Stuffed ballot boxes found as Mugabe begins stealing poll

The Irish Independent ^ | March 9, 2002 | Tim Butcher in Bulawayo

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Thank you. I feel very strongly about people who want freedom.

Zimbabwe -- voters refuse to leave queues [Excerpt] Another determined auto electrician exclaimed: "Come rain, come thunder, I am going to vote."

Other hungry voters complained that they could not leave the queue to go and get food, because if they did leave the Mbuya Nehanda hall grounds, police would not let them back in.

Dorcas Zifambi, said she had left a seven-month-old breastfeeding baby at home at 03:00 hoping she would return home within reasonable time to attend to her child. Eleven hours later she had not yet cast her ballot and had not been back home.

Susan Gamunorwa, 60, who suffers from asthma and diabetes was lying on the ground next to the queue, saying she was feeling weak as she had not had recourse to either medication nor food.

Another woman said she had left her very ill sister at home who needed constant monitoring and was worried about her condition as she had not been fed. [End Excerpt]

[Deb]

You're exactly right about the foreign aid. I was glad to see Bush attempting to reconfigure the whole mess by changing the existing hand-outs to "grants" for specific goals that must be reached and documented before more is given. Since goals or results are never achieved in the Third World, that should end it right there. The World Bank is screaming, but GW is not giving in.

[GeronL]

Here it is!!!