Links ~ 28 June 2008

Violence and Mbeki only remaining pillars for Mugabe: MDC (SWRadio)
The MDC said that Mugabe has only two remaining pillars of support which is, Mugabe’s violent campaign and South African President Thabo Mbeki’s reluctance to condemn Mugabe’s terror campaign and his failure to halt the discredited run-off poll. Nelson Chamisa spokesperson for the MDC said that the poll was an insult to Zimbabweans. Chamisa said, “You should have representatives, competition, accountability and observation. All these ingredients were not there.”

Vote counting complete in Zimbabwe poll-ZEC (Reuters)
Vote counting in Zimbabwe’s presidential election has finished, the country’s electoral commission said on Saturday.

“That process has been completed,” Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Deputy Chief Elections Officer Utoile Silaigwana said on state television. It was hoped collation and verification of results would be finished on Saturday and then the results could be released, he said.

Mugabe expected to be sworn in tomorrow – sources (SABCnews)
Robert Mugabe is expected to be sworn in as president in the one-candidate election held on June 27 in Zimbabwe. Sources said that Mugabe has defeated the MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai by a huge margin what many called a ‘sham’ election.

Zimbabwe’s opposition calls for special AU envoy and troops to end crisis (Welt)
Thokozani Khupe Vice-President of the MDC called on the African Union to send peacekeepers and to dedicate a special envoy to help end the violence and political crisis in Zimbabwe. Khupe said that the June 27 presidential run-off was a “joke” and a “farce” as Mugabe was running on his own. She said that Mugabe had declared war on innocent Zimbabweans and that the MDC would not participate in war. The MDC wants an AU envoy to assist President Thabo Mbeki “in the mediation process”. Khupe said, “Our major worry is that at present South Africa is operating as if they are the foreign minister of Zimbabwe, and I think this has to come to a stop.“

AU divided on what to do about Zimbabwe (SWRadio)
The African Union (AU) remained undecided on Saturday as to what should be done about Zimbabwe. The AU is reportedly waiting for Sunday’s meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council and the meeting of the heads of state on Monday. Sources said that the AU foreign ministers have been quarrelling behind closed doors about the issue of Zimbabwe. Senegalese Foreign Minister Sheikh Tidian hinted at proposals that could include Morgan Tsvangirai President of the MDC in Zimbabwe assuming the role of executive prime minister, with guarantees.

Robert Mugabe is expected to fly out to the AU summit directly after being sworn in on Sunday.

Names of 5 MDC activist murdered in Manicaland released (SWRadio)
The names of 5 MDC activists killed in Manicaland have been released:

• Robert Ziyengwa MDC chairperson for Ward 34 in Headlands, and his wife, was beaten to death on Wednesday.
• Mr. Gumura of village 11, Eagles’ Nest in Headlands was beaten to death.
• Mrs. Gumura was badly beaten and died in Rusape Hospital on Saturday.
• Sandros Mandizha of village 17 in Headlands was beaten to death on Wednesday.

Committee to report on Zim arms (SAPA)
The chairperson of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee January Masilela said that the NCACC will respond next week to a Mail & Guardian report that South Africa has been supplying weapons of war to Zimbabwe. Masilela said that he was waiting for the return of Minister Sydney Mufamadi from Zimbabwe before they would comment on the article. Mufamadi is President Thabo Mbeki’s envoy in negotiations between political parties in Zimbabwe. The Mail & Guardian claims it has documents in its possession that show that weapons, including helicopters, revolvers and cartridges have been supplied to Zimbabwe despite the ‘mounting human rights abuses in that country’.

Foreign observer says Zimbabweans voted in fear; many spoiled ballots and votes for Tsvangirai (AP)
Marwick Khumalo head of the Pan-African Parliament observer mission said that contrary to the state media of Zimbabwe proclaiming that there had been a “massive turnout” of voters, the turnout had been “very, very low”. Khumalo said that many of the people who voted had cast their vote in favour of Morgan Tsvangirai leader of the MDC. Zimbabweans had bravely either boycotted the poll or had spoiled their votes, in cases where they were forced to vote. “There was a lot of intimidation for people to vote,” said Khumalo. He said that some voters had written ‘We will not vote’ on the ballot papers.

Zimbabweans refuse to vote and spoil ballot papers despite Robert Mugabe’s violent threats (Telegraph – UK)
Hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans have resisted intimidation by Mugabe’s Zanu-PF and have refused to vote or have spoiled their ballot papers. Polling stations in Harare remained virtually empty and some had not seen a single vote cast three hours after the opening of the polling stations. Observers estimate the turnout to be either a quarter or a third of the total turnout for the March 29 elections.

The state television reported throughout the day that there were a huge turnout and the absence of queues was attributed to the efficiency of the election officials. Freedom Moyo of ZBC had however defied the station’s remit and in his report said, “There are very few people. People have listened to Tsvangirai’s call to boycott the election.” Moyo has not been heard of since. Morgan Tsvangirai said that should South Africa recognise the result of the election, there would be no place for President Thabo Mbeki in his role as the SADC appointed mediator in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe counts votes: opposition to lobby Africa (Reuters)
Zimbabwean state media predict a landslide victory for Zanu-PF’s Robert Mugabe, despite the reported low turnout of voters in many areas of Zimbabwe. The presidential poll was held on June 27 despite the withdrawal of MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Nelson Chamisa spokesperson for the MDC said that now that Zanu-PF has ‘stolen’ the election they would continue, “to spill more blood”. Zanu-PF is expected to now launch a campaign named ‘Operation Red Finger’ which seeks to find those people who do not have the indelible red ink stain on their fingers, which would proof that they had abstained from voting.

The UN Security Council has expressed deep regret that the presidential poll had gone ahead and said that a free and fair vote had been impossible. The African Union (AU) is urged to take action on Zimbabwe in a meeting that is to be held on Monday, June 29. It would seem that the AU has no immediate solution to the Zimbabwe crisis, but according to its chairperson Jean Ping, he remains convinced that a solution would be found.

Zimbabwe: UN envoy holds talks with regional leaders on political strife (UN news)
Haile Menkerios UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs is continuing to hold talks with southern African leaders about the political crisis in Zimbabwe. Menkerios held talks on Friday with Angolan President José Edoardo dos Santos on Friday, and with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete on Saturday. The UN envoy will attend the current African Union summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt on Monday. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the presidential run-off election in Zimbabwe should have been postponed, as a free and fair poll could not be held due to the current circumstances in Zimbabwe.

World leaders say Zimbabwe vote is illegitimate (Reuters)
Leaders from across the World have condemned the June 27 presidential run-off election in Zimbabwe as illegitimate. Archbishop Desmond Tutu a Nobel Peace laureate said that the international community had the right to intervene in the crisis. Tutu said that African countries should declare Mugabe an illegitimate leader and should impose a blockade, including a flight ban, on Zimbabwe. The UN Security Council (UNSC) said in a unanimously agreed statement that it was “a matter of deep regret” that the Zimbabwean authorities went ahead with the poll, as conditions for free and fair elections did not exist. It should be noted that the UNSC statement was also backed by South Africa, Russia, and China, all of which had previously blocked action against Zimbabwe. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper called the poll an “ugly perversion of democracy”.

Under siege: Eyewitness account of urban violence (FinGaz)
A senior political reporter of the Financial Gazette said that Southern African Development Community (SADC) observers would not leave their hotel to witness the violence meted out by Zanu-PF youths on the rampage in Kuwadzana. The reporter had phoned one of the observers and had given a detailed account of the violent incidents. The observer reacted by saying, “So what do you want us to do about that?”

As the Zanu-PF youths continued with their lawlessness and violent behaviour, police officers were looking with folded arms…

Zimbabwe regime on etv reporters (Bush radio)
E-tv news reporter Tumaole Mohlaoli and cameraperson Elelewani Rampfumedzi were filming a protest march against the Zimbabwean elections on Friday at Beitbridge when the Zimbabwean authorities arrested them. The team had obtained permission from the South African authorities to film on the bridge that is between the South African and Zimbabwean border posts. The two men were released on Saturday, after the tireless efforts of the South African Police Service, Home Affairs, and Foreign Affairs, said E-tv’s Nina Callagham.

MDC supporters taken to place of safety (SABCnews)
The more than 200 MDC supporters who had taken refuge at the South African Embassy in Harare have been taken to a place of safety, said the South African Department of Foreign Affairs. Ronnie Mamoepa spokesperson for the department said that the group of Zimbabweans were taken to a facility 15km outside Harare where security will be provided on a 24-hour basis. Mamoepa said that the move was part of an agreement facilitated by Lungisi Makalima South African Ambassador to Zimbabwe. Organisations which had supported the move was the Zimbabwean National and International Red Cross, the United Nations, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the International Organisation for Migration, the Zimbabwean Council of Churches, the Christian Alliance, Zimbabwe Social Welfare Department and other representatives.

Aid group: South Africa deported Zimbabweans (AP)
Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF), an international aid group, said that South Africa has deported 450 Zimbabweans who have fled the violence and instability in Zimbabwe. A MSF team had visited a detention center in South Africa on Friday where they found 450 Zimbabweans. On the team’s return to the center on Saturday - bringing supplies for the Zimbabweans – they found the center empty. South African authorities have confirmed that all the Zimbabweans have been deported back to Zimbabwe.

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