Mugabe's terror mobs turn on rural voters

EUROPEAN Union foreign ministers meet today to consider imposing sanctions on President Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe following the expulsion of the chief EU observer. Our special correspondent reports from rural Matabeleland on the ruthless state intimidation of the opposition

The Zimbabwean opposition is looking for a new chairman for Ward Five of the rural Tsholotsho constituency. The last one had his head cut off.

Such is the bloody nature of the electoral process in Zimbabwe that Halaza Johnson Sibindi lost his life simply for daring to represent the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

A mob of supporters of President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party surrounded Mr Sibindi's house in the tiny town of Sipepa and demanded he give himself up.

"If you want me you will have to come in here and get me," he said defiantly, according to witnesses.

Brick by brick the mob started knocking the house down until Mr Sibindi was crouching in the last remaining corner of the house. "Then the corner collapsed and all that stuck out from the rubble was his head so they cut it clean off," said the local MP, Mtoliki Sibanda, his eyes red with lack of sleep.

During any normal election campaign, a constituency MP like Mr Sibanda would be free to canvass his voters, but not in Zimbabwe. Instead he has had his life threatened by Zanu-PF thugs hell-bent on stealing the election.

Mr Sibanda has been on the run for six weeks since a mob came calling for him at his homestead in Tsholotsho. He moves from safe house to safe house in the townships on the western edge of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city.

"All he was trying to do was his job," Mr Sibanda said of Mr Sibindi. "If sanity prevailed, no elections would be run under conditions like this."

At his side was a cousin, Alec Tshuma. He has been wearing the same clothes for three weeks since a mob seized him at his home and drove him out into the bush for "re-education". He escaped by asking to stop for a pee and fleeing.

It all forms part of a clear strategy by Mr Mugabe to try to steal next month's presidential election. No observer believes he would win a free and fair vote and with Zimbabwe's urban population likely to vote as one for the MDC, Mr Mugabe has unleashed his anger on the rural areas.

Mr Mugabe is calculating that if he can force rural voters, about 40 per cent of the electorate, to his side and intimidate some of the urban population from voting, then he stands a good chance of winning.

Across Mashonaland, the Midlands, Manicaland and Matabeleland, Mr Mugabe's dirty work is being done by the gangs of so-called "war veterans" and bands of "youth militia".

Teenagers and out-of-work men in their twenties are offered money by the government to terrorise rural folk into voting for Mr Mugabe on March 9 and 10.

To avoid problems of feeling sorry for their victims, gangs of "youth militia" are bussed in so that they are not dealing with neighbours or family members.

The procedure is for the youths to set up camps outside towns and villages before setting about their work.

Often it happens at night. They identify leading community figures and pay them a visit, demanding to see a fully paid up, valid Zanu-PF identity card. If the victim cannot produce one they are beaten.

Anyone with a connection to the MDC runs the risk of being killed. It is that brutal. But with election monitors only now arriving in Zimbabwe, the intimidation is largely unseen.

Another ploy is for the militia to set up a road block on a rural road. All taxis, buses and minivans are stopped and the occupants asked for their identity papers. These papers are then confiscated which effectively gets rid of the problem for Mr Mugabe.

Without an identity card, a Zimbabwean cannot vote in the election and as the chaotic home affairs ministry takes months to reissue cards, all of the victims of this scam are out of the equation for the presidential poll.

And in another scam, Mr Mugabe's government has written to more than 90 per cent of white voters to inform them they have lost the right to vote.

The reasons given range from the recipient failing to satisfy citizenship rules to failing to register officially for the poll.

There might be only 30,000 white voters left in Zimbabwe but with most experts predicting a low turnout - caused by intimidation - of the four million strong electorate, this group could be significant.

To stand up to this type of intimidation takes huge courage but the Movement for Democratic Change is desperately trying to organise 4,000 vehicles for voting day to ensure that mobile polling stations can be visited and verified.

Not surprisingly, of the 120 MDC polling agents needed in the Tsholotsho constituency only seven have so far been forthcoming. And the job of Ward Five chairman remains vacant.

Our staff correspondent is writing anonymously because he is barred by the new draconian press law from reporting in Zimbabwe.

As if Mugabe would actually announce the real results of the election?

I am shocked, shocked! to learn that Jesse (keep hate alive) Jackson, Al (not too) Sharpton and the inestimable Mary (I'm runnin' the show) Frances Barry are allowing this voter disenfranchisement to occur unchallenged while they stand silently by.

Apparently, there isn’t any money to hustle from Rhodesia.

I’m so glad to see that all is sweetness and light in Africa now that whitey is out. The era of colonialism draws to a close… Violence, famine, disease, cannibalism, and slavery returns.

Owl_Eagle

”Guns Before Butter.”

Zimbabwe had their Ambassador to the US answering questions on C-SPAN Saturday morning. In case anyone missed it, I tried to start a Thread on the 30-45 minute segment.

Short story: It was awful and this clown lied through his teeth the whole time defending Mugabe against any criticism.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/629301/posts

Well it is certainly good we forced Black Rule in Africa 50 years before they were ready for it! Mugabi shows signs of Idi Amin-ism. No doubt this will end in a full on looting and chaos scenario like Rwanda, complete with mass amputations, canibalism and reimposition of slavery.

How long before South Africa is in the same situation?

One does feel very bad for the remaining whites. Hope they can make it out before all hell breaks loose.

Well it is certainly good we forced Black Rule in Africa 50 years before they were ready for it!

I think that time line is a little optimistic.

Owl_Eagle

”Guns Before Butter.”

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