Thank you to all our fellow countrymen who turned out in their numbers to vote in South Africa and London. Soon we will be reunited.

First hand information has just come in from Bubi Umguza Constituency in Northern Matabeleland. Jacob Thabani, the MDC candidate is pitched against zanupf’s infamous Obert Mpofu.

Early this afternoon, a polling station was visited by a zanupf supporter with a bundle of ballots which he proclaimed were postal ballots. Postal ballots were meant to have been submitted prior to the start of the regular vote. He walked in and started to record the ballots in the Polling Station book when the MDC Election Agent stood his ground and refused to sign the book. The Zimbabwe Election Commission agent acted in accordance with his responsibility and contacted a member of the Constituency support group.

Support arrived at the station with experienced individuals and the Presiding Officer was informed that should he accept the postal ballots they would ensure the results from the polling station would be disqualified in the final constituency count.

In other districts in this area voters have been told to stay at home unless they have ZANU PF cards, as they will have to produce those before they can vote.

Obert Mpofu was also reported to have moved a polling station to his home about 10 kms away, but after pressure from voters he was forced to move it back.

This constituency serves 54 000 voters with a total of 104 polling stations. This incident is surely the tip of the iceberg.

In Kwekwe, there are reports that the MDC MP Mr Chebundo has discovered that zanupf were insisting that youths who are not registered join the queues after the closure of polling stations at 7pm and that they be allowed to vote. Apparently the situation is very tense and police fear they may lose control.

In Shangani constituency in Matabeleland North two zanupf vehicles arrived after polling closed and an unknown numbers of persons entered the polling station. The counting is continuing with these persons having remained inside the polling station.

At Victoria Falls Primary school a ballot box has been taken into the polling station purportedly containing 99 postal votes. The agents queried this activity and were told to mind their own business. Apparently 15 police officers were installed at this polling station prior to the count.

We can confirm that in Bulawayo the ballot boxes are still sealed and presiding officers are waiting for instruction to count. The Electoral Law states that counting must start within three hours of the polling station closing. We have less than half an hour to go. Let’s see if zanupf can meet this SADC Electoral Standard.

My thoughts are with everyone in Zimbabwe today, but especially with Roy Bennett, who has spent yet another day in a filthy prison cell in Mutoko. In the last parliamentary elections Roy stood as an MP for the Chimanimani constituency and he won a resounding victory in what was previously a zanu stronghold. The fact that he was a completely ord
inary white farmer, supported by a rural black majority, annoyed the zanu government beyond belief. How dare someone they’d branded as a ‘traitor’ be so popular among a population group they’d described as ‘land hungry and fed up with farmers’? Roy’s popularity and decency exploded the myth they tried to create.

I wonder if Roy could ever have imagined in those heady days of victory what he, his family and his constituents would endure at the hands of a vengeful, violent and vicious zanupf government in the four years that would follow? Could he have ever imagined that he’d be spending the next election day in a filthy jail cell – incarcerated outside a court of law – for a trivial ‘crime’?

Today must be so hard for him: the painful memories, the horrendous injustice, being isolated from the country on a day like this, and he must be torn with anxiety over not knowing how Heather, his wife, is faring in her fight to stand in his place today and make sure that the will of the people is preserved in Chimanimani.

It takes an extraordinary person to stand up to Mugabe and his government of thugs. Roy has done so time and time again. And the people of Chimanimani have stood alongside him through it all. We and the world need to step forward and protect our heros when they are hunted and hurt. Because without people as extraordinary as Roy, the rest of us don’t stand a chance; neither does democracy. Roy and Heather Bennett’s story is a profound example of what fighting for justice and freedom is really all about.

The world is watching today. We know in Zimbabwe that when the buzz is over the world’s attention drifts very quickly onto new stories in different parts of the world, and that we are suddenly in the dark and forgotten all over again. If the unthinkable (predictable) happens, and zanu steals yet another election from the people, please don’t shrug your shoulders and move on. Please don’t forget about Roy. Please read his story and join us in the fight for his freedom.

*Sokwanele: We have added a link to the Free Roy Bennett Campaign website in the margin links

I got up bright and early this morning, met up with other family members and off we went to vote! We queued happily at our chosen polling station. It opened 25 minutes late – not a good start! There was a lot of grumbling from the small gathering but everyone was patient and eventually the lines started moving. The very young policemen that was manning the door, did his bit in between checking his cell phone messages. Finally, it was my turn! Damn and blast! I was told that I am no longer on that voters roll so must have been moved into a different constituency.

Back in the car and off down the road to a polling station in the next door suburb. The feeling there is very different there. The queue is longer (not surprisingly as it is now nearly an hour later). The friendly policemen greets us and assists us with instructions on which line to join. There is general chit-chat and thank goodness, shade from the African sun! A while later, I leave – pink finger and all!

Now we wait. My friends have been phoning continuously. Some have reports of low turnout while others are still in queues. I wonder if the SA Election Observer could pass on the name of the nail specialist. I am going to need it after today!!

My pinky is cerise pink, I voted at 7.35am. The
police officer at our polling station was smiling and helpful. I was pleased to see the election officers jumping around and phoning other stations to try and find out if people whose names weren’t on the voters’ roll for that constituency, were perhaps registered in another constituency. I see these government workers itching to do the right thing. I just hope the situation remains calm in the rural areas, although I fear the rigging is at full swing there.

Selina phoned me this morning from the bottle store in her village. She said that many of the MDC polling agents had been sent back to town, she didn’t know why. She also said that there has been some intimidation from war vets. She is going to try and come home today if she can get transport and I will update you with her stories.

She’s in for such a surprise, because we’ve got a visitor! Selina’s son arrived at the house an hour ago. She doesn’t even know he’s in the country. He left for South Africa two years ago to help his family keep body and soul together. He came back yesterday, ESPECIALLY TO VOTE!!!

I am so proud of him. He hates Johannesburg, living in a gangster ridden neighbourhood and he wants to stay at home. I hope he will be able to, we need committed young guys to be here at home to rebuild our poor country.

By 1pm today it was confirmed that 16 000 people had cast their votes in Gwanda Constituency.

Go Gwanda Go!