Zimbabweans refuse to vote and spoil ballot papers despite Robert Mugabe's violent threats

By Louis Weston and Peta Thornycroft in Harare

Last Updated: 7:51PM BST 27/06/2008

President Robert Mugabe faces humiliation as hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans defied intimidation and refused to vote in his unopposed re-election.

AFP/GETTY

Robert Mugabe casts his vote in the presidential election run-off

Despite threats from Mr Mugabe's thugs to beat those who refused to vote, many polling stations in the capital Harare had not seen a single ballot cast three hours after opening.

Others remained virtually empty and many of those who did vote simply spoiled their ballot papers.

Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition leader, announced he was pulling out of the election last weekend in protest at weeks of violence against his supporters. But the regime said the poll would go ahead anyway.

Mr Mugabe's militiamen warned they would launch "Operation Red Finger", targeting anyone whose left little finger is not stained with the ink used to indicate who has voted.

But observers estimated that turnout was between a quarter and a third of the level seen in the first round on March 29.

One man in Harare's suburb of Belvedere spoiled his ballot in protest against the regime. Holding up his coloured finger, he said: "It's just to be safe. I have got to vote, they have been saying 'We will spill your blood if you don't'."

But he marked two crosses on his ballot paper, beside both Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai: "You have to put two crosses, if you leave it blank they will fill it in themselves," he said.

Others did not even bother going to the polling booths. A waiter with a red fingertip admitted: "I did it myself, with a ball-point pen. It's better to be safe."

Throughout the day, state television insisted that a huge turnout was taking place, attributing the absence of queues to a hitherto unknown efficiency among election officials.

However, ZBC's Freedom Moyo, its reporter in Bulawayo, defied the station's remit by telling the nation: "There are very few people. People have listened to Tsvangirai's call to boycott the election." He was not heard from again.

Mr Mugabe yesterday entered a polling booth in Harare to declare, as the only candidate standing, that he was "very optimistic" about the result.

In rural areas, where monitors are few, reports emerged of coerced voting, with some all-night indoctrination sessions taking place outside polling stations.

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network said its members had seen gross malpractice, voter intimidation and a low turnout, while military sources admitted that election officers were security personnel in plain clothes.

On Harare's western outskirts, militia from Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party rounded up hundreds of people and forced them to the polling stations.

"They have taken them now and anyway they are vulnerable so they will vote," said an employer in the area.

In Mr Mugabe's home province of Mashonaland West, one source said: "All our workers, all the resettled people are going to vote for Mugabe, because if they don't they will be in extreme trouble. Our workers are taken night after night for re-education camps, so we are expecting all of them to vote for him today. Most of them didn't vote for him last time. If there was ever freedom, Mugabe would not get five per cent of the votes even right next to his rural home."

And in places Mr Mugabe's propaganda is effective. In St Mary's, south of Harare, an auto-electrician said he had voted for the president because Mr Tsvangirai wanted to hand Zimbabwe back to the whites.

The 84-year-old leader proclaimed himself "healthy" and "optimistic" as he cast his own vote in Harare.

MDC sources said that while they hoped for a low turnout, they expected figures announced in rural areas to be higher than in the first round. One source said the priority was for people to do whatever was necessary "so they are around and alive when the time comes to have a real election".

Mr Tsvangirai denounced the process as an "exercise in mass intimidation with people all over the country being forced to vote. There is nothing legitimate about this election process."

He urged African leaders to refrain from recognising the outcome of the "sham" poll. "Anyone who recognises the result of this election is denying the will of the Zimbabwean people," said Mr Tsvangirai.

He added there would be "no role" for President Thabo Mbeki in mediating a solution if South Africa recognises Mr Mugabe's expected victory.

ENDS

Militias force some to vote for Zimbabwe's Mugabe

Reuters

Fri 27 Jun 2008, 17:22 GMT

By Cris Chinaka

HARARE (Reuters) - Many Zimbabweans boycotted the one candidate-election on
Friday but witnesses said government militias forced people in some areas to
vote for 84-year-old President Robert Mugabe.

The vote, held despite a storm of condemnation from inside and outside
Africa, was denounced as a sham by Western powers and opposition leader
Morgan Tsvangirai.

Tsvangirai, who won the first round on March 29, pulled out of the poll a
week ago and took refuge in the Dutch embassy because of state-backed
violence he said had killed almost 90 of his supporters. He told a news
conference millions of people were staying away from the polls despite
intimidation.

"What is happening today is not an election. It is an exercise in mass
intimidation with people all over the country being forced to vote,"
Tsvangirai said.

A witness in Chitungwiza town, south of Harare, told Reuters voters were
forced to hand the serial number of their ballot paper and their identity
details to an official from Mugabe's ZANU-PF party so he could see how they
voted. The Zimbabwe Crisis Coalition rights group said village heads had
"assisted" teachers to vote in some rural areas after forcing them to
declare that they were illiterate. Many teachers are accused of supporting
the MDC.

Turnout was low in urban areas where Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) is traditionally strong. But it was not clear how many voters
went to the polls in rural districts that are difficult for independent
journalists to visit.

Tsvangirai urged people to abstain but said they should vote if they were in
danger.

Turnout was much lower in many areas than in parliamentary and presidential
elections in March, when people queued from the early hours. Tsvangirai won
that poll but fell short of the majority needed for outright victory.

Voting on Friday began at 0500 GMT and ended 12 hours later.

SANCTIONS

The G8 group of rich nations lambasted Zimbabwe for going ahead with the
run-off and the United States said the U.N. Security Council may consider
fresh sanctions next week.

Tsvangirai said pro-Mugabe militias had threatened to kill anybody
abstaining or voting for the opposition.

Voters had their little finger dyed with purple ink.

"There is no doubt turnout will be very low," said Marwick Khumalo, head of
monitors from the Pan African Parliament.

But state television denounced foreign media reports of low turnout. It
showed long queues in a semi-rural constituency close to Harare and said
voters ignored MDC appeals to abstain.

Another African election monitor, who asked not be to named, said turnout
was low except in some ZANU-PF strongholds.

Mugabe voted with his wife at Highfield Township, on the outskirts of
Harare. Asked how he felt, he told journalists: "Very fit, optimistic,
upbeat," before being driven away.

The African Union is optimistic it can solve the Zimbabwe crisis, the
organisation's top diplomat said on Friday ahead of a summit in Egypt next
week likely to be dominated by the issue.

"I am convinced we will sort it out and that our credibility will be
maintained," AU Commission chairman Jean Ping said during a foreign
ministers meeting in Sharm el Sheikh.

Tsvangirai said he understood South African President Thabo Mbeki planned to
recognise Mugabe's re-election. But he said it would be a "dream" to expect
his MDC to join a national unity government with Mugabe's ZANU-PF.

Mbeki, the designated regional mediator in Zimbabwe, has been widely
criticised for a soft approach towards Mugabe despite an economic crisis
that has flooded South Africa and other countries with millions of refugees.

Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu, often seen as South Africa's moral
conscience, said Mbeki must join other African leaders in declaring Mugabe
illegitimate if he claimed victory.

Calling Zimbabwe's crisis a "sad tragedy," Archbishop Tutu said Mbeki should
admit his diplomatic approach had failed. "Everybody would support him if he
now turned the screws on his colleague Mr Mugabe. I know he would be doing
it reluctantly," Tutu told Reuters television.

BREAD

In the affluent Greendale suburb of Harare in the morning there were scores
of people queuing for bread at a shopping centre but only 10 at a polling
station nearby.

"I need to get food first and then maybe I can go and vote ... I heard there
could be trouble for those who don't," said Tito Kudya, an unemployed man.

Mugabe has presided over an economic collapse accompanied by
hyper-inflation, 80 percent unemployment, food and fuel shortages. A loaf of
bread now costs 6 billion Zimbabwe dollars, or 150 times more than at the
time of the first round of elections.

A middle-aged man waiting for a bus said it was dangerous to talk about
politics. "Your tongue can cost you your teeth," he told Reuters, adding
that he would vote.

Analysts said Mugabe was pressing ahead with the election to try to cement
his grip on power and strengthen his hand if he was forced to negotiate with
Tsvangirai.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said the vote was going well. "Everything
is well on course and people are voting peacefully," Deputy Chief Elections
officer Utoile Silaigwana told state radio.

A security committee of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
called earlier this week for the vote to be postponed, saying Mugabe's
re-election could lack legitimacy.

But Mugabe, who thrives in defiance, remained unmoved and said he would
attend the AU summit to confront his opponents.

Mugabe says he is willing to sit down with the MDC but will not bow to
outside pressure.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said after a Group of Eight nations
(G8) meeting in Japan that Washington would raise the issue of further
sanctions at the U.N. Security Council. The European Commission described
the run-off as "a sham".

State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters: "I think it's pretty
clear to everybody that this is a sham process run by a government that will
have no legitimacy."

Sokwanele - Boycott updates from around Zimbabwe

Sokwanele - Enough is Enough - Zimbabwe PROMOTING NON-VIOLENT PRINCIPLES TO ACHIEVE DEMOCRACY

Boycott updates from around Zimbabwe Sokwanele : 27 June 2008 No one queuing to vote at City Hall (12.50 pm), Bulawayo. Usually one of the busiest city centre polling stations. THE BOYCOTT IS A RESOUNDING SUCCESS It is starting to look like the boycott has proven highly successful, particularly, as expected, in urban areas. The turnout is interesting because the country’s urban areas have been under an onslaught of violence, intimidation and hate speech. The towns have been swamped with people in Zanu PF regalia, and the omnibuses and taxis plastered with Zanu PF posters. So much so that many have been worried that this would force voters into the polling stations. It's not very often that we see an absence of queues in Zimbabwe and today was one of them. This, we think, is a positive sign for future - a future where we don't have to queue for everything we need. The nationwide trend is a clear message to the dictator, he is not wanted! Emgwanani Nketa 1.40pm However, it isn't all positive news. We cannot pretend that violence is not happening and some of the reports we have received talk of intimidation and coercion, people being forced to vote, and threats of retributive violence to follow. The bodies of seven murdered people were found at Spillway Dam in Epworth today. We ask all Zimbabweans to be very careful in these days that follow, to take care of themselves and do what is needed to keep safe. Remember that the majority of the world, including regional countries, is watching very closely and most have already said - before the polls even opened - that the results from today could not possibly be considered free or fair. It is very important that freedom loving Zimbabweans continue to do what they have done for so many years now: stand strong and do not be tempted to resort to violence. What sickens the world more than anything is the fact that this regime is viciously aggressive towards a nation made up of people who are obviously peaceloving and decent. No one can respect or admire a callous and cruel bully; in fact, you could argue that a leader who beats up defenceless unarmed people and rules through terror is the worst kind of coward there is. Tolerance among those who once supported Robert Mugabe and his henchmen is wearing very thin. We are on a journey, a difficult and painful journey, but our destination is peace. It's worth us all reaching deep inside ourselves to find the energy to keep walking a little longer. We have included a message from Morgan Tsvangirai at the end of this mailing, sent today. Please can you take note of his messages to those who were forced to vote against their will. We would like to echo his words and say we are so sorry that some of you were forced to do something you did not wish to, and that you have been struggling with fear and uncertainty. We recognise that that must have been hard for you when you wanted to stand with us. Please do not think you were alone when you were forced to cast that ballot, because every single person who stayed away today stayed away with thoughts of people like you in our heads and prayers for your in our hearts. We are in this together, all the way and right to the end. God bless our wonderful country and all of her people. MORNING UPDATE The Econet cellphone network, owned by Strive Masiyiwa, is all but defunct so communications via cellphone are proving almost impossible. One wonders if the sole state telephone controller has deliberately put a spanner in the works? In addition, NetOne coverage is also very poor, and for the past two months it has been almost impossible to buy pay top up cards for pay as you go lines, only for contracts. The rumour is that the companies printing the top up cards were forced to use their machinery to print Zanu PF cards. Government knows that people are intending to spoil their votes if forced into polling stations, so the word on the street is that most voters will have to cast their ballots in the presence of a state agent. Harare The people of Harare have opted to stay at home today. By 8.30am polling stations had processed an average of 20 voters each, a far cry from the 29/3 election when people had started queuing by 4am. But the atmosphere is tense, with the expectation that midday will signal the time when the state will galvanise their thugs to force people to vote. Many activists have gone to ground, fearing for their lives, following the recent information disseminated with the latest JOC strategy report leaked. We hope and pray the observers will do their job today. Bulawayo It’s a beautiful winters day, deep blue skies and the sun is shining – a great day to stay at home and relax. Bulawayo has shown the dictator exactly what they think of him, the boycott of the polling stations is complete. An activist did a drive around the city and polling stations are morgue-like. The Bulawayo City Hall, usually a fairly busy station due to its location in the centre of town, is dead. Another usually busy polling station had had all of 3 voters by 9am and that is the pattern throughout the city! Hey you guys... psssst...... Sokwanele - Zvakwana! Get it? In fact, all polling stations driven past, saw the police and polling agents sitting outside sheepishly enjoying the morning sunhine and reading the daily dose of propaganda from the state controlled "Chronic" newspaper. Interestingly enough the Chronicle is on the streets, but so are yesterday’s copies of the Sowetan and the South African Star. So, the government’s attempt to deny all fair news coverage has been stymied by the sale of these papers, but only for those who can afford it. But the underground news network is in full swing. The streets around the entire city are carpeted with red and white flyers, apparently distributed in the early hours of the morning. A call came in early this morning from a high density suburb to say, “Yesterday the streets were red, today they are white!" An Ndebele version of the boycott flyer is the order of the day. The other new addition adorning the streets are red spray painted V’s on walls, street signs, on the roads, as well as a few beribboned trees and sign posts. Somebody was busy last night! By-Election in Pelandaba As a by product of the boycott, the polling stations in this constituency are also very slow, a clear indication that people do not believe in the legitimacy of the election process. Lowveld Chiredzi polling stations are also enjoying poor turnout. Right now people have been forced to gather at Triangle Stadium, where they are being given papers and cards to go and vote. Hippo Valley, Triangle and Mkwasine sugar estates have been the sites for intensive “pungwes" for the past two months. People in these areas have said they will go to vote and they will vote Zanu PF for the sake of their children. Most people who in the past helped each other will not even talk to each other. Zaka People are being forced out of their homes to go and vote. Masvingo Voting patterns are the same as all other urban centres, two or three voters at most stations by mid morning. Victoria Falls/Hwange Once again, polling stations are dead. Hwange residents have been threatened with violence tomorrow if they do not turn out to vote. AFTERNOON UPDATE Harare Just about the only people to be seen at the polling stations are the police, still reading their newspapers. One activist reported they are entirely miserable and when she attempted smiling at them she was given a distinct growl. Today’s election is a general non-event. There are very few cars on the roads except for chefs and army personnel smugly driving around in brand new state of the art sport and 4x4 vehicles. Harare is now renowned for its high number of Mercedes Benzs. They are so new the plastic on the head rests have not yet been removed. Whenever passing State House one can see convoys of these vehicles. Anxiety in the capital is high with rumours abounding that at the close of poll anyone on the street will be attacked. It would be a good idea to warn residents to stay home tonight after 7pm. Another rumour that is circulating is that militia camps in the rural areas are being shut down in order to move the perpetrators of violence into the urban areas. Several activists have reported threats have been issued warning of violence to come following the counting of ballots. Chitungwiza State agents are circulating in groups, forcing people to go to the polls and escorting them to polling stations. They are being told to write down the number of the ballot paper on their hands and have to show the number once they have voted. Mbare It has been reported that there have been isolated cases of violence this morning when forcing people to go vote. Bulawayo The highest turn out reported so far is in Paddonhurst, right next door to Brady Barracks. The sum total of 5 voters were seen loitering in the queue there! On the 29/3 the voting queue went right around the block, and this is the only ward in the constituency where Zanu PF won. The vast majority of polling stations visited have not one voter in the queue. The police surely must be tired of reading and rereading the Chronic. A friend recently met a journalist from this esteemed rag and when she referred to his paper as the Chronic, he responded, “Ah, you refer to my paper as a disease!" Gweru Like all other centres very low turnout. There is an eerie calm in the town, they have been warned of the "celebration" being prepare for by Zanu PF tomorrow. Kariba It has been reported that you can hear a pin drop in this small town. However, Zanu PF representatives went to all businesses yesterday and collected ID Nos of all they could, threatening that they would check if the people had voted. Kariba is such a small town that everyone knows everyone and so there will probably be high turnout. Lowveld The town remains quiet and turnout is very low. Nyathi Boycott is successful, poor turnout. Voter turn out has been pitiful. The beerhall had a better attendance. The few who did go to vote said they spoilt their papers. Masvingo Boycott is successful, poor turnout. Once again, the same story. The only station of any significance is the one close to the army barracks, where a meagre 30 people were seen queueing in the morning. Kadoma Boycott is successful, poor turnout. Chivhu Boycott is successful, poor turnout. Rural Areas Most areas are sending in communications that people are being forced to vote. One activist bemoaned the fact that he should have distributed pink ink in advance so the thugs could not accuse anyone of not having a pink finger. In one constituency the militia recently beat their own supporters who had Zanu PF cards and T-shirts to show, but they were still battered - the militia do not believe anyone any more. One wonders who they have voted for? Thumbs up on the boycott Check out our Red Alert set on Flickr for lots more high resolution pictures. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sokwanele/sets/72157605828445492/ Statement by MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai What is happening today is not an election. It is an exercise in mass intimidation with people all over the country being forced to vote. Fortunately, Zimbabweans are attempting to stay away from the polls as they can tell the difference between democracy and a dictatorship desperate for the illusion of legitimacy. There is nothing legitimate about this election process. In many rural areas and some urban areas people were forced to spend the night in the open outside the polling stations. Today they have been ordered by militia to record the serial numbers of their ballot papers to identify anyone that might vote for the MDC. They are being told that before polls close they must gather again to await the results. These same militia are threatening anyone that doesn't vote or who votes for the MDC with death. Every voter in Zimbabwe has their little finger dipped in red ink. The militia are warning that tomorrow they will launch Operation Red Finger that will target anyone who has not voted. We have also had reports that people are being forced to claim that they are illiterate so that they are then accompanied into the polling booth by a member of the militia. And yet still millions of brave Zimbabweans are resisting these threats and staying away from the polls. Zimbabweans know that there is nothing legitimate about this election and they know that there will be nothing legitimate about the result. This is a view shared by many African and world leaders. Anyone who recognizes the result of this election is denying the will of the Zimbabwean people and standing in the way of a transition that will deliver stability and prosperity not just to the country, but to the region. I am heartened by the fact that so many African leaders are now working with the MDC towards finding a lasting, peaceful solution to the Zimbabwean crisis. These African leaders realize that it is essential that Zimbabwe joins the new Africa by joining the family of African nations where the people's right to choose their leaders and live lives free of fear and oppression is of paramount importance. The end of this terrible, violent dictatorship is now assured, the people's victory may have been delayed by this sham election but it will never be denied. The achievement of a New Zimbabwe where the government fulfills its responsibility to provide a stable economy, jobs, health care and education is now closer than ever. I thank you. Subscribe to receive mailings by sending an email to elections2008@sokwanele.com. You can also subscribe yourselves automatically via our website at the following address: www.sokwanele.com/join.html. Visit our website at www.sokwanele.com Visit our blog: This is Zimbabwe (Sokwanele blog) Send an e-card! www.sokwanele.com/sendcard/ We have a fundamental right to freedom of expression! Sokwanele does not endorse the editorial policy of any source or website except its own. It retains full copyright on its own articles, which may be reproduced or distributed but may not be materially altered in any way. Reproduced articles must clearly show the source and owner of copyright, together with any other notices originally contained therein, as well as the original date of publication. Sokwanele does not accept responsibility for any loss or damage arising in any way from receipt of this email or use thereof. This document, or any part thereof, may not be distributed for profit.

Amnesty International Says Violence and Coercion Flawed Zimbabwe Election

VOA

By Joe De Capua
Washington
27 June 2008

The human rights group Amnesty International says Friday's election in
Zimbabwe is being held against a backdrop of widespread killings, torture
and assault. It accuses the government of conducting a state campaign of
violence against the opposition.

Simeon Mawanza is a researcher with Amnesty International. From London, he
spoke to VOA English to Africa reporter Joe De Capua about the political
climate surrounding the run-off election.

"Amnesty has said that these elections have been held in an environment
where there had been serious human rights violations - where there have been
murders, torture, the arbitrary arrest and detention. There's always random
beating and destruction property targeted at people, who are perceived to be
supporters of the opposition party. And it's very difficult to ensure that
citizens of Zimbabwe can freely exercise their vote today," he says.

Amnesty has called on the African Union and SADC (Southern African
Development Community) to apply the "necessary pressure" on President
Mugabe. "I think there's been some deafening silence by the AU assembly
chairperson, (Tanzanian) President Kikwete, in terms of denouncing the
violence that has been ongoing in Zimbabwe. And for starters, we would want
to see him coming up with a very strong statement condemning what is
happening in Zimbabwe. And then secondly, there was a need to convene the
AU's Peace and Security Council to consider the situation in Zimbabwe.. That
has happened. And in that meeting, we would like to see the African Union
coming out with a very strong position and sending a clear message to
President Mugabe that what has been going on in Zimbabwe is unacceptable,
since it goes against the principles of the African Union, which is respect
for human rights and the rule of law," he says.

Has Mr. Mugabe been getting mixed signals from his southern African
neighbors? Mawanza says, "Just recently, I think there [have] been some more
united messages. But the people of Zimbabwe need to see effective African
solidarity, beyond making excuses for President Mugabe and being too
accommodative.. And if President Mugabe does not take heed of the advice
that he's getting from his peers and colleagues in Africa, they need to go
to the next level, which could even be considering suspending Zimbabwe from
the African Union."

He says that such a suspension could hit Zimbabwe hard."

If you suspend Zimbabwe from the African Union, there are very few countries
that can survive outside these international bodies. And I think it sends a
very clear signal to the victims of human rights violations in Zimbabwe that
Africa is with them. And if Zimbabwe does not then take heed of that
measure, there are other considerations, which might as well include those
sanctions. But at this stage, I think the African Union, particularly the
chairperson, need to come up with a very strong position," he says.

Mawanza adds, "Amnesty's message to President Mugabe remains the same: that
he has to end the violence that is going on in the country immediately. He
has to make sure that all those perpetrators of violence are brought to
justice. It includes those who are linked to his political party. And we
will continue to mobilize international pressure until that happens. We are
also calling for the immediate release of people who have been arrested
because they are associated with the MDC or they're human rights activists."

These include Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu, who are leaders of
WOZA, Women of Zimbabwe Arise. They've been detained since May 28th when
they took part in a demonstration against election violence.

Mugabe to rush out results of election

Financial Times

By Tom Burgis in Johannesburg and James Blitz in London

Published: June 27 2008 08:41 | Last updated: June 27 2008 15:56

Robert Mugabe is expected to rush out the results of Zimbabwe's widely
condemned presidential elections so he can be inaugurated before he attends
an African Union summit in Egypt next week, western diplomats said on
Friday.

After a one-candidate election that appeared to have a low turnout, western
diplomats said Mr Mugabe would want to attend as the formally re-elected
head of state, where the reception he receives from regional leaders will be
a measure of his isolation.
Casting his vote in Harare, Mr Mugabe, who is 84 and has ruled his country
for 28 years, said he was "very fit, very optimistic".

But in a sign of his growing isolation, the world's powers took more steps
to condemn his regime. The European Union said the election was a "sham" and
the US declared it would begin seeking fresh sanctions at the United Nations
next week.

In Harare, Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for
Democratic Change, was again taking refuge inside the Dutch embassy. He said
the election was "an exercise in mass intimidation with people all over the
country being forced to vote".

He added: "Anyone who recognises the result of this election is denying the
will of the Zimbabwean people."

The next few days will test whether Mr Mugabe can consolidate power. After a
preliminary meeting of AU foreign ministers in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on
Friday ahead of next week's summit, one said: "I don't think we are going to
accept the result but we are still discussing."

Freelance reporter and cameraman arrested at Mugabe's polling station

Reporters without Borders

Zimbabwe 27 June 2008

Reporters Without Borders is concerned about freelance reporter Frank
Chikowore and a cameraman so far identified only by the first name of Edgar,
who were arrested this morning while covering President Robert Mugabe's
arrival at a polling station to vote.

"These journalists are the victims of the climate of constant oppression
being imposed by the government and security forces, and should be released
at once," Reporters Without Borders said. "We appeal to the Zimbabwean
courts not to be accomplices to these abuses, and to protect the few
independent journalists still working in Zimbabwe."

It is not known why Chikowore and Frank were arrested at Mpofu primary
school in the Harare neighbourhood of Highfields, when Mugabe went there to
cast his vote in today's second-round elections. They were initially taken
to Southerton police station, but their present location is unknown. It may
be the "Law and Order" section of Harare central police station.

Record Number of Spolied Ballot Papers Expected in Mash East

SW Radio Africa (London)

27 June 2008
Posted to the web 27 June 2008

Tichaona Sibanda

A record number of spoiled ballot papers are expected to emerge from the
presidential run-off in Mashonaland East province, the hotbed of the
political violence that has ravaged the country since April.

Voters in Murehwa, Mutoko, Mudzi, Uzumba Maramba Pfungwa and Goromonzi
indicated that people are being bused and trucked to polling stations,
against their will.

Kumbirai, our contact in the province, said there was an unusuallyhigh
volume of text messages flying around, urging people to go to the polling
station and spoil their ballots.

Some of the text messages read; 'Vote out 400 000 percent inflation, Red
card to Mugabe, Mugabe must go, Tsvangirai is the winner,'

Despite the threats of physcial violence against people who boycott the
elections, Kumbirai said most people heeded the call to stay at home because
it was now an MDC stronghold.

'The reason why people are shunning the election in Mashonaland East is that
so many of those killed in the state sponsored violence were MDC activists,
based in many of the districts,' Kumbirai said.

Low Voter Turnout in Harare Suburbs

SW Radio Africa (London)

27 June 2008
Posted to the web 27 June 2008

Mandisa Mundawarara

The people of Harare today stayed away from polling stations, with reports
of queues with 'no more than five people.' Thabani Moyo told us that he had
visited polling stations in the suburbs of Mabvuku, Mufakose, Chitungwiza,
Mbare, Mabelreign, Marlborough, Bluff Hill and Eastgate.

Most of the people that he spoke to said that they had gone to the polls
'out of fear, and to protect their lives.' There are reports that the war
vets were conducting operation 'Pasi pechigunwe,' where they were checking
people's fingers for the indelible ink to make sure that they had voted.

He described Harare as looking like a 'ghost town' today with most people
staying home to avoid trouble.

Thabani also reported that people in Chipinge who voted at a polling station
situated in an open space close to the RBS grounds were being asked to give
their ID numbers and house numbers, and their finger prints were being
taken. The polling station was being manned by war vets.

Thabani also told us that independent journalist Frank Chikowore and his
cameraman 'Edgar' were arrested in Highfields as they were filming Mugabe
voting. The two were taken to nearby Southerton police station. According to
Thabani, their lawyer Harrison Nkomo was unable to locate the two, and the
police at both Southerton and the Law and Order division could not say where
the two men were being held.

We later spoke to someone at MISA who confirmed that Frank Chikowore had
been arrested along with his camera man, Edgar Mwandihambira. She also said
that a female correspondent and Reuters camera man Donald Maisiri had also
been arrested. Donald had been picked up this morning by a group of ZANU-PF
youth. Wilbert Mandinde, a lawyer with MISA confirmed that the four
journalists had been arrested today but they have all since been released
without charge.

On March 29,200 had voted by this time,today 10

http://zimbabwemetro.com

By Roy Chinamano ⋅ © zimbabwemetro.com ⋅ June 27, 2008 ⋅

ZANU PF militants patrolled Zimbabwe’s capital and marshals led voters to
polling stations Friday for an internationally discredited presidential
runoff held in an atmosphere of intimidation.
In contrast to the excitement and hope for change that marked the first
round of elections in March, a defiant President Robert Mugabe is the only
candidate in this round, and the election was expected only to deepen the
nation’s political crisis.

Tsvangirai’s name remains on the ballot because electoral officials say his
withdrawal Sunday came too late.

State radio acknowledged that voters were only “trickling” into stations in
the countryside, attributing the low turnout to chilly weather that had
temperatures below zero overnight.

About 20 paramilitary police in riot gear were stationed in a central Harare
park then began patrolling the city in a truck. Militant Mugabe supporters
roamed the streets, singing revolutionary songs, heckling people and asking
why they were not voting.

“I’ve got no option but to go and vote so that I can be safe,” explained a
young woman selling tomatoes.

The MDC scattered fliers overnight calling for a boycott.

“Is it necessary to vote?” said Cephas Sango, a Harare resident reading a
flier. He said he had heard warnings that Mugabe party militants plan to
check for the ink staining voters’ fingers and those staying away face the
threat of violence.

The opposition has called on people voting out of fear to spoil their
ballots.

In the capital’s crowded Mbare suburb, lines built up at polling stations as
voters arrived in groups, led by marshals who were carrying books filled
with names. In one side street, names were being called and ticked off as a
group of about 25 people gathered before heading to a tented polling
station.

Up to 300 people waited at one station there. But elsewhere, the voters were
outnumbered by an intimidating police presence.

‘On March 29,over 200 people had voted by the time only 10′,said one polling
officer at a polling station in Harare.

Tsvangirai cries foul over voter harassment

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com

June 27, 2008

By Our Correspondent

HARARE - The Movement for Democratic Change party cried foul as the country's
controversial single-candidate election got underway on Friday, saying its
supporters were being harassed and force-marched to polling stations to vote
for President Robert Mugabe.

Morgan Tsvangirai, the party's leader and presidential candidate, withdrew
from the poll at the last minute, citing widespread violence and
intimidation of voters.

At least four people were injured in Harare South when anger erupted outside
a polling station as a group of war veterans demanded the residential
addresses of voters after noting the serial numbers on the ballot paper of
each and every voter.

As polling got underway Tsvangirai urged his supporters to be vigilant.

"Whatever might happen, the results will not be recognised by the world,"
Tsvangirai said in a statement. "No matter what you are forced to do, we
know what is in your heart. Don't risk your life. The people's victory may
be delayed but it won't be denied."

In Harare, a stronghold of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC), polling stations were empty mid-afternoon, seven hours after polling
began and with five hours to go.

In Hatcliffe, many had arrived before dawn after being force-marched to the
polls and patience was running thin.

Casting his vote at Mhofu Primary School in Highfields, Mugabe, who was
accompanied by his wife and an unusually large contingent of security, said
he was confident of victory, without any sense of the irony of the fact that
he was the only candidate.

"I am very, very optimistic, upbeat and hungry," he said jokingly.

A freelance journalist, Frank Chikowore, was arrested at the primary school
as he tried to film Mugabe arriving to cast his vote.

At Matapi Flats in Mbare, hundreds were forced to the poling station by the
Chipangano youth militia. Vendors in the Mupedzanhamo Flea Market, and the
nearby vegetable wholesale market were only allowed to do business after
displaying a dye-stained finger to the youth militia.

Eighteen of the 19 of Harare's constituencies voted MDC in parliamentary
elections on March 29. The capital's 882,176 registered voters this year
constitute 15 percent of the national electorate.

Meanwhile, Tsvangirai remained holed up in the Dutch embassy in Harare where
he has sought refuge following concerns about his personal safety. He was
expected to address a press briefing later today on the failed election.

There were no official figures on the voter turnout by Friday afternoon.

Breaking News - Zanu's Post-Election Plan Revealed

The Zimbabwean

Friday, 27 June 2008 15:04
Mugabe's seizure of power.
Very confidential, but very reliable sources from the highest levels
within Mugabe's Joint Operational Command (JOC) reveal the following
schedule of events, planned to consolidate Mugabe's seizure of power by the
end of the weekend:

- Those voters - who do not have the indelible ink mark signifying
that they have participated today - are at risk of future retribution.

- Within 12 hours, Mugabe will proclaim his victory in the
Presidential run-off. No reliable figures are available for his margin of
victory, but emphasis is being placed on making it "realistic".

- He will have the power to appoint Governors, as well as a Cabinet.
He will move quickly to announce a new Government.

- The Mutambara faction of MDC MPs will be bought off in a version of
a Government of National Unity (GNU). One or two senior members of this
faction will be offered senior positions in this Government.

- Welshman Ncube has been offered the position of Speaker.

- In the medium- to long-term, MDC MPs will be neutralised by arrest,
detention or placatory alternative jobs.

- Mugabe intends to fly to Sharm El-Sheikh on Saturday, in order to
attend the African Union summit and act as de facto Head Of State.

- SA President Thabo Mbeki will be first to endorse the GNU, as
vindication of his policy of "Quiet Diplomacy" and the ideal end-game that
he had always espoused. Mbeki yesterday in Parliament reserved the right to
endorse the elections today.

- There will be a subsequent, systematic plan of endorsing the GNU,
following Mbeki's initial support.

- Mugabe has verbally promised to step down within 6 months (i.e.
December), although this is a well-established pattern-of-behaviour from
which he has reneged on repeatedly.

- The only time this strategy has been necessary before was at
independence in 1980, after which Mugabe quickly squeezed the Joshua Nkomo
ZAPU faction out of existence. This was followed by the Matabeleland
Massacre.

ETV journalists arrested at Beitbridge

SABC

June 27, 2008, 21:30

An E-tv news reporter and a camera man were arrested at Beitbridge on Friday
while covering a protest march against the Zimbabwean elections, the station
reported.

Reporter Tumaole Mohlaoli, and camera man Elelewani Rampfumedzi had been
given permission to film by South African authorities, but Zimbawean police
accused them of straying into their country.

They were filming on the bridge which links the South African and Zimbabwean
border posts. A while later armed policemen forced the two men to follow
them at gunpoint.

Mohlaoli managed to send out a text message before he was arrested.

The message read: "We are on our side of Beitbridge, when cops approached.
We didn't run because they were armed, and we didn't do anything wrong."

The Department of Foreign Affairs was alerted and they were trying to
contact Zimbabwean officials about the arrest.

"It is unusual for individuals to be taken into custody on the bridge as its
essentially between the two countries," the department told e.tv.

According to e.tv, Mohlaoli and Rampfumedzi would spend the night in jail
and might be released on Saturday.

"They said that there were treated well by Zimbabwean police and were also
being fed well." - Sapa

MDC Polling Agents Abducted in Gwanda By-Election

SW Radio Africa (London)

27 June 2008
Posted to the web 27 June 2008

Lance Guma

Reports emanating from Gwanda say 2 MDC polling agents were abducted by Zanu
PF militants during the parliamentary by-election held in the constituency
Friday.

According to our correspondent Lionel Saungweme, the whereabouts of the 2
are still unknown with party officials making frantic efforts to locate
them. Meanwhile polling stations in Bulawayo resembled deserted rural police
stations as residents heeded a call by the opposition to boycott the sham
election. Defiant MDC supporters put red cloths on posters and trees in the
city (red being the MDC colour).

The MDC were also busy distributing fliers urging their supporters to
boycott the election. However people in the Mpopoma, Gwanda and Redcliff
areas, that have parliamentary by-elections, were urged to vote. Provisional
estimates put the number of people who voted in Mpopoma at 3000. Lennox
Mhlanga from the Bulawayo Agenda pressure group said the entire Matabeleland
and Midlands provinces witnessed a low voter turnout. He pointed to the
Mzingwane area in Matabeleland as one of the areas where a significant
number of voters were frog-marched to the polls.

Zanu PF youths were reported to be forcing people at Egodini bus terminus in
central Bulawayo to go and vote. Foreign currency dealers near the Tredgold
Magistrates court were chased away as the rampaging youths demanded to see
whether they had the indelible voting ink on their fingers. Commuter bus
operators were forced to put posters of Mugabe on their windows or risk
having their vehicles trashed. In Nkayi the home of an MDC activist was
burnt down on Thursday in the Qhubuthando area. The attack was carried by
Zanu PF thugs.

Meanwhile political commentators have slammed Mugabe's 'one-man election' as
a sham. Pedzisai Ruhanya from the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition said it was
clear Mugabe wanted to use the 'bogus' election as a tool to negotiate a
government of national unity that brings in the MDC as a junior partner.
Former MDC Zengeza MP Tafadzwa Musekiwa said talk of Mugabe eyeing a
government of national unity was naïve, given his track record. He described
Mugabe as insincere and that as long as his inner circle had millions of US
dollars in their bank accounts they could never be bothered by what other
countries or individuals thought of their rule.

More Killings Reported in Manicaland & 7 Bodies Found in Epworth

SW Radio Africa (London)

27 June 2008
Posted to the web 27 June 2008

Violet Gonda

The MDC says there was a low voter turnout in parts of Manicaland province,
but that last night violence broke out in Headlands, Buhera North/Central
and Chipinge constituencies, resulting in the deaths of several people.

We were not able to confirm these deaths with the police, but the MDC
spokesperson for Manicaland, Pishai Muchauraya said it is the police
themselves who have been transporting the bodies of the deceased to
mortuaries.

Muchauraya said Samson Magumura, the MDC provincial youth organising
secretary, was killed in the Headlands constituency by ZANU PF thugs. He
said Magumura's body was taken to Rusape mortuary. He also said that two
couples were abducted and murdered, also in Headlands and another MDC couple
in Ward 7 Makoni North were killed Thursday night.

He said he could not provide the names of all the deceased until he received
permission from the families, because of the ongoing victimisation.

Meanwhile the MDC said there were real signs of defiance in Mutare on voting
day. Muchauraya said he could only see polling agents and police officers
when he went to polling stations like Baring and Chancellor primary
schools - no voters.

There was a low voter turnout outside Mutare, in places like Makoni,
Musikavanhu and Nyanga, although it's reported that some people were being
"helped" to vote by ZANU PF agents. In some instances there were reports
that people were spoiling their votes by putting their "X" next to the names
of both Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe, and then writing "Mugabe must
go" on the top.

Meanwhile Crisis in Zimbabwe issued a statement saying seven bodies of MDC
activists were found in Epworth on Thursday.

Crisis said: "Since the defeat of Zanu PF on the 29th of March 2008, Epworth
has been the hardest hit suburb. Zanu PF youth militias were frequently
captured on camera pursuing MDC supporters and burning their homes."

We have no further details at this time.

The Lesson of Zimbabwe's 'Election'

 

Friday, Jun. 27, 2008 By ALEX PERRY

A policeman and voting officials check a voter's identity on the register at a voting station in Harare, Zimbabwe, June 27, 2008.

EPA

 

Under the watchful eye of the regime's security services, Zimbabweans Friday voted in a single-candidate presidential "runoff" that will almost certainly extend Robert Mugabe's rule until 2014. Despite reports of a low turnout, the decision by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to withdraw last Sunday makes Mugabe's victory inevitable. In Zimbabwe, presidential terms last six years, so by the time he faces reelection again, Mugabe will be 90 and will have ruled his country for 34 years. Nevertheless, expectations are that after six more years of hyper-inflation, mass unemployment and brutal repression, the President will be in better shape than his country.

This month, the United Nation's Food and Agricultural Organization listed Zimbabwe as one of four countries (the others being Lesotho, Swaziland and Somalia) worst affected by the world food crisis. Relief agencies say close to half the resident population now supplement their diets with food aid and, with an economy that has collapsed, there is little hope of improvement. Running parallel to Zimbabwe's worsening humanitarian crisis in the coming years will be a deepening political one, analysts predict. Pretoria-based Zimbabwe expert Chris Maroleng, of the International Institute of Strategic Studies, describes the three months since the first round of voting on March 29 — in which Tsvangirai came out ahead, but without the outright majority that would have ruled out a runoff — as a creeping military coup. The army, police and government-sponsored militias have fanned out across the country, killing, beating and displacing opposition supporters, wresting control of the media, electoral bodies and the judiciary and refusing to cede power even if the second vote were to somehow go against Mugabe.

That campaign of state intimidation will continue in the months ahead, says Maroleng. "After the poll, we will see a consolidation of the military junta's control of the organs of state. They have seized the state, and now they will want to stamp out any opposition to their rule." Facing a future of worsening poverty and harassment, millions more Zimbabweans are expected to flee their homeland. An estimated fifth to a quarter of the original population of 13 million are now refugees.

The world will express outrage at Zimbabweans' fate, and likely draw up stringent economic and diplomatic sanctions. But neither is likely to save Zimbabweans from their government — and that is proof of the end of an era. In 1999, the U.N. launched successful military interventions to stem bloodshed in Kosovo, East Timor and Sierra Leone. That was in keeping with a declaration the year before by then U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan hailing a "new century of human rights." "No government has the right to hide behind national sovereignty in order to violate the human rights or fundamental freedoms of its peoples," he proclaimed. This collective world "responsibility to protect," as Annan's vision came to be known, fitted the mood of the age.

But several things happened since that have forced a retreat from those heady days: the U.S. war on terror gave intervention a bad name by associating it with big-power unilateralism; the crises got bigger — genocide in Darfur, famine in North Korea, a cyclone in Burma. Global competition also worked against global unity: China, for instance, blocked U.N. Security Council action against Sudan over Darfur to protect is oil concessions. Zimbabwe may have repugnant rulers, but it also has a consistent and grateful ally in South African President Thabo Mbeki and his fight against Western hegemony. Additionally, Harare has the world's second largest deposits of platinum, which assists its friendship with China. Kofi Annan's "responsibility to protect" was always a daring and ambitious idea. Six more years for Mugabe suggests it might also be as alive as Zimbabwean democracy.

African foreign ministers bicker over Zimbabwe

canada.com

Emmanuel Goujon ,  AFP
Published: Friday, June 27, 2008
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt - African Union foreign ministers bickered behind
closed doors on Friday over how to handle Zimbabwe as they prepared for a
summit next week under the shadow of its political crisis.

AU Commission Chairman Jean Ping urged ministers to leave it to heads of
state when they gather on Monday to pass judgment on Friday's one-man
presidential run-off in Zimbabwe that the opposition has derided as
shameful.

He later told a news conference he was convinced there will be a credible
solution to the crisis.

The Zimbabwean delegation had asked to be able to address the meeting
without any subsequent debate, but other AU members insisted they wanted a
full discussion of the political violence that prompted opposition candidate
Morgan Tsvangirai to withdraw, giving veteran incumbent Robert Mugabe
certain victory.

"We are waiting for the summit for the heads of state to make important
declarations on Zimbabwe," Ping told the opening session in the Egyptian
resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in his only direct reference to the crisis.

The session was preceded by a meeting of members of the Southern African
Development Community "but it found no common position," one participant
said.

South African President Thabo Mbeki has been mediating between the Harare
government and opposition under SADC auspices, but he has been criticised by
some African governments for not being firm enough with Mugabe.

Other AU member states want at all costs to avoid any descent into civil war
in a country that was once one of the continent's economic powerhouses.

After the opening session, Ping held a 15-minute separate meeting with the
Zimbabwean delegation.

During a closed-door session Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Simbarashe
Mumbengegwi then asked to be allowed to make a statement without it being
followed by any debate, drawing strong opposition from other members
including Liberia, Senegal and Sierra Leone, a delegate told AFP.

"After a discussion lasting more than an hour and a half, these governments
insisted that they wanted to hold a debate and to hear from the SADC," the
delegate said.

Ping retorted that "negotiations were still under way to form a government
of national unity but added that he had not received the latest information
on the progress of the negotiations."

Sources close to the AU commission said that the bloc's Peace and Security
Council would hold a special meeting on Zimbabwe in Sharm el-Sheikh on
Sunday.

"I am convinced a credible solution will be found. Give us the time to talk
with our heads of state, with the SADC," Ping told Friday's news conference.

"I firmly believe there is a way out and that our credibility will be
maintained," he added.

"You have heard Tsvangirai say that he has accepted the principle of power
sharing in a national unity government. I think equally to have heard from
the side of the Zimbabwe government talk of something like that, of an
inclusive government."

The United States called on the AU to increase pressure on Mugabe, while
denouncing the "sham" election in Zimbabwe.

"Certainly we would hope that they (AU leaders) would continue to speak out
in opposition to this completely fraudulent electoral process that is now
underway and put their weight behind international efforts to reach some
kind of political solution," State Department spokesman Tom Casey said in
Washington.

London-based Amnesty International urged Tanzanian President Jakaya
Kikwete - the AU's current chairman - to deliver an unequivocal denunciation
of Zimbabwe at the full summit.

"The AU chairman should strongly and openly condemn the human rights
violations occurring in Zimbabwe. Anything less is an abdication of its
responsibilities," Amnesty said in a statement.

Ping had expressed "grave concern" about the situation in Zimbabwe before
Friday's meeting, but in his opening speech he confined his comments to
general remarks about the problems of democratisation in Africa.

"The major challenge facing our continent is to ensure that elections do not
lead to disturbances and/or violent and often bloody disputes."

As well as Zimbabwe, this was an allusion to Kenya's disputed presidential
election last December which triggered political violence in which more than
1,500 people died before a compromise was brokered between the rival sides.

World has right to intervene in Zimbabwe - Tutu

Reuters

Fri Jun 27, 2008 7:35pm BST

LONDON, June 27 (Reuters) - The world has the right to override Zimbabwe's
sovereignty to intervene in its crisis and should consider banning flights
as a step to bring pressure, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said on Friday.

The South African Nobel Peace Prize laureate spoke in an interview broadcast
after President Robert Mugabe defied world opinion to hold an election in
which he was the only candidate. The opposition withdrew over attacks on its
supporters.

Tutu told Britain's Channel 4 television that the "international community
has the right now to override the sovereignty argument of the country.

"A government has the obligation to protect its citizens. If it will not
protect them then or it is unable to do so then the international community
knows now that it has an instrument to intervene to ensure that a situation
does not deteriorate further," he said.

Tutu has said he favours the deployment of international peacekeepers to
Zimbabwe, suffering economic collapse after 28 years of Mugabe's rule as
well as the political crisis.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who won a first round against Mugabe on
March 29, pulled out of Friday's vote after at least 90 of his supporters
were killed in attacks blamed on Mugabe's ruling party.

Tutu said African rulers should declare Mugabe illegitimate and impose a
blockade of landlocked Zimbabwe, including a flight ban.

"One of quickest ways is to stop Air Zimbabwe from flying over any of its
neighbours so that it will be properly grounded ... Mugabe and his sidekicks
would not be able to -- as they are now -- escape the rigours of their own
policies," Tutu said.

Western countries have imposed limited sanctions to target Mugabe and his
close allies, but there has been no discussion of a broader embargo that
could deepen the suffering ordinary Zimbabweans. (Writing by Matthew
Tostevin; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Committee to comment on Zimbabwe arms report

SABC

June 27, 2008, 20:00

The National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) will respond next
week to a report that South Africa has been supplying weapons of war to
Zimbabwe.

The chairperson of the NCACC, January Masilela, said he would wait for the
return of Minister Sydney Mufamadi from Zimbawe to comment on the article.
Mufamadi is in Zimbabwe as part of President Thabo Mbeki's facilitation
team.

A newspaper reported that weapons, including helicopters, revolvers and
cartridges, were supplied to Zimbabwe despite the mounting human rights
abuses in that country.

The report claimed information in its possession pointed to a cosy
relationship between the defence forces of both countries, as well as
government-to-government arms transfers.

It also alleged that private South African companies had also sold arms to
Zimbabwe and these transfers must have been approved by the NCACC. Armaments
to the value of R3.3 million were privately transferred from South Africa to
Zimbabwe, according to 2004 and 2005 figures, the paper stated.

It also said the Department of Defence donated Dakota aircraft engines worth
millions to Zimbabwe, while Armscor transferred spares to get Zimbabwean
military helicopters flying again.

Zimbabwean soldiers and flying instructors had been trained by the SA
National Defence Force and the SA Air Force, the newspaper said. - Sapa

Zimbabwean opposition supporters moved from South African Embassy to a safe location

International Herald Tribune

The Associated PressPublished: June 27, 2008

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa: Officials from the South African Embassy in
Harare say a group of 300 opposition supporters who had sought refuge there
have been moved to a safe location on the outskirts of Harare.

Ronnie Mamoepa, a spokesman for South Africa's Foreign Ministry, said Friday
that the group of men, women and children have been moved to "a place of
safety, where security will be provided on a 24-hour basis."

The group arrived at the South African Embassy on Wednesday seeking refuge
from escalating violence against supporters of the Movement for Democratic
Change, which has been targeted by President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF. MDC
leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of Friday's election Sunday, leaving
Mugabe as the sole contender.

Got A Plan for Zimbabwe? I Don't

Yahoo News

Robert Dreyfuss Fri Jun 27, 10:41 AM ET

The Nation -- It's ugly in Zimbabwe. It was ugly in Iraq, too, in 2003. The
world is full of ugly places. But let's hope the coolest of cool heads
prevail before any sort of outside intervention is planned in that
unfortunate nation.

If anyone has any good ideas about how to help Zimbabwe, I'd like to hear
them. Military interention is obviously a nonstarter. Tougher economic
sanctions probably won't do much, except worsen the plight of the Zimbabwe
people and tribes not favored by President Robert Mugabe. Yes, he's
murdering and torturing members of the opposition. So what's your plan? Mine
is pretty much: do nothing.

The editor of the Economic Times of India points out one aspect of the
hypocritical handwringing about Mugabe, in a Post column:

The vast majority of 20th century world rulers were bloody autocrats, and
the shift to democracy in the 21st century has so far been partial and
unconvincing. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan are autocracies. Does anybody
suggest UN action to topple them? All the Central Asian republics are
autocracies. Does anybody suggest toppling them? No, because they are
generally pro-Western autocracies, and that apparently expiates their sins.
Of Mugabe's many crimes, the one that is apparently unforgivable is that he
has confiscated the land of white farmers, killed some and driven out
others. In earlier times, when he accommodated whites, the West hailed him
as a great freedom fighter. Britain even knighted him. These encomiums were
poured on him despite his killing 10,000 to 20,000 members of the rival
Matabele tribe during an uprising. Nobody called him a bloody criminal at
the time. Only when he turned viciously against whites did the western media
and political class suddenly find in him despicable qualities that had
somehow escaped them earlier.

This white bias is well understood in Africa--and Asia--and explains why
other African rulers have been slow to join Western condemnation of him.
Some have finally condemned him now, but none of them wants military action
to topple Mugabe.

Condemning Mugabe is one thing, as everyone from George W. Bush to Nelson
Mandela has done. But doing something about it is another thing. Lots of
people want to blame Thabo Mbeki, the president of South Africa, for not
cutting off Zimbabwe's electric supply, shutting down the border, and
otherwise taking aggressive actions to isolate Mugabe. To my mind, Mbeki
argues convincingly that (a) those measures won't work and (b) they would
boomerang to hurt South Africa and the region.

Maybe Mbeki did his best, as the regional African mediator for Zimbabwe, to
broker fair elections, and maybe he didn't. The elections were, in fact,
held, and the opposition won control of Zimbabwe's parliament. Could Mbeki
have done any more, given Mugabe's determination to stay in power? I don't
know. But clearly Mbeki isn't lining up behind forcible "regime change."

Even Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition leader who took refuge in the Dutch
embassy and dropped out of the election held today, isn't calling for armed
intervention, though members of this party are.

Of course, the Queen of England did strip Mugabe of the honorary knighthood
he received back when he was in favor.

Zimbabwe's Tsvangirai returns to Dutch embassy

Reuters

Fri 27 Jun 2008, 13:33 GMT

HARARE, June 27 (Reuters) - Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai
returned to the Dutch embassy in a diplomatic vehicle after addressing a
media conference in the capital Harare, witnesses said.

"He is going back to the embassy," an official from Tsvangirai's Movement
for Democratic Change said. Tsvangirai took refuge in the embassy six days
ago after withdrawing from a presidential election against President Robert
Mugabe.

Crowds Gather in London to Mourn the Death of Democracy

SW Radio Africa (London)

27 June 2008
Posted to the web 27 June 2008

Alex Bell

As Zimbabwe's one man poll went ahead on Friday, a coalition of Zimbabwean
groups gathered in London to protest against the ongoing violence that has
plagued the country since the March elections, as well as to protest the
"sham" election run off.

The group, including the Vigil, MDC UK and Ireland, the Zimbabwe Association
and the Zimbabwe Community Group, started their protest outside the Zimbabwe
Embassy, before moving to the South African High Commission later on Friday
afternoon.

The Vigil's Rose Benton told Newsreel that the vocal, singing crowd was led
by a group carrying a coffin to symbolise the deaths at the hands of
Mugabe's regime. She said the group also carried hundreds of banners,
reading "How many more must die?" and listing the names of many of the
deceased.

The group then marched in their masses to the South African High Commission
to hand over a petition for peace and to pray and mourn for those who have
died and for "the death of democracy in Zimbabwe".

Benton said the "sham" election with Mugabe as the single candidate was
proof that "democracy in Zimbabwe has died". She said a tribute had been
laid at the doors of the Zimbabwean embassy as "a reminder to all that more
needs to be done to stop the bloodshed".

At the same time, crowds gathered outside the United Nations headquarters in
Geneva on Friday afternoon for a vigil held there. The peaceful
demonstration was organised by the World YWCA and the World Student
Christian Federation for justice, peace and healing in Zimbabwe

The $64,000,000,000 Inflation Question

 

June 27, 2008, 1:04 pm

Posted by David Gaffen

The object on the left is worth more than the pile on the right.

Annelena Lobb has this report on an inflation rate that dwarfs all comers.

If using the word “hyperinflation” understates the problem, the setting is probably Zimbabwe. In the southern African country, a spiraling inflation rate of at least six digits renders the value of its currency an ongoing puzzle.

Hyperactive hyperinflation comes as a result of decades of rule by Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s strongman president. Under his regime, infrastructure has crumbled and millions of people have fled. Today, Mr. Mugabe is the only candidate in a discredited presidential runoff election, from which opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai has withdrawn.

Mr. Tsvangirai won a majority of votes in a March election, but removed himself from this one after state-sponsored violence against his supporters. Mr. Mugabe said he wouldn’t recognize the withdrawal, and is expected to use violence and intimidation to get people to the polls today.

Amid political chaos this week, residents scrambled to buy foreign exchange, sending the value of the Zimbabwean dollar ever lower. The Old Mutual Implied Rate, used as an unofficial proxy for the value of a Zimbabwean dollar, estimates that one U.S. dollar today is worth Z$64,575,990,281, which is more than Thursday, when it bought about Z$62 billion, but down from a peak of about Z$80 billion Tuesday, according to the Web site ZimbabweanEquities.com.

Zimbabwe’s inflation rate has gone vertical in the last month. (Zimbabweanequities.com)

Financial-services firm Old Mutual lists shares in both London and Harare, among other places; observers can calculate — roughly — what a Zimbabwean dollar is worth using share prices on both exchanges.

The OMIR doesn’t necessarily correlate to the rate you’d get on the street. But foreign exchange is the easiest store of value in Zimbabwe these days, said Rob Stangroom, who runs ZimbabweanEquities.com as well as other sites on African companies.

“You can change U.S. dollars on the street, and you can only take about Z$25 billion out of a bank account at any point in time. So if you want to have a normal life, you can’t, unless you use foreign exchange,” Mr. Stangroom said. “It’s very distorted. [The currency’s] value changes from day to day. I’ve been out of Zimbabwe for [more than] a week, which is a very long time,” he said.

In a hyperinflationary setting, that can be an eternity. When prices change that fast, “people spend a huge part of their day, every day, thinking about how to spend their money in the right way and at the right time. People get paid and have to figure out how to spend money immediately, before it loses value,” said Steven Levitsky, a professor of government at Harvard University. “It’s almost impossible to cope with.”