My wife always shouts at me that I never throw anything away. Today I proved her wrong, because when I finally got to the front of the queue at the Polling Station I was told I did not appear on the voters roll. I was stumped because my wife was there and not me. Like a magician I whipped out my original receipt signed, sealed and handed to me by the registration authorities. They had no choice, they had to let me vote. Strike one to us.
Well, I have voted. We went to the polling station at the school in my area and there must have been about 100 people waiting to vote. The atmosphere was pretty festive and even saw lots of whiteys, as cross as I am with the ostriches. The Election Agent checking the voters’ roll was ever so slow. I have spoken to lots of other people and it seems to be characteristic of the whole town, very, very slooow. It felt so good to put that X in the right place.
My mother of 84 rang me at 5am to ask why I wasn’t up and queueing, she was already dressed and on her way to her local station. Revving to see change at her age!
So far voter turn out has been high in urban centers, but the voting process is slow and cumbersome. There have been several incidents whereby people previously registered are either struck off the voters’ roll or have been moved to another constituency.
Several reports have come in from the rural areas that MDC Election Agents are being barred from taking up their posts for a variety of excuses. Bubi-Umguza, under the infamous zanupf candidate, is a prime example as we have received information that the majority of MDC Election Agents have been turned away.
The funniest and most encouraging things I’ve heard this week are: 1) lots of people are asking “Who is auntie Blair?”- having a go at ZANU PF’s big “Anti-Blair Campaign”. And 2) Village headmen who have been telling villagers that they need to line up behind the headmen in the polling booths have apparently been told: “we’ll line up, but we’re
going to need 2 lines: one for you headmen and another for all the rest of us!”
A story that encapsulates many aspects of things happened yesterday: a young white Zimbabwean friend of mine was driving past a group of party activists that looked like they were putting up MDC signs on a wall, so my friend slowed down and greeted them with the open palm salute of the MDC, accompanied by the slogan “Chinja!”. Much to his surprise and consternation, the group was actually ZANU-PF youths that were taking down the MDC signs! But although they began cursing him vehemently and he drove off in a frightened hurry, that was the end of the incident, which in past elections he would have been lucky to escape without serious injury.
At sunrise this morning there were already long winding queues of people waiting to cast their votes.
At business centre I had a few drinks with people who told me openly that zanu pf is dead but they do not trust that MDC will win. They know that zanu pf has never won any election but wondered as to how MDC can win this time? Langa’s men are toasting about this issue. They pointed out that people in the south are the threatened people. We will continue supporting the peoples party (MDC) in this area. Langa can kiss goodbye Insiza!
Reported from a Sok activist on the ground in the Insiza District. Name withheld for security.
AS OF MIDNIGHT TONIGHT THE ZIMBABWE PARLIAMENT IS DISSOLVED.
SOKWANELE - ENOUGH - ZVAKWANA IS GLAD TO SEE THE END OF THIS CHAPTER IN HISTORY!
DEMOCRACY WILL RULE THE DAY.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission opened the postal ballot to all civil servants working outside the country as well as the local army and police. Those in the armed forces within the country were also allowed to choose to vote by postal ballot or to go to their own registered polling station on the 31st March.
That ballot has already closed, all ballot papers have been submitted to the relevant Constituencies, to be opened at the end of the voting process and added to the local votes.
A mere 9500 postal ballots have been submitted. This means the armed forces have already decided to say “Enough is enough” and refused to vote in the presence of their commanding officers.
All activists working in the name of democracy would like to congratulate the armed forces for joining them in their quest for freedom!
Selina packed some rations for her grandchildren in her rural home this morning, enough to feed them for a few days, but not enough to attract any tsotsis to her loot. Armed with a huge smile and an enormous amount of determination, we hugged, shed tears for our impoverished and battered nation and off she went to vote in her home constituency.
I am wracked with worry as to her safety, for in the presidential elections her activist husband was beaten to a pulp and had to hid
e in the bush for five days.
For any of you out there who are listening, please put our beloved Gogo in your prayers tonight.
Along the Nyanzane river resettlement area people are so afraid and were told that the Chinese brought boxes for zanu pf to win. The people think that the boxes are somehow already rigged in favour of zanu pf.
People were told to rally behind their headman for if not, it will be known who did not comply. Some people in the area asked for protection from zanu pf thugs. It is a 50 / 50 situation there.
Reported from a Sokwanele activist on the ground: Fort Rixen . Name withheld for security.
I just returned from South Africa today. At 8am this morning, when I drove through Musina the COSATU vigil was already in full swing. There were colourful banners and Zim flags everywhere. The people were singing as they walked. SA police helicopters were flying overhead. There was massive police presence all around us. Film crews are on the ground reporting. I spoke to some of the supporters who are peacefully making their way down the road between Musina and Beitbridge. They say they are expecting around 20 000 people to join them during the course of the day. One man commented ‘we want our brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe to know we are here in solidarity. We are with you all the way”.
I still have a lump in my throat! I cannot describe the joy I felt at seeing so many people turn out in support.
Chaos abounds in the ruling party structures and there is a last minute attempt to block legitimate access to polling stations by MDC and Independent Election Agents. Despite mugabe’s desperate need to present tomorrow’s vote as free and fair so as to garner international recognition, the dirty tricks department has seen the writing on the wall and, as you read this, are busy trying to rig the vote.
Today was the day to deploy all Election Agents (in previous elections known as Polling Agents) to the 8500 polling stations located in 120 constituencies.
At Victoria Falls this afternoon, the MDC candidate’s appointed Election Agents were turned away. The reason given was that they could not produce an affidavit that they had signed the “Declaration of Secrecy” as prescribed by the “Electoral Secrecy Act”.
THERE IS NO SUCH ACT!
At several other polling stations, particularly in the rural areas, Election Agents were turned away because they could not produce a hard copy of the advertisement posted in the press to announce their names. These adverts were timeously published in a local newspaper, the Presiding Officer was simply up to dirty tricks.
Ironically, zanupf failed to honour the regulation set out in the Electoral Act that stipulates advertisement of the Election Agents be published at least three days before voting day.
The Chairman of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission(ZEC) was handpicked by mugabe for the job, and under him is his Commission. The next step down from the Commission are the 120 Constituency Election Officers, all of them civil servants, military or police. Each candidate has a chosen Chief Election Agent and the candidate appoints a maximum of 4 partisan Agents per polling station. Each polling station is under the jurisdiction of a
government selected Presiding Officer.
I am not such a proud, white Zimbo today because I discovered that all too many of my whitey friends believe they should not go out to vote tomorrow morning.
These ostriches think it isn’t their fight, are too afraid to get involved, or are just too lazy to get out of bed. Well, they certainly aren’t being invited to my victory party!
Now I got that off my chest, a bit of good news. The place is buzzing, people are stocking up with groceries as they believe the country is going to shut down until the regime is kicked out. It was also on the news that Grace and the kids have gapped it to London, well that’s a good sign.
It’s time to get rid of the bullies.
The government has come up with another panic measure - this time to buy the urban vote. Today, domestic workers’ salaries and wages were increased across the board by a staggering average of 900% backdated to 1st March, 2005.
Does the illegitimate and bankrupt regime really believe that domestic workers are stupid enough to change their allegiance over this last resort measure?
The urban masses know that the economy is in a state of collapse, they know how useless the Zimbabwe dollar is, they understand fundamental basic economics – put wages up, inflation increases, salaries still worth nothing!
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