Links ~ 5 July 2008

Mbeki meets Mugabe in Zim (News24 / AFP)
South African President Thabo Mbeki has met with Robert Mugabe and leaders of a MDC breakaway faction (MDC – Mutambara) in Harare, on Saturday. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) had appointed Mbeki as mediator in the Zimbabwe crisis. An AFP reporter saw that Mbeki had a brief discussion with Robert Mugabe, after which Arthur Mutambara leader of the MDC breakaway faction joined them. His secretary-general Welshman Ncube and Priscilla Misihairibwi-Mushonga the deputy of Ncube accompanied Mutambara.

Tsvangirai’s absence from talks disappoints Mbeki (SABCnews)
President Thabo Mbeki has expressed disappointment at the absence of Morgan Tsvangirai President of the MDC at a meeting between Mbeki and Zimbabwean leaders on Saturday. Mbeki said that Tsvangirai had pulled out of the meeting at the last minute. Mbeki said that Tsvangirai allegedly said that he was acting on advise of certain AU leaders to hold-off on talks, until Mbeki was re-enforced with others (mediator/s).

Brutal plot let Mugabe retain power (Washington Post)
The Washington Post has obtained access to a written record of several meetings that Mugabe attended between the March 29 elections and the June 29 presidential run-off election. Witnesses to the debates have corroborated the notes.

The notes show that Mugabe and his advisers had little concern for the basic rules of democracy. They only briefly debated the consequences of the political violence unleashed on the country and the impact it would have on international opinion.

At first, the state-sponsored violence perpetrated against MDC supporters were consistent with past political violence. There were beatings with whips, striking with sticks, torture, and other forms of intimidation – there were few fatalities.

However, on May 5 the pattern had changed, it seemed that the violence had evolved into an even more sinister kind of violence. On that day, 200 Zanu-PF supporters attacked the village of Chaona. By the time everything was over, 7 people were dead. The many injured had sustained new kinds of injuries. It seemed that the attacks were now under direction of soldiers who had been trained in torture – professional killers.

As the ‘new’ violence, spread unabated throughout the country even Zanu-PF stalwarts appeared to become uneasy. Any protests from these ranks were however repeatedly overruled by Chiwenga, the military head and by former security chief Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Mnangagwa had been involved in the murder thousands of people in southwestern Matabeleland and who is known as the ‘Butcher of Matabeleland’.

Blood By The Tracks In Rural Midlands, Zimbabwe, As Violence Continues (VOA)
Sources in the Midlands province have reported that six bodies were discovered next to the Gweru-Kwekwe railway line near the village of Matshekandumba, near Gweru. The villagers have been unsuccessful in their attempts to reach the police in Gweru. One of the bodies was identified as that of a state security agent who had tried to prevent the killing of local villagers. According to the sources, state agents have been terrorising the villagers for days. Villagers have been beaten for allegedly failing to vote for Robert Mugabe in the presidential run-off election. Villagers are now fleeing the area since the discovery of the bodies.

Voter in trouble for anti-Mugabe rap on ballot paper (ZimOnline)
A voter who had spoiled his ballot paper with insulting remarks against Robert Mugabe has been charged with violating the Electoral Act. Lincoln Bongani Mathe (22), a student of the Bulawayo Polytechnic College, was arrested on June 27. Mathe allegedly had written on the ballot paper the words: “Mugabe you have stolen the election, you are an evil person. You will face the wrath of God.” Mathe had apparently decided to take a photograph of him and the spoiled ballot with his camera phone. The polling officers were alerted when they heard the clicking sound and saw the flashing light of the camera phone, which prompted them to alert the police. Mathe has been remanded out of custody to 15 July when he will face additional charges of contravening a government statute that prohibits Zimbabweans from making statements or gestures that undermines or insults Mugabe.

Zimbabwe Elections: MDC legislators spend second week in detention (AZJ)
Three senior MDC officials have entered their second week in detention at the Lupane Police Station. The officials were arrested on allegations of instigating political violence. They are:

• Abednico Bhebhe MDC MP elect for Nkayi South
• Robert Rabson Makhula Senator-elect for Nkayi South
• Pearson Mbalekwa former Zvishavane legislator

Spokesperson for the police Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena said that the MDC officials are still being detained and would not comment on when they would appear in court. Bvudzijena said that investigations were under way resulting causing a delay in determining when the trio will appear in court. “We suspect that they masterminded or sponsored political violence in Matabeleland North, around the Lupane area ahead of the run-off,” Bvudzijena said.

Robert Mugabe uses food as weapon as famine looms (TimesOnline)
Zimbabweans face a catastrophe as the country is on the brink of an unprecedented famine. The country has had its worst harvest since 1980. The country’s dire situation is compounded even further, by Zanu-PF’s deliberate starvation of thousands of people perceived as MDC supporters. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has estimated that the grain harvested this year, amounts to no more than 28% of that which is needed to feed the country. It is estimated that 29% of the population are “chronically malnourished”, with a similar percentage of children suffering stunting. In Bulawayo hospitals, cases of malnutrition have increased by 110% in just two months.

By the end of August, rural stocks of food will be depleted and more than 2 million people will face starvation, unless they receive food aid. By January, a staggering 5.1 million people could face starvation. Mugabe’s regime has implemented a total ban on famine relief by local and international agencies. Food that is sourced by Zanu-PF is distributed only to Zanu-PF supporters. A 68-year old grandmother, together with other villagers, had their names removed from a list for famine relief by the headman of their village and war veterans. The headman perceived them to be MDC supporters. The grandmother is recovering from injuries sustained in a Zanu-PF attack. She said, “You see them eating and you get angry, but there is nothing you can do.”

In the aftermath of the June 27 elections, there has been a surge of people seeking medical assistance with injuries sustained during the run-up to the elections. It is only now, after the elections, that many of the injured are able to seek medical assistance for the first time. They suffer fractured limbs, lacerated and bruised backs, buttocks and legs, and other injuries. The victims all share a similar story of injuries sustained in brutal attacks… and also, that there is “absolutely no food.”

The big firms that prop up Zim (M&G)
With the calls for full-blown sanctions against Zimbabwe becoming ever louder, companies who have dealings with Zimbabwe are coming under increasing pressure. The German company Giesecke & Devrient has announced that they would stop the supply of paper for the printing of banknotes to Zimbabwe. The British supermarket group Tesco has announced that they would not source produce from Zimbabwe.

However, there are companies which have a significant presence in Zimbabwe. According to the Mail & Guardian these companies are:

• Anglo American – proposed $400 million investment in Zim platinum mine
• Standard Chartered – Bank, UK company
• Barclays Bank – Bank, UK company
• British American Tobacco – largest stake in what remains of the tobacco crop
• BP – largest player in the fuel retail sector
• Rio Tinto – gold mining
• Falgold – gold mining
• Chevron – US company
• Coca Cola – US company
• Bata – a Canadian shoe company
• Anglo American Corporation – South Africa (SA)
• Stanbic – which is a subsidiary of Standard Bank (SA)
• Old Mutual – involved in real estate and insurance (SA)
• PPC Cement – (SA)
• Murray and Roberts – (SA)
• Truworths – (SA)
• Edcon – which ows Edgars clothes retail chain (SA)
• Hulett-Tongaat – has a stake in Hippo Valley Sugar Estates
• Spar – grocery chain (SA)
• SAB Miller – has a stake in Zimbabwe’s Delta Beverages
• Zimplats** – subsidiary of Impala Platinum (SA)
• Metallon Gold* – mining company belonging to Mzi Khumalo

* Metallon Gold owes 5 gold mines in Zimbabwe and produces 50% of the country’s revenue in gold production.

** Zimplats recorded revenues of $99-million

Film of Zimbabwe “vote-rigging” (BBC)
Sheperd Yuda’s film shows the vote rigging at his jail in a production for Guardian Films. Yuda and his colleagues were forced to vote for Robert Mugabe, by their superior officers. Yuda has filmed war veteran Superintendent Sharimba where he supervises the votes of prison officers. Sharimba ensured that each had voted for Mugabe and had then logged each vote against an identification number. Prison officers were left with no choice but to vote for Mugabe.

Yuda’s film captures the fear and tension of prison officers and voters. He films a scared woman who tries to colour her little finger with a pink marker, hoping that it would match the ink used in the polling stations and that it would appear that she has voted.

Sheperd Yuda and his family have fled Zimbabwe.

Mwanawasa ‘remains stable’ (AFP)
Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa is in a stable condition and continues to receive treatment for hypertension at the Percy Military Hospital in Paris. Mwanawasa suffered a stroke while attending the African Union summit in Egypt. He was evacuated to France for specialised medical treatment.

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