[A large contingent of S.African Church leaders decided to visit Zimbabwe to see what that bugger Mugabe has been up to. Unlike the UN Official, who clearly must be completely blind and totally insane, and who was unable to see and comprehend the evil disaster which had just taken place – the Church leaders were shocked and disgusted by what they saw.

On SABC TV news they showed some film footage of them among a camp out in a rural area, amidst small tents. Clearly, even if these people had lived in shacks before, they were much better off than they are now.

Mugabe”s Govt now claims this is a “transit camp” – no doubt continuing on with his charade that there was a “plan” and “order” in all this.

The MDC claims that Mugabe wants to drive their supporters out of the cities into the rural areas. I think the MDC is probably close to the truth in this regard.

There is a more hideous side to all this though. The Green Bomber (Militia) are in control of the rural areas, and I wonder if the real aim is to get these people into an impoverished state and into the hands of these evil Green Bombers who will terrorise and propagandise them?

I think Mugabe wants to destroy the MDC”s power base to finish them off for good. It is sad that Mugabe always gets the first blow in, and that the MDC is never in a position to fight back. I think that unless the MDC changes its attitude and becomes more militant, it is doomed to being destroyed by Mugabe who will kick it to pieces, bit by bit. He will not stop until the MDC ceases to exist. Jan]

South African church leaders were “shocked” on Monday by conditions at a holding camp housing people displaced by Zimbabwe”s controversial government clean up operation, said Matthew Esau, the spokesperson for the archbishop of Cape Town Njongonkulo Ndungane who is leading a delegation of church officials to Zimbabwe.

“Pretty much all members of the delegation have been shocked to see the situation of so many children, women and young people,” said Esau, who added that the structures at camp Caledonia Transit Centre on the outskirts of the capital Harare were “very rudimentary”.

The 11-member delegation is investigating the effects of Zimbabwe”s Operation Restore Order, a controversial police blitz on the urban poor that human rights groups say has left 300 000 Zimbabweans homeless.

The operation has seen gangs of armed police, backed by bulldozers, demolishing houses, cottages, backyard shacks and squatter camps since mid-May.

A United Nations envoy left Zimbabwe at the weekend following a two-week investigation into the operation, while an envoy from the African Union was last week turned away by the government who accused him of arriving unannounced.

Independent reports from Caledonia Transit Centre, which now has at least 5 000 people living in it, say some people are sleeping out in the open while others are in tents. There is little running water and not enough toilets for everyone.

Esau said most of the people the delegation spoke to on Monday said they did not know why they were there.

The state-run Herald newspaper reported that at least 185 street children had also been taken to Caledonia.

The bishops — who include leaders from Methodist, Dutch Reformed and Roman Catholic churches — hope to meet President Robert Mubabe later on Monday. They are also scheduled to meet opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Tsvangirai”s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) claims the police campaign is aimed at driving the party”s supporters from towns and cities into the countryside where Mugabe”s ruling party is dominant.

The government dismisses the claim, saying the police operation was necessary to curb crime and ease pressure on overburdened municipalities.

Meanwhile, residents of Harare”s wealthier suburbs were on Monday bracing for police raids after state media announced the clean up operation is being extended into low density areas of the capital.

Tapiwa Mashakada, the MDC lawmaker for Harare”s Hatfield suburb where police were expected on Monday, said he had not received reports of police demolitions by midday. – Sapa-DPA

Source: Daily Mail & Guardian
URL: http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/br…br>