Saturday 29 March 2003

Plot to rig poll exposed - By Ray Matikinye

The opposition MDC says it has unearthed elaborate plans by Zanu PF for massive rigging of the weekend by-elections in Highfield and Kuwadzana.

Remus Makuwaza, the MDC director of elections, told a Press conference in Harare yesterday that the rigging plans were with the connivance of the Registrar-General, Tobaiwa Mudede, and other State agents.

Makuwaza said more than 19 000 suspected “ghost” voters not resident in the two constituencies had been added to the voters’ roll. He showed journalists the list of the dubious voters.

The High Court ordered Mudede to release the voters’ roll to the MDC within 48 hours last Friday after a protracted wrangle.

“We knew that was the reason for his delay in giving us the voters’ roll. We are not sure whether what we got was the final roll or that there could be another supplementary voters’ roll to facilitate rigging which we were not given,” Makuwaza said.

“According to a basic analysis of the voters’ roll, there are more than 8 000 voters in Kuwadzana and 11 000 others registered in Highfield who are not necessarily resident in these constituencies. The samples are not exhaustive. We have discovered that on the voters’ roll there are a number of instances where two different names share the same national ID number.”

The MDC candidate for Highfield, Tachiveyi Mungofa, said Zanu PF had started bussing in people to within the confines of the constituency.

“More than 4 000 people are being fed at an open space in the constituency, ready for the weekend poll,” he claimed.

A sample extracted from the voters’ roll for Kuwadzana by this newspaper shows a majority of newly registered voters with alien surnames, raising suspicion that these could be ghost voters from grabbed commercial farms, the majority of whose labour was from Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia.

There are names and surnames such as Akulukaya, Arimoso, Bilimonti, Bollie, Abinal, Asavetwa, Ajala, Bitoni and others who form the bulk of the suspect voters on the roll.

The MDC did its own audit of the voters’ roll and visited residences where they discovered some of the people listed under addresses in Kuwadzana were either unknown to the occupants or had never been at those addresses.

Makuwaza said his party was aware Zanu PF would flood the constituencies with scarce basic commodities such as sugar, maize-meal and cooking oil packaged in containers soaked in indelible ink to disqualify genuine voters.

“We are aware that State agents plan to taint doors and water taps with the indelible ink in those areas which are known MDC strongholds in order to disqualify our voters,” he said.

Makuwaza said Zanu PF would deliberately slow down the voting process in known MDC strongholds to give itself unfair advantage.

The MDC spokesman, Paul Themba-Nyathi, said his party would continue to take part in elections even in the face of such evidence because the alternative would be “ghastly to contemplate”.

“We contest because the people have vested their trust in democracy. We want to teach them that change comes through democratic means and processes.”

Reparations – who should compensate the victims of gross human right abuse at the hands of Mugabe's Zanu-PF?

With the publication of the final report of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Committee the subject of reparations for the victims of apartheid and who should pay them has once again become a hot discussion topic.

Let us consider the subject of reparations, as it may be applicable to Zimbabwe. The Oxford dictionary tells us that reparation is either “making amends” or the “compensation for war damages”. Let us also proceed on the basis that certainly the white commercial farming community have through the total confiscation of their land and accumulated assets paid their reparations for the pre-independence period.

Since 1980 thousands of horrific acts of subhuman depravity have been inflicted upon the people of Zimbabwe by the thugs and agents of Mugabe’s Zanu-PF. While there has been a significant amount of documentation produced to record these atrocities it is believed that it is only the tip of the iceberg. The one common thread running through this disgusting history of gross human rights abuse is Robert Gabriel Mugabe and his Zanu-PF henchmen.

Quite clearly then just as multi-national banks and corporations are being sued for making profits during apartheid South Africa so must those individuals and companies which through their links with and patronage from the Mugabe regime made profits they would not otherwise have been made. Therefore apart from whatever criminal charges they may face it must become a foundation stone of policy that none of these individuals and the extended families must be allowed to enjoy their ill-gotten gains. From Mugabe down the best these subhuman thugs should wish for is a few acres of land to plough and access to basic health care. The accumulated reparations from Mugabe and the Zanu-PF, which will be considerable, must be placed into a “reparations fund” which can be drawn upon as the courts award compensation to the victims of Zanu-PF crimes against humanity.

Simply put the reparations must be paid by the perpetrators and not by the taxpayers of Zimbabwe among whom the victims themselves are all found. The scum who have been responsible for the shocking record of gross human rights abuse must never be allowed to live about minimum wage/subsistence level for the rest of their disgusting lives.

Uniformed thugs force patrons to have unprotected sex

Patrons of a Chitungwiza night club allege that soldiers paired revellers and forced them to have unprotected sex early this week.

The incident occurred at Royal Crown Night Club at Chikwanha shopping centre in the early hours of Monday. The night club owner, who refused to be named, said: “Yes I received reports pertaining to the forced sexual encounters. The disturbances that took place at the place have drastically affected our sales.

“People have not been entering our place for the past two days after the soldiers attacked people and did what they did. The soldiers were said to be on routine patrols.” Victims said the suspected soldiers arrived at the night club at about 2 am and surrounded the premises.

Some of the soldiers allegedly entered the night spot and ordered revellers to have unprotected sex with patrons of the opposite sex. A prominent commuter omnibus operator who operates from Chikwanha business centre was allegedly beaten up after he said he could not get an erection. The businessman was unavailable for comment.

“They ordered everyone to lie down and undress. People were beaten and the ladies were ordered to take off their panties. “They forced the patrons to have sex and those men who failed to get erections were severely assaulted.”

“I witnessed naked men and women being forced to have unprotected sex.”

There is an interesting pattern developing here and that is the depraved obsession with sexual torture and any amount of kinky sexual perversions.among supporters of the illegitimate Mugabe regime. Somehow one can expect that a regime where murder, torture, rape and sexual depravity are normal activities it will attract the scum from society. And indeed that is what comprises Zanu-PF – the scum from the bottom end of society.Ed

To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men Abraham Lincoln

Jocelyn Chiwenga’s day of reckoning is coming

It was with utter shock and disbelief that we read of the happenings here in Zimbabwe since the stayaway: Brutality that knows no bounds perpetrated on absolutely anyone and everyone who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

When one listens to the utterances spat out with such venom – by the “very democratically elected” President Mugabe himself at the funeral of another hero – one cannot help, but wonder where and when this madness will end.

As I write this letter, there are people all over the country who have been tortured and raped by the “army” of thugs known as the Green Bombers who are paid by us, the people of Zimbabwe. Also paid by us the taxpayers, is the venomous, evil, satanic woman who happens to be married to the army commander – the very army commander who is sworn to protect the people of Zimbabwe.

To her, I have only one, but very clear message: right now you may think you are smart and safe but know this: every circle ends where it started. Make no mistake, you will be punished for the evil deeds that you have done to others. The Bible clearly tells us that with the yardstick we use, that same yardstick will be used against us.

You will not escape and your time will come. You and so many others like you – those police and army thugs that are doing unspeakable things to innocent people – will also ultimately pay the price. It seems to me that they, the so-called rulers, have gone completely mad.

We, the taxpayers of Zimbabwe, are also completely crazy. Obviously there are some taxes we cannot escape – sales tax, for one – but if we, who are against this satanic regime, only buy what we absolutely need, the tax base will be sharply reduced.

How much sense does it make to pay the thugs who are raping, torturing and beating the hell out of the ordinary people of Zimbabwe, not to mention the deliberate starvation of the masses whilst they, the perpetrators, feast in abundance?

If the stayaway was the “flop” Mugabe says it was, why are they not ignoring it? By their reaction, it is obvious that they now know that the clock spring is wound tight and, with God’s grace, we will overcome the evil that has become the regime of Zimbabwe.

I am a Zimbabwean resident, Zimbabwe is my home. May God bless us, the people of Zimbabwe

A S - Harare

Mugabe's death squads must be identified and remembered because their time is near

Zimbabweans must move now to ensure that the criminal death squads who carry out Mugabe's policy of abduction, torture, rape and murder do not escape the noose of justice when the illegitimate regime collapses and the chefs flee the country.

Both victims and witnesses must do their level best to identify and commit to paper and voice or video recording as much evidence as they can. Where possible this must be sent out of the country for safe keeping.

This evidence will be needed when the nation awakes from the nightmare of being ruled by the subhuman tyranny that has characterised the government Mugabe and his Zanu-PF henchmen.

Great news - Massive unpaid government debt bringing Zanu-PF companies to their knees

The way things are going a boycott of Zanu-PF owned businesses by freedom loving Zimbabweans may too late as the unpaid debt by the government may do the job of ruining these business sooner rather than later.

Hundreds of millions of ZimKwatchas worth of debt to favoured suppliers remains unpaid for goods and services supplied to the illegitimate Mugabe regime. The pigs are beginning to squeal big time but the government has no money and no more paper to print worthless new ZimKwatchas.

It is time for the MDC to make a clear and categorical statement that debt accumulated by the illegitimate Mugabe regime since the fraudulent 2002 elections will not necessarily be honoured by the new government. In fact all amounts paid certainly since then would be subject to review and where necessary legislation will enacted to recover the monies paid to companies run by Zanu-PF or Zanu-PF gang members.

Uniformed services warned not to follow orders to commit crimes against humanity - By Cris Chinaka

HARARE, March 27 — Zimbabwe's main opposition party urged the army and police on Thursday to defy orders to suppress protests against President Robert Mugabe's rule.

In advertisements published in several newspapers, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said there was no role for the security forces in a ''purely political contest'' between the opposition and Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party.

The MDC says about 500 party members were detained after a two- day strike last week shut factories and sparked violence in one of the biggest protests since Mugabe came to power in 1980.

The MDC said most of the country's police and military forces wanted to remain professional, but it accused Mugabe of dragging them into a political and economic crisis of his own making.

''The uniformed forces have absolutely no constitutional or operational role to play in a purely political contest between the MDC and ZANU- PF,'' the MDC said in full-page newspaper adverts published on Thursday.

''The time has now come for the security forces to make that historic choice of either being with the people or against them,'' it said.

The MDC called on the police and army to denounce human rights abuses committed in their name, and to protest the wearing of their uniforms by Mugabe's ''green bombers'' whom it said were going around dressed as policemen and soldiers.

''The security forces must dissociate themselves from the militias whose existence is to rob, rape, assault, kill and terrorise people into submission,'' it said.

Yes it is good that the MDC has had the courage to clearly and very publicly remind the uniformed services that they run a terrible personal risk if they get involved in committing gross human rights abuses against the citizen of Zimbabwe whose sole crime is that they voted against Mugabe's subhuman regime first in the referendum and then repeatedly later in rigged elections. Each policeman and soldier needs to examine his conscience and search within himself for the courage to stand up for freedom and the rule of law.

Shame on you, lying ZBC!

“The 4 o’clock news read by Oscar Pambuka. It was business as usual in Harare and most parts of the country as people ignored the mass stayaway called by the British-sponsored MDC . . .”

This is what the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) had to say to Zimbabwe and the rest of the world.

This is what obtains in an environment where airwaves are not freed – I mean those with the monopoly can choose to lie and you do not have alternative views.

ZBC lied because the stayaway was a resounding success. If it was not, why did ZBC choose to use a file tape to show “business as usual”?

On the second day some Zanu PF sympathisers chose to be hypocritical when they were interviewed by the ZBC reporter. They claimed the stayaway was a flop when they themselves had also stayed away – all the three interviewees were at their homes. We were not shown the city centres and industries to substantiate the “business as usual” theory.

Some people find enough justification for their refusal to pay television and radio licences. Why should we pay? For ZBC falsehoods?

ZBC, your behaviour is scandalous.

It is interesting to see these ZBC propaganda agents carrying on as if they will still have their jobs after the collapse of the illegitimate Mugabe regime. Their dismissal must include the loss of all benefits including pensions.Ed

Arch thugs Chogugudza and Mwale continue to harass Bennett's workers - swradioafrica

Yesterday the farm workers at Roy Bennett's Charleswood Estate fled into the bush after a police unit invaded the farm. Their belongings and all of Roy Bennett's property were thrown outside into the rain. The police were allegedly being commanded by the Chimani excuse for a member in charge Inspector Chogugudza, and the notorious CIO thug and murderer Joseph Mwale allegedly took part in the evictions.

This action defies a court order protecting the farm from acquisition and a restraining order prohibiting Chogugudza and Mwale from harassing workers at Charleswood. It was discovered today that those families were actually driven by the police to a bus stop in Chimani town and dumped there without food or shelter.

It is obvious that these two subhuman thugs have realised that come the collapse of the illegitimate Mugabe regime that they will not be able to avoid paying the ultimate price at the hands of the angry masses. They have nothing to lose but their lives and there is little doubt that the people of Chimani will prove their worst fears to be correct. Ed

Mugabe's thugs force MP to flee for her life - swradioafrica

It seems the harassment of MDC officials is still continuing. Evelyn Masaiti, the MP for Mutasa, has fled her home and is in hiding. She says her life is in danger after state security agents started visiting her home in Harare. Violet spoke with her earlier Thursday.

Evelyn Masaiti says she has had to go into hiding after state security agents started looking for her at her home. Speaking from her hiding place Mrs Masaiti says she fears for her life and the safety of her children who are constantly being harassed by these strangers.

The MP says the harassment is part of the ongoing attacks against MDC members in the aftermath of last week's mass stayaway.

This is not the first time that Masaiti has suffered at the hands of state security agents.

Last year, just before the presidential election, she was assaulted by soldiers at Ruda Police Station in Hauna Growth point.

During the 2000 parliamentary elections Evelyn Masaiti was forces to go into hiding in the mountains after her house and car were burnt. She also says Zanu PF supporters disrupted the funeral of her husband last year.

In African politics power is not begged for, it is demanded

The great success of the massive stayaway called for by the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC should send a strong message to President Mugabe’s brutal and ruthless regime that the people of Zimbabwe are now prepared to engage in militant confrontation to force his regime out of office.

We applaud the people of Zimbabwe for “peacefully” staying away from their “slave yards” over the two days as this has undoubtedly registered the people’s anger and disgust at the crisis of leadership that we are facing in this country.

Don’t be fooled by the propaganda being churned out by the State media telling us that the mass action will kill the economy when, in actual fact, productive workers are daily missing work in fuel queues.

The fact is that staying away is not anything new to Zimbabwean politics. It has actually been engineered by Zanu PF, who are solely to blame for the acute shortages the nation is facing today.

Clearly this economy is not being mismanaged. Rather, it is not being managed at all.

Respect for human rights is non-existent, as honourable MPs are being persecuted and savagely tortured at the hands of the State.

I think the message that was registered at State House is simple – the people of Zimbabwe are sick and tired of the extremist policies of Zanu PF, which have resulted in pain and suffering for the people of Zimbabwe.

While Jonathan Moyo is quick to blame the food crisis on the “weather” there has been a deafening silence with regards to the fuel crisis and the shortage of foreign currency. All these difficulties are clearly a result of gross mismanagement.

I wish to salute those of you who were brave enough over the two days to send home the message that Zimbabwe is not a colony and we cannot be governed by the Zanu PF government as if they are running their own small tuckshop.

I think the way forward for the opposition forces is to start mobilising the progressive cadres of Zimbabwe towards more determined and swift mass action to register our anger with Zanu PF.

We cannot afford to lose time. Now is the right time as the momentum and the national mood is at a peak.

Unless we are prepared to make sacrifices together as the people of Zimbabwe, rest assured we shall continue to wallow in misery.

We need to learn from those whom we are fighting that a liberation struggle is not won by sitting in offices or complaining in commuter omnibuses, wishing that those who are the source of our misery will somehow just resign or disappear en masse. That is wishful thinking of the worst order.

In African politics power is not begged for, it is demanded. The successful stayaway is the initial warning to our oppressors.

We have to demand good governance today. A word of advice to the opposition leadership: the stayaway must not be viewed as an end in itself but rather as a means to an end – the end of Zanu PF rule.

We demand more mass action in the very immediate future.

Charlton Dzvairo – Harare

Muscle mouth Moyo rated world's greatest censor

Eminent media terrorist Jonathan Moyo has been recognised for his single handed contribution to the advance of censorship and his systematic dismantling of the right to freedom of expression in Zimbabwe.

Moyo a political prostitute and a man of ambiguous sexuality received the dubious award from UK-based Index on Censorship. Index is a group of leading media figures, writers and people concerned with freedom of speech in the world.

“There have been many cases of journalists being detained on small charges, some deported, while some were threatened in connection with their articles.” it was stated.

Funerals are not rallies

It is disturbing to note that at 78 years of age, President Mugabe is still not wise enough to know what to say and what not to say at funerals.

When you address people at a funeral, you should tell them about the attributes of the deceased person, the times you interacted with him and how sad you are at his passing away. Please, Mr President, I beg you to stop doing your campaign rallies at funerals when other people are mourning their beloved ones.

Baba Kurai – Kwekwe

All reasonable people will agree with the sentiments expressed in this letter. However, one must sympathise with Mugabe in that as a cornered rat he strikes out as often as he can against whoever he can. This is what thugs do when they are about the be called to account for their crimes against humanity. Thanks to Mugabe for confirming our suspicions that he was too mad to understand the desperation of his situation. Does anyone take this idiot of a man seriously anymore anyway? Ed

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