79@gmail.com/ info@hrt.org.zw Mobile: 0772 869 294 Landline:
790394/797357

Website: www.hrt.org.zw

HRT Advocacy

0772771860/0772278307/0772869294/0775625100

HRT Offices: Number 5 Tudor Gardens Corner Mazoe Street /Josiah Tongogara

Landline- 797357

Expat Zimbabweans doubtful over fair polls

http://www.timeslive.co.za/

Sapa-AFP | 24 July, 2013 11:16

Many of the millions of Zimbabweans living abroad won't return home for key
general elections next week, sceptical of a fair outcome after years of
election violence.

President Robert Mugabe has vowed to extend his 33-year-rule and beat bitter
rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai at the polls on July 31.

The vote will choose a successor to the pair's tense unity government, but
those who fled the nation's downward spiral into political and economic
crisis doubt the prospect of a new beginning.

"This is a make or break election for Zimbabwe, but as important as it is,
in my opinion, I can't help but feel that it's a futile exercise," said
Justice Chikodzera, an immigrant in South Africa.

An unemployed teacher, Chikodzera counts among around two million Zimbabwean
immigrants living in their neighbouring country.

Here some of Zimbabwe's brightest young minds work for a pittance as
restaurant waiters or car guards, drawn by South Africa's economic clout
after fleeing election violence in their nation.

Zimbabwean laws do not allow people residing outside the country to vote, so
the masses of eligible voters who live abroad have to travel home to draw
their cross.

Except many won't.

Chikodzera said he was discouraged by his country's history of "vote-rigging
to suit certain parties".

Despite closely following the political events back home, he won't return to
vote, but still urged his countrymen to choose wisely.

"This time we need to prove to the world that we can determine our future,"
he said.

Tsvangirai won the first round of voting in previous polls in 2008, but
pulled out of run-off elections after around 200 opposition activists were
killed in violent clashes.

Mugabe and Tsvangirai were forced to share power a year later, but their
unity government has failed to reform the security forces and media despite
a new constitution approved in a referendum in March this year.

Emigrants doubt that polls this time round will be fair, said Abius Makadho,
a representative of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in
South Africa.

People feared being singled out for attacks by supporters of Mugabe's
ZANU-PF party, said Makadho.

"So far nothing suggests that the vote will be fair," he said from
Diepsloot, a densely-populated slum north of Johannesburg.

He echoed concerns that ZANU-PF may have tampered with the voters' roll to
stuff ballot boxes later.

"Many people have told us that they aren't registered. Others registered but
their names don't appear on the voters roll," he said.

"So they have lost interest."

Rights groups have raised the alarm because the register of voters still
counts names of people who have already died.

There are increasing fears that supporters of Mugabe, 89, who eyes another
decade in power, won't accept defeat.

But some Zimbabweans will still make the journey to choose new leaders.

One of them is Nyasha Nzvimbo, a law graduate who works as an attendant at a
service station in South Africa.

"This election should serve as a lesson that political violence won't take
us forward," he said determined.

"People yearn for returning home. They want to return to a free and
flourishing Zimbabwe, led by credible leaders," he said.

Mugabe proclaimed the election date earlier than planned, leaving the
candidates only a month to campaign and organisers scrambling to prepare for
elections the rest of the world will watch with a hawk's eye.

The candidates have criss-crossed the country courting votes in the past
month, trying to fit into weeks campaigns that usually take months.

But thousands of security forces missed out on chaotic voting in special
elections earlier in July, sounding an ominous note for the upcoming polls.

Time constraints made organising the vote "tough", leaders from regional
mediator the Southern African Development Community acknowledged after an ad
hoc-meeting on Saturday.

A Zimbabwean academic based in Johannesburg believes the polls were too
rushed to allow people decide on their preferred candidate.

"The time wasn't enough to allow parties time to state their position, and
for the voters to make up their minds," said Tawana Kupe from the University
of the Witwatersrand.

"The campaign period is not only about the politicians," he said.

International relations laughs off Mugabe's comments about SA

http://mg.co.za/

24 JUL 2013 13:43 KHUTHALA NANDIPHA

The international relations department has refused to engage President
Robert Mugabe after he launched an attack on SA during an election rally.

According to Business Day on Wednesday, Mugabe reportedly said that
Zimbabweans run the South African economy. He also said that Zimbabwe had
areas in which it was superior compared to South Africa.

"Jobs in hospitality translate to them running the economy. Really?"
chuckled International Relations and Co-operation spokesperson Clayson
Monyela.

Although Mugabe admitted shame over the thousands of Zimbabweans making a
living in a foreign country, he was quick to add that he was not to blame.
He said it was regrettable that South Africans are threatened by Zimbabweans
and have shown their frustration through violence.

He conceded that their desire was to create jobs for their people, but
claimed his efforts were hampered by the Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) who would not release money to distressed companies. He accused the
MDC of jeopardising the prospects of Zimbabweans.

But he said Zimbabwe still had a better education system than South Africa.
According to him, Zimbabwe holds undisputed supremacy when it comes to
literacy. Despite economic challenges, he maintains, Zimbabwe "still had a
better education system than South Africa and all African countries".

He cited figures that put Zimbabwe's literacy rate at 91% and SA's at 86% –
third in Africa.

He also condemned South Africa for their stance on gay rights, claiming that
they should not be upheld as they are not human rights. "Gays and lesbians
are worse than pigs and dogs. We cannot allow our children to be worse than
wild animals," he said during the rally.

Although aware of these utterances, the office of the president declined to
comment on any of the issues.

New website launched to display election results in real time

Robert Mugabe criticises Barack Obama's gay rights stance

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Robert Mugabe has attacked Barack Obama's stance on homosexuals ahead of the
Zimbabwe elections.

By Aislinn Laing, Johannesburg4:29PM BST 24 Jul 2013

Mr Mugabe repeated his claim that homosexuals were "worse than pigs and
dogs" and slated the Americans' linking of aid contributions to countries'
human rights records, something Britain has suggested it too will do.

Speaking at a rally in Mutare, eastern Zimbabwe, the 89-year-old also
dismissed opposition party suggestions that Zanu PF was seeking to rig next
Wednesday's vote by tampering with the electoral role.

He called on exiles, who he said had used him as a "passport" to gain asylum
abroad, to come home, describing Britain – where many fled amid spiralling
poverty and economic collapse in the past 15 years – as a "very cold,
uninhabitable country with small houses".

Mr Obama called on African governments to give homosexuals equal rights by
decriminalising their activities during his first extended visit since
taking office to his ancestral continent last month.

Homosexual acts are still a crime in 38 African countries, where most people
hold conservative religious views.

Mr Mugabe told cheering supporters in Mutare that supporting homosexuality
was counterproductive.

"Then we have this American president, Obama, born of an African father, who
is saying we will not give you aid if you don't embrace homosexuality," Mr
Mugabe was quoted as saying by the Zanu-PF supporting Herald newspaper.

"We ask, was he born out of homosexuality? We need continuity in our race,
and that comes from the woman, and no to homosexuality. John and John, no;
Maria and Maria, no. They are worse than dogs and pigs. I keep pigs and the
male pig knows the female one."

Mr Mugabe dismissed claims by Morgan Tsvangirai, his MDC rival who wants to
unseat him from his 33-year grip on power, that he would seek to win another
five-year term by rigging the elections.

"We are now mature people," he said. "We are not having elections for the
first time. We have had elections before, good elections.

"We never had rigged elections. So, let us observe peace, be united in our
country, but that unity must be based on recognising that there are other
groups that have their own programmes."

Mr Mugabe reportedly told his audience that the estimated one in six
Zimbabweans living abroad should come home, adding that his government had a
plan to create jobs in infrastructure development and mining.

"(Exiles) said sanctions are biting, companies are closing, there're no
jobs," he was quoted as saying by newzimbabwe.com. "They included nurses;
they went to Britain during (Tony) Blair's time, and Blair used that to
blame my government; said that these people are running from Mugabe's evil
regime. If you said 'Mugabe', they would just say 'come in, come in'.

"But see now, they are saying these people are too many, they are causing
tension in Britain, let them go back."

He claimed that those who went abroad were not doing any better than those
they left behind, telling exiles: "You have your country; you fought for it,
why are you running away?"

Prominent Zanu PF farmer evicts 5 families for supporting MDC-T

http://nehandaradio.com/

 

 

 

JULY 23, 2013

 

By Lance Guma

 

ZVIMBA – A former Zipra commander who was also the late Dr Joshua Nkomo’s personal bodyguard, Frederick Mutanda, has evicted five families from their homes at his Winray Estates farm, out into the open space, because they are supporters of the MDC-T led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Thrown out into the open for supporting the MDC-T

One of those evicted is Sebastian Mawara the MDC-T aspiring councillor for Zvimba North in Ward 14. In the two pictures sent by a Nehanda Radio Citizen Reporter you can see Mawara’s family and four other families sleeping out in the open with their property. They have been sleeping outside for two days now.

Many will recall that in February 2011, Mutanda, now a prominent Zanu PF farmer and businessman was arraigned to court for resisting a government order to vacate the very same farm. The farm had been allocated to Andrew Maringa, a former senior official in the President’s Office (CIO).

Out in the winter cold after being evicted for supporting the MDC-T

At the time, the targeting for compulsory acquisition of Mutanda’s farm raised suspicion because mainly white owned farms were targeted under the chaotic and often violent exercise. Mutanda is now allegedly evicting workers from the farm based on their perceived political affiliation.

S.Africa wants Zimbabwe vote to reflect people's will -Motlanthe

Source: Reuters - Wed, 24 Jul 2013 05:23 PM

By Peroshni Govender and Jon Herskovitz

PRETORIA, July 24 (Reuters) - With a big vested interest in the stability of
Zimbabwe, South Africa is keen that next week's election in its northern
neighbour should fairly reflect the people's wishes, Deputy President
Kgalema Motlanthe said on Wednesday.

Hundreds of thousands of refugees fled into South Africa after violence in
the last election, in 2008, landing it with an expensive humanitarian
crisis. But since it helped to broker a unity government, the economy has
been recovering, creating opportunities for South African business.

However, preparations for the July 31 elections have been far from smooth,
with President Robert Mugabe's rivals in the Movement for Democratic Change
alleging that his ZANU-PF party is making it hard for their voters to
register. Washington has said it is not convinced the vote will be free and
fair.

In an interview with Reuters, Motlanthe said Pretoria had no preference as
to the result.

"Whatever the outcome of the elections, it should be a free expression of
the will of Zimbabwe. That is how we view it."

But he also said political stability was a precondition for economic
development. "We have a vested interest as a country in ensuring that there
is peace and stability in Zimbabwe. We can only benefit from that."

South Africa's major banks, retailers and mining firms have operations in
Zimbabwe and positioning themselves to expand if the economy, estimated by
the International Monetary Fund to be worth $9.8 billion in 2012, continues
to grow. Zimbabwe spends the equivalent of 20 percent of its GDP on imports
from South Africa.

Yet two days of advance voting this month for 63,000 police officers and
soldiers suggested that fears of election chaos will be borne out, raising
the prospect of a disputed result.

Motlanthe said that, so far, there were no indications that the widespread
violence and intimidation surrounding the 2008 election would be repeated,
but added:

"If anything causes an implosion in Zimbabwe, we would with immediate effect
have to deal with the consequences".

Motlanthe said President Jacob Zuma spoke regularly with Mugabe, who has
made disparaging public comments about Pretoria's interventions, even
calling one of Zuma's top envoys "stupid and idiotic".

ZEC should prove it is not rigging

http://www.mdc.co.zw

Wednesday 24 July 2013

The question of impartiality or lack thereof has been a thorny issue in the
Zimbabwe’s electoral management body the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC)
since the formation of the MDC.

There is no equivocation that the MDC has been winning elections since its
formation but has been losing the vote count owing to the partiality of ZEC.

Judging by the conduct of ZEC in previous elections, the MDC has every
reason to be worried and call upon the electoral management body to
institute mechanisms that instill confidence in the people that their vote
is not going to waste but will make a meaningful contribution towards change
in Zimbabwe.

Since 2000, we have seen how the electoral management body has been used by
Zanu PF to subvert the will of the people.

In June 2000, following the famous constitutional referendum defeat, ZEC
drastically reduced the number of polling stations particularly in the urban
areas for the parliamentary elections.

Thousands of eligible urban voters were deliberately disenfranchised and
could not cast their ballot. In the rural areas, where Zanu PF is perceived
to enjoy support, polling stations were erected at kraals. This same rigging
tactic was employed during the 2002 presidential election.

In 2005, the electoral management body in cohorts with the delimitation
commission employed the tactic of gerrymandering whereby urban seats were
combined with rural seats to dilute the MDC vote. As a result, the MDC
parliamentary share plummeted from 57 seats to 41 seats.

In 2008, it took ZEC more than six weeks to announce the presidential
election results which when they were finally announced were unashamedly
rigged in favour of Zanu PF. The MDC’s own internal parallel voter
tabulation revealed that President Tsvangirai had gotten more than enough
votes to avoid and run-off. For the same body to preside over a sham run-off
election, which was international discredited, was rather open mischief.

Judging by the conduct of ZEC during the special vote of 14 and 15 July
2013, the MDC and every democracy, change and transformation loving person
has every reason to be worried.

The surplus of irregularities that overwhelmed this process only manifests
that ZEC, despite having new Commissioners, is a case of old wine in new
bottles. It is a fact that by close of the first day of voting more than 95
percent of polling stations has not received voting material.

It is a fact that ballot papers were only printed the day before the
election. It also a fact that ZEC was not in charge of the electoral process
but senior police officers who were coercing police personnel to vote for
Zanu PF.

The question lingering in every Zimbabwean’s mind is, if ZEC cannot manage a
mere 209 polling stations, how will they manage over 9 500 polling stations
on July 31? If ZEC fails to print ballot papers for a mere 70 000 people,
how they will print for the 6.4 million eligible voters? Put simply, does
ZEC have the capacity to ensure the will of the people is respected? Thus
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has every right and reason to question the
institutional capacity of ZEC to deliver on 31 July 2013.

It is for this reason that the MDC has called for the commission to hire new
civilian staff to superintend the election process. From the highlighted
irregularities and the perpetual bungling by ZEC it is abundantly clear that
there are dark forces with the electoral management body that are bent on
manipulating the vote.

The MDC and the people of Zimbabwe have learnt from past experience and will
not allow ZEC to stand in their way and their resolve for change and
transformation. ZEC cannot and must not allow itself to emerge as a
stumbling block to the peoples’ thirst for freedoms, democracy, real change
and transformation.

The onus is on ZEC to allay fears that elections are rigged before they even
start. ZEC must prove and instill confidence in the people that it is ready
to preside over a transparent election.

The MDC will follow and watch every process and step to ensure that rigging
does not take place. The MDC will not allow the perpetual feat of winning
elections and losing the vote count. Come July 31, the people will endorse
real change and transformation.

31 July 2013: I Vote for Change!!!

Living standards in rural Zimbabwe has declined

http://www.sabc.co.za/

Wednesday 24 July 2013 15:08
Shingai Nyoka

Zimbabweans will go to elections in a week, as research suggests that living
standards in the rural areas have declined since the country introduced the
US dollar in 2008.

The discovery of diamonds in 2007 appears to have done little to change the
trend. Rural Zimbabweans say jobs and reversing the decline will be an
important factor as they contemplate who their next leader will be in the
July 31 elections.

In Marange, Eastern Zimbabwean Amos Muchapera (not his real name), is
wealthy on paper - His country ranks highly on the global index of natural
resources per person. But in reality it's been two weeks since he's held a
dollar bill and his six children often go days without food.

Life in this community, on the outskirts of  the world-famous Marange
diamond fields, has steadily worsened despite the discovery of the gems.

Billions of dollars’ worth of gems are scooped up from the soil every year.
But you wouldn't know it by looking. That's because an estimated $2 billion
dollars has been lost through corruption, through high ranking officials
enriching themselves at the expense of the poor.

Muchapera has patiently waited for tarred roads, upgraded schools and jobs
promised by the politicians in the last elections.

Muchapera says: “Someone my age shouldn’t be sitting around in the rural
areas. I should be working for my family. And despite the promises, we haven’t
seen any improvement to show that these diamonds are working for us.”

The empty promises could come back to haunt politicians
The Marange community says it’s tired of empty promises.

President Robert Mugabe pledged that natural resources will be transferred
to the hands of poor blacks under the indigenization programme but they are
yet to see the developments from the mining companies.

One of the community members says: “They say they have donated 10 million
from each company. But as a community we haven’t received it. They are just
talking; it’s like a moving animal in the air.”

“I don’t want a job now. I am already over 60 years. I want my children to
have jobs. At the present moment, I am keeping my children and
grandchildren, I am feeding them myself, “says another community member.

Just what has happened to the hundreds of millions due to the government is
unclear; the finance minister claims the companies have failed to remit
fees. But the gems have financed the construction of a new airstrip the
fields to export rough diamonds out of the country as well as a
multi-million dollar state of the art military college in the capital.

And while the country wallows in poverty the empty promises could come back
to haunt politicians.

Van Heerden rebuttal on illegal hunting activities

Rebuttal / Clarification of facts relating to articles linking us to illegal
hunting activities/Involvement with Zanu-Pf Politicians

Several media reports have linked , Barry Van Heerden & Big Game Safaris
Zimbabwe to being involved in illegal hunting activities in Zimbabwe. One
such report was based on information supplied to US Embassy officials in
Zimbabwe by Mrs Sally Bown of SOAZ (safaris operators association of
Zimbabwe) and a Mr Clive Stockil.
We would like to state for the record, we have never been involved in any
illegal hunting activities whatsoever. Interested parties can verify for
themselves by contacting the Director General of Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife
Authority Head Office in Harare +263-4-707624-8 / +263-4-705344. All and any
hunting is done in accordance with relevant hunting permits that are issued
by the Authority.

The crude dishonesty of party regalia

http://www.thezimbabwean.co/

23.07.13

by Tawanda Majoni

As I have repeatedly said in this space, the election period is a phase of
madness, and the regalia craze among political parties irritates me to the
point of nausea.

Just recently, I was saddened by the sorry sight of five Chitungwiza youths
who were fighting over a loaf of dry bread as they headed home in the
evening after attending President Robert Mugabe’s rally at Chibuku stadium.

Readers will recall that rally for the tragedy that engulfed the dormitory
city when several people died during a stampede to gain entrance into the
stadium, and the ominous truck accident that injured many residents, quite a
number of whom had been frog-marched to Chibuku, as they trooped back home.

Of course, the deaths did not stop President Mugabe from addressing the
rally; neither did he acknowledge the tragedy - just as he does not stop
when his speeding motorcade causes a fatal accident.

But that is just an aside. The youths mentioned above were clearly too
hungry, having been bussed into the stadium early in the morning without
eating and spending the whole day with only Mugabe’s rhetoric as sustenance.

I wondered if these young men were awake to the fact that the T-shirts and
caps they wore were in fact far more expensive than the loaf of bread they
were jostling over.

I don’t blame them. It is unlikely that they still believe what the Old Man
tends to spew at his rallies. Young they might be, but they have lived long
enough to know that the party Mugabe heads represents nothing but a howling
hollowness and painful memories.

They are old enough to remember the days of the bearer cheques, the endless
queues and the overflowing sewage. Memories of the cholera that claimed
thousands of deaths and empty banks and shop shelves must surely be still
fresh in their minds. It is just that they had no choice but to go to
Chibuku, for they also remember what happened at the Zanu (PF) torture camps
in 2008.

But the madness is not limited to Zanu (PF). All the other parties are
guilty of the same sin. Wherever Morgan Tsvangirai goes, there is a sea of
red shirts, T-shirts, berets, jackets and campaign posters. The same applies
to Welshman Ncube’s “green” party.

I blame the parties for having wrong priorities. It simply does not make
sense to clothe a person in regalia worth more $10 when you cannot buy him
or her a loaf of bread worth a dollar or less. But this is what happens
whenever elections are around the corner.

I hear that Zanu (PF) managed to get regalia worth millions of dollars,
apparently from China. I am not so naïve as to be ignorant of the importance
of institutional wear as a marketing tool. I know that it is vital for
branding and publicity. That is the reason why parties are so obsessed with
it during election time.

But I maintain that a good party, especially in the Zimbabwean context, does
not need a sea of red, green or yellow T-shirts to brand itself. It should
simply do so through its own deeds, past and present – which should be
enough to sell the party to the electorate.

I am convinced that the parties could earn more votes by asking their
benefactors to give money or gifts in kind and channelling these towards
renovating clinics and schools, or feeding and clothing those in old people’s
homes or orphanages.

That has not happened, of course, because most sick people, school children,
the elderly and orphans do not cast votes, so they may just as well go to
hell. The striking irony, though, is that, during the rallies, the parties
will profess undying commitment to these neglected segments of our
population. Crass hypocrisy, isn’t it? - For feedback, please write to
majonitt@gmail.com

The fight is far from fair

http://www.thezimbabwean.co/

24.07.13

by Douglas Mwonzora

With only days to go until the elections, our country stands at the
crossroads. We know the will of the people is with us and that, if this were
a truly free and fair election, we would emerge victorious with a landslide.
But as we know only too well in Zimbabwe, the fight is far from a fair one.

We face the disenfranchisement of thousands as well as vote rigging at the
ballot box and in far more sinister ways through the machinations of the
very individuals entrusted with ensuring the will of the people is recorded
and respected: the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. But not even the great
malevolence of the regime can defeat the united, revolutionary strength of a
people who will do anything possible to bring about the change for which
they have campaigned for so long. But we will fight by all means necessary.

On election day we know that we will face long queues, so we will come ready
to wait. We know registration might be challenged, that the corrupt powers
that be will try anything to dissuade, discourage and intimidate us. But we
will make our voices heard and we will cast our rightful ballot.

It is clear that, as in past elections, Mugabe and his Zanu (PF) thugs are
trying every trick in the book to distract and deter the people from
exercising their right to vote on July 31. Do Zanu (PF), the police and the
military think they can arrest everyone? They cannot. Do they think they can
intimidate everyone? They cannot. Do they think they can disenfranchise
thousands in every community across the country? They cannot. If we, the
people of Zimbabwe—those of us who are crying out for change and real
progress—stand together, they cannot arrest us all. We have the power. We
can line up to vote—we will be seen. We can share with our friends,
neighbours and loved ones that we will be voting and that they should vote
too. We can share that we are voting for those we love who cannot, for those
who have given their lives for a freedom that has yet to be delivered, for
those who have left the land of their birth to find employment, because this
government offers none here. We can now vote for leadership that—instead of
bringing more years of oppression—has a plan to bring economic and political
reforms. A plan to create new jobs, rebuild our failed infrastructure and to
rejoin the international community.

We have a choice in Zimbabwe. It is not an easy one and our struggle over
the past 13 years proves, Mugabe and Zanu (PF) will not release their grip
on power easily. History has taught us to plan for the worst: fraud,
intimidation and violence. For those who see or experience any of these, I
encourage them to share this information widely. Post it on the internet,
call it in to hotlines reporting violence, share it on social media, take
photos, and send them to independent media. We must shine a light on this
darkness and let the “chaos faction” know that we are watching and the world
is behind us. We know they plan to steal the election and we must watch for
these thieves and protect what is rightfully ours.

Monitors and poll watchers will also play a role. They must remain vigilant
in what may be a chaotic environment and prepare for a day of battle. They
must challenge instances of fraud and potential fraud. They must protect the
God-given right to vote that so many made sacrifices for. They must ensure
that they operate in the light and that what they see and what we see, the
world sees too.

Victory can be ours, providing we are fired up and want it enough. We must
do everything to ensure the people of Zimbabwe and the world know that our
choice is for change and that we will accept nothing less than Morgan
Tsvangirai as our new president for the beginning of a new dawn.

We have seen before how those who cling to power and rape our resources will
try to make this election theirs. We cannot let that happen. If they try to
fix the results we must protest by all means available. If they falsify
victory we shall take to the streets to show that we will not accept a
manufactured defeat. We have been denied too many times and we will not be
denied again. The time for change is now.

The last mile

http://www.thezimbabwean.co/

24.07.13

by Baba Jukwa

VaPanduki, we are almost there. A few days to go before we pay the evil
people in my Party their dues. An X against their names. They say a journey
of a thousand miles starts with a single step. That’s what happened since we
started our Vapanduki Jazz Band.

From one Baba Jukwa a few months ago to millions of Baba Jukwas today - and
the junta does not even know what to do. They can’t kill the whole nation,
for we are all Baba Jukwa. But let’s not celebrate yet because there are
still things we need to fix. There is a big plan to rig in the rural areas
this time using intimidation just three days before the elections. They
failed to rig using postal votes thanks to all of us who remained vigilant.

We need to applaud all who are working for you Zimbabwe guarding the ballot
boxes at the Sheraton. In previous years our Party brought stuffed ballot
boxes to rig the elections. They tried again this time with three unclaimed
ballot boxes. Our Party had stuffed those boxes. By the time you read this
column those boxes will have been destroyed or they will have been accepted.
They will do this again in rural areas. So Jukwas will need to be vigilant.

The junta has just unleashed those young soldiers recruited last year
without a budget throughout the country with guns loaded with rubber
bullets. They will conduct all night pungwes three days before elections in
every village. They will be firing shots in the air to intimidate and they
think that by the time the information reaches the media and the world,
elections will be over. Then anyone wanting to contest will have to go
through the courts and you know how the courts are now a branch of my party.

On July 31 each Headman will be ordered to go with his people to the polling
station early in the morning at 3am and form lines according to some order.
The villagers will be told that the Junta will know how they voted because
they are ordered in a line. I call upon all progressive political parties to
ask SADC and AU to urgently deploy observers in all rural areas where they
move at night to witness this new way of rigging. Parties should ask SADC to
bring more observers. Those observers in the country are very few and they
are more worried about staying in expensive hotels and not staying in the
rural areas where observation is needed.

If you are in the rural areas, we urgently want information of where these
young soldiers are and what they are doing. Use your phone cameras to record
evil and send it to us. The junta is cornered and is now threatening
violence. To parents in the rural areas please save your food, don’t take it
to these useless bases that have been setup. Save your daughters from rape.
It’s up to you to refuse that your children go to bases. The bases have
already been setup countrywide and Political.

Exposé
Zimbabwe are you aware of the sad story of Midlands where farmers are being
taken for granted by my evil party? Nelma Holdings, run by a senior party
official, has made millions of dollars by conning vulnerable farmers.

This company had its Headquarters at Zanu (PF) offices in Kwekwe. They had
another branch in Murewa. Last season they went around offering farming
contracts to plant maize. Farmers were asked to pay $35 per hectare as admin
fee and promised 8 bags compound D fertilizer, 6 bags AN fertilizer, 25kg
seed and herbicides. Poor people made payments into Nelma CBZ account.

Some made payments at the Zanu offices in Kwekwe. When the rains came, the
company made excuses that they could not deliver the contracts and told the
poor communal farmers that their inputs would be delivered the coming season
(2012-2013). The season came - with nothing from them. They just switched
off phones. If you call Mr Miwa 0776357104 who coordinated everything he
will tell you to call the owner of the company Nelson Mahupete 0773053580.
The money swindled is between $15-20 million.

Mahupete is a big fish in Zanu and Chief Charumbira’s name has also been
mentioned in connection with this. - Asijiki, Ndatenda, Bhora ngariponjeswe.
Baba Jukwa

Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe

http://www.bbc.co.uk/

 

24 July 2013 Last updated at 18:29 GMT By Joseph WinterBBC News

Continue reading the main story

Zimbabwe - New Era?

• Satellite TV to launch
• Cartoon characters stir up politics
• Faith in the future
• Preserving colonial farmhouses

As Zimbabwe's economy has gone from bad to worse to disastrous in recent years, Robert Mugabe's political and physical demise has been predicted many times but he has always confounded his many critics - so far at least.

Before the last elections, in 2008, he said: "If you lose an election and are rejected by the people, it is time to leave politics."

But after coming second to Morgan Tsvangirai, Mr Mugabe displayed more characteristic defiance, swearing that "only God" could remove him from office.

And just to be sure, violence was unleashed to preserve his grip on power.

In order to protect his supporters, Mr Tsvangirai pulled out of the second round and although Mr Mugabe was forced to share power with his long-time rival, he remains president of the country he has governed since 1980.

The key to understanding Mr Mugabe is the 1970s guerrilla war where he made his name.

Continue reading the main story ROBERT MUGABE

• 1924: Born
• Trained as a teacher
• 1961: Married Ghanaian Sally Hayfron
• 1964: Imprisoned by Rhodesian government
• 1980: Wins post-independence elections
• 1996: Marries Grace Marufu
• 2000: Loses referendum
• 2000: Land invasions start
• 2002: Wins presidential elections, dismissed by western observers
• 2008: Comes second in first round of election, Tsvangirai pulls out of run-off
• 2009: Swears in Tsvangirai as prime minister
• 2011: Wikileaks cables suggest he has prostate cancer

At the time, he was seen as a revolutionary hero, fighting white minority rule for the freedom of his people - this is why many African leaders remain reluctant to criticise him.

Since Zimbabwe's independence, most of the world has moved on - but his outlook remains the same.

The heroic socialist forces of Zanu-PF are still fighting the twin evils of capitalism and colonialism.

Any critics are dismissed as "traitors and sell-outs" - a throwback to the guerrilla war, when such labels could be a death sentence.

He blamed Zimbabwe's economic problems on a plot by Western countries, led by the UK, to oust him because of his seizure of white-owned farms.

His critics firmly blame him, saying he has shown no understanding of how a modern economy works.

He has always concentrated on the question of how to share the national cake, rather than how to make it grow bigger.

Mr Mugabe once famously said that a country could never go bankrupt - with the world's fastest-shrinking economy and annual inflation of 231m% in July 2008, he was determined to test his theory to the limit.

Professor Tony Hawkins of the University of Zimbabwe once observed that with Zimbabwe's leader: "Whenever economics gets in the way of politics, politics wins every time."

In 2000, faced with a strong opposition for the first time, he wrecked what was one of Africa's most diversified economies in a bid to retain political control.

He seized the white-owned farms which were the economy's backbone and scared off donors but in purely political terms, Mr Mugabe has outsmarted his enemies - he is still in power.

At any cost

After he suffered his first electoral defeat, in a 2000 referendum, Mr Mugabe unleashed his personal militia - the self-styled war veterans - who used violence and murder as an electoral strategy.

Mr Mugabe says he is fighting for the rights of black Zimbabweans

Eight years later, a similar pattern was followed after Mr Mugabe lost the first round of a presidential election.

When needed, all the levers of state - the security forces, civil service, state-owned media - which are mostly controlled by Zanu-PF members, are used in the service of the ruling party.

The man who fought for one-man, one-vote introduced a requirement that potential voters prove their residence with utility bills, which the young, unemployed opposition core electorate were unlikely to have.

One of the undoubted achievements of the former teacher's 33 years in power was the expansion of education. Zimbabwe recently had the highest literacy rate in Africa at 90% of the population.

The now deceased political scientist Masipula Sithole once said that by expanding education, the president was "digging his own grave".

The young beneficiaries were able to analyse Zimbabwe's problems for themselves and most blamed government corruption and mismanagement for the lack of jobs and rising prices.

Cartoon figure

Mr Mugabe may well believe it would be easier to rule a country of subservient subsistence farmers than a well-educated, industrialised workforce.

He claims to be fighting on behalf of the rural poor but much of the land he confiscated has ended up in the hands of his cronies.

Mr Mugabe has not been afraid to use violence to stay in power

Archbishop Desmond Tutu says that Zimbabwe's long-time president has become a cartoon figure of the archetypal African dictator.

During the 2002 presidential campaign, he started wearing brightly coloured shirts emblazoned with his face - a style copied from many of Africa's notorious rulers.

For the preceding 20 years, this conservative man was only seen in public with either a stiff suit and tie or safari suit.

Many Zimbabweans, and others, are asking why he does not just put his feet up and enjoy his remaining years with his young family.

His second wife, Grace, 40 years his junior, says that he wakes up at 04:00 for his daily exercises.

Mr Mugabe was 73 when she gave birth to their third child, Chatunga.

He professes to be a staunch Catholic, and worshippers at Harare's Catholic Cathedral are occasionally swamped by security guards as he turns up for Sunday Mass.

However, Mr Mugabe's beliefs did not prevent him from having two children by Grace, then his secretary, while his popular Ghanaian first wife, Sally, was dying from cancer.

'King'

Wife Grace says Mr Mugabe wakes at 4am for his exercise

Although predictions of Mr Mugabe's demise have always proved premature, the increasing strain of recent years has obviously taken its toll and his once-impeccable presentation now looks a little worn.

In 2011, a US diplomatic cable released byWikileaks suggested that he was suffering from prostate cancer.

But if nothing else, Mr Mugabe is an extremely proud man.

He will only step down when his "revolution" is complete.

He says this means the redistribution of white-owned land but he also wants to hand-pick his successor, who must of course come from within the ranks of his Zanu-PF party.

This would also ensure a peaceful old age, with no investigation into his time in office.

There have occasionally been widespread predictions that either Zanu-PF or Zimbabwe's neighbours would finally stand up to Mr Mugabe but in the event, both groups remain loyal to him.

One of Mr Mugabe's closest associates, Didymus Mutasa, once told the BBC that in Zimbabwean culture, kings are only replaced when they die "and Mugabe is our king".

Mugabe Should Not Make Jokes Of His Failure To Rule Zimbabwe

By

Andrew M Manyevere

The Diaspora does not find President Mugabe’s humour any more amusing than
it is upsetting and lamentable. He is heard at political rallies in Zimbabwe
telling people that exiles should come home, yet he cannot explain the
actions of Zanu trained hooligans beating citizens for expressing their
political views against his rule. He tells the people Zimbabwe is their
country only at rallies when in anger against opposition he admits that
Zimbabwe is his. He cannot account for people’s suffering from lack of
personal freedom, lack of jobs, freedom to associate publicly without being
accosted by police. People have had deteriorating their way of living
without comfort and zero empowerment to ordinary people.

It need not be forgotten that anyone who is in the diaspora went as a result
of direct acts of brutality meted by the regime on either parents, uncles
and/or brothers of citizens who then decided to leave for both security and
job hunting abroad. People do not just make a decision to leave a country.
Especially the African people given our closely netted relationships and
extended family systems. The system is able to preserve and look after its
own and only nature cruelty such as drought, would see people immigrate into
the urban centers to seek for work and send money to the villages to save
their kin and kith.

In the 2000s when thousands upon thousands of Zimbabweans begun leaving the
country, Mugabe has to admit, faced rising and strong political opposition
that beat him in all political elections and referendums; beginning with the
2000 referendum on the need to change political and governance styles. When
Mugabe’s Zanu was beaten in the 2000 referendum, the use of force and
violence by the army and police begun rising acutely and brutally. Mugabe
today decides to forget all the plight he has faced trying to silent the
people’s voice against change of government.  He claims In a simplistic
fashion that Zimbabwe people went abroad using pretext of his rule, since he
is a tough leader on the western powers, in order to secure asylum. What a
joke this is and what an unrealistic way of appreciating his absolute
failure to maintain rule of law in the country.

Mugabe who today tells ordinary citizens that Zimbabwe is their own country,
has said all sorts of statements against the povo which relegated them to
the dustbins of politics, today as well as in the past. Mugabe’s party Zanu,
elevated him from President to life president implicitly endorsing him as
though the only man born to rule Zimbabwe. Subsequently Mugabe run down the
trade union leadership in Zimbabwe mocking on them just as he now mocks at
many of Zimbabweans abroad. His self-opinionated thinking made him to
despise his background and origin. Like all of us who from working class to
intellectualism or middle class business people, Mugabe walked the same
road.  Memory is very short and obviously Mugabe forgot how he rose in life
as a peasant son helped by Jesuit priests to go to school and then became a
teacher. As a teacher he was just a worker. Fighting against colonialism and
finally taking over power as Zimbabwe’s first black Prime Minister never
changed his origins; a peasant son who grew exposed to both poverty and
oppression.

How he came to the conclusion that any one opposing his rule was being used
by either British or Americans explain, not only his phobia for colonial
rule but, his failure to comprehend full breath of democracy and all its
rudiments. He remained very tyrannical just as he did when he was heading
cattle with others in childhood days. Education only refined his oppressive
Machiavellian tactics. The sad thing is he forced his abusive ruling methods
upon the ordinary, beating them, using all forms of torture to breed true
fear in the minds of all citizenry across the divide.

How dare he mocks his ruin of our country and want to attribute suffering of
the common people in Zimbabweans to external forces? He came into power and
failed to bring a home grown constitution but amended the Lancaster house
constitution giving himself unforgiving powers as never attributed to any
living tyrant other than those who perished long ago. Using the Romanian
leader styles of dictatorship he grew youth militias under many names-green
bombers, youth militia, and special constabulary- but with one objective, to
kill political opposition in the country.

It has remained mysterious how many nationalist have faced cold death either
on a ‘road accident’ or permanent ‘disappearance’. I must confess that only
those who acted cruelly upon others have forgotten and not some of us to
whom cruelty was administered. People do not just stream out of their homes
by night into neighbourhood countries to face unknown beginnings, face 100%
chances of being eaten by either lions on the land or crocodiles in water
while they run away from peaceful environment? People run away from terror
of a heartless regime that treat them savagely to rid itself of political
opposition. Zimbabwe has been ruled by a dictator who cunningly attempted
painting a sense of political sanity while he terrorized his ordinary
citizens.

The iron of Zimbabwe political decay, unlike many others in Africa except
for a few, was part of this legacy where we waged a war to attain freedom
from oppressive colonial governments to achieve meaningful security for
individual rights and their freedom to exercise political choices. These
dreams were short lived.  In towns censorship of news into newspaper is now
an ordinary fact of life for Mugabe to gain a hero status based on painting
Zimbabweans as peaceful people who love him and praise him without
criticism. Ironically it was and is this section of the country’s population
(rural) through their children in the urban centers, that begun the crusade
for political regime change that became visibly active in the early 1900s.

Rural areas were and remain denied of information and fed on Zanu
propaganda. Today if you are head by Zanu hooligans scandalizing on the name
of Robert Mugabe you either face instant justice or you are hauled to prison
and detained prior to facing a fictitious trial based on anti-human right
legislation ever witnessed throughout Rhodesian colonial history.

Without peaceful environment no country can attain development and this
Mugabe ‘studies did not teach him that. He puts blame upon blame both on
Zimbabweans, neighbourhood government workers as well as other heads of
state. He promulgates laws of revenge and robs owners of assets under
pretext of race to justify his failing policies. He then turns around and
blame diaspora why they run to the west when he gets all his medical
treatments from abroad and never at home. By sheer examples Mugabe has no
faith in his systems-political, economic and health.

Does Mugabe have confidence in his management of the country? No he does not
hence his endless trips for treatment abroad and never at home. Who then
does he expect to get poor medical treated at home?  It is the ordinary
Zimbabweans who are economically and health wise are treated to table
dropping crumbs while Mugabe pumps the country foreign currency abroad for
his wife’s shopping.  Does that not mock ordinary Zimbabweans to whom he
appeals to shouting vote-vote, now that he faces inevitable political
change?  He turns to the masses to get their vote or else they face the
wrath of a renewed armed struggle? The question is armed struggle against
who and from who, if not direct threat using a cruel state machinery that
has beaten people to silence over thirty years. Mugabe need to accept that
he has failed and has no new ideas except recycling failure upon failure
thereby traumatizing the nation.

If Mugabe and his party are failing they ought to face their right to fail
and accept quitting opening room for new initiatives. Blaming poor
Zimbabweans who are suffering abroad and are nostalgic for home is neither
fair nor humane from anyone, more so from Mugabe while enjoying the luxury
of campaigning even after thirty-three years where fifty-five percent of his
rating is total failing.

He failed to transform the army into a professional army that has national
interest focus. Both the police and intelligence office are an institution
that has enhanced corrupt practices and ill will among people. Our legal
system has been politicized and the judges who get promoted are strongly in
support of Zanu if not card holders. Everything that does not support the
theory of separation of institutions as a democracy tenet has been allowed
to seed its ugly corrupt roots under the watch and supervision of Mugabe and
his party.

Recently on you-tube, Ignatius Chombo is being hackled away by Zanu
supporters and police are negotiating for perpetuation of corruption instead
of carrying out an investigation on the allegation label against the
minister. When opposition supporting citizen is being attacked by Zanu’s
supporters, police do not interfere. The rule of law rarely holds water in
Zimbabwe, a tribute to the failure Zanu and its leader Mugabe have archived
into their system over the last thirty and odd years.

If the Diaspora was to vote, the vote from the Diaspora would mean that
Mugabe has to go. At eight-nine it is complete ingratitude for a man to
stand claiming he can do what he failed to do early on in life. We need to
tell President Mugabe that man has a span of life when he can still be
productive, he has exceeded that limit. No country develops when she loses
her manpower the way Zimbabwe lost because of Mugabe poor socio-economic
decision coupled with abusive security system that has no regards for human
life.

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