Zimbabwe -- Farmers providing election support arrested

author/source:News24 (SA)
published:Sat 9-Mar-2002
posted on this site:Sat 9-Mar-2002
Article Type : News

Johannesburg - Zimbabwean police arrested 12 farmers on Friday night on unspecified charges at Chininga, the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) said on Saturday. CFU spokeswoman Jenni Williams, in a statement, said farmers were assisting monitors to polling stations when two farmers had not reported back.

"When at 6pm two farmers had not reported back from Chininga polling station, a group of farmers went down to look for them and found that Zanu- PF members had abducted the two farmers, taken their keys and hand held radios and were making them dance and sing. The other farmers were ambushed and included with the first two," she said.

Williams said a support unit arrived with a blue saloon carrying Zanu-PF officials and after reviewing the situation, asked the farmers to report to the police station to make statements. Once at the police station, the farmers were taken to Banket where they were arrested on unspecified charges. By Saturday morning, the farmers were still in police custody.

Mugabe Talks of Retribution After Zimbabwe Vote: Places Army on High Alert--[Excerpt] At a briefing for foreign observers and media, the official Electoral Supervisory Commission Wednesday gave out scant information. It could not say how many ballot papers had been printed, the exact location of 4,548 polling stations or when voter lists would be made public. Nor could Commission chairman Sobuza Gula-Ndebele, a retired army colonel, say why only 23 local observers had been accredited out of 12,000 nominees.[End Excerpt]

Thousands Driven from Homes from Political Violence Can't Vote in Zimbabwe--[Excerpt] The Movement for Democratic Change has accused the government of waging a campaign of violence against opposition voters and of using new security laws to hinder the opposition campaign. Party officials said in the last few days 22 polling agents representing the opposition had been abducted by ruling party militiamen. [End Excerpt]

Stuffed ballot boxes found as Mugabe begins stealing poll--[Excerpt] THE discovery of ballot boxes stuffed with votes for Robert Mugabe spilling out of a police car involved in a crash gave the last day of campaigning in Zimbabwe's presidential election an almost comic air. But few of the country's 5,607,812 registered voters were laughing as they prepared to go to the polls today after an election campaign that will be remembered as one of Africa's most murderous and turbulent.[End Excerpt]
Michael Laban, left, a member of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, registers an appeal with Zimbabwe police Inspector Martin Mberi after being told that his name had been deleted from the voters roll at Avondale polling station in Harare on the first day of the Presidential Elections, Saturday March 9, 2002. (AP PHOTO) - Mar 09 6:53 AM ET

Mike Auret, left, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change MP for Harare Central is assisted by Presiding Officer Gladys Chirokote, center, and an election officer after he discovered he had been struck off the voters roll at Avondale polling station in Harare, on the first day of the Zimbabwe Presidential Elections, Saturday March 9, 2002. Auret protested and later in the day presented evidence of his citizenship, and the election officials allowed him to vote.(AP PHOTO) - Mar 09 6:43 AM ET

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