‘Zimbabwe Today’ by Robb WJ Ellis (03-12-2007)

Tiseke Kasambala, who earlier this month visited Zimbabwe for the US-based human rights group, said she had met Zimbabweans who were savagely abused by police after being accused of ties to the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

“The police have been going door-to-door beating people up,” Kasambala said in a news conference in Johannesburg a day after she returned from a two-week research trip to the politically volatile southern African nation.

“The crackdown has spread. It is not just targeted at the opposition but also at ordinary Zimbabweans,” Kasambala said.“

I think that ZANU PF has finally woken up to the fact that unless and until they rig the election – using whatever means at their disposal – the chance of them winning a free and fair election are becoming increasingly remote.

When I have voiced my opinion in this regard, people have stared at me, because in their minds they cannot see Mugabe being removed from power by the ballot box. Which suits Mugabe fine as he has no intention of leaving office. Not without a fight at least.

“The Malawian human rights activist said police and government intelligence officers patrolled in large numbers in the capital Harare, concentrating on crowded neighbourhoods.

“Security agents are everywhere,” she said, adding that the government risked sparking a backlash from Zimbabweans, who she described as tired and angry over the tough police tactics.

Harare remains the focal point of the MDC’s campaign to oust Mugabe and his authoritarian government.

MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and dozens of other opposition members were arrested by police and reportedly beaten in custody earlier this month after an aborted anti-Mugabe street protest in the city.“

It is blatantly apparent to any who care to see or read, that ZANU PF will use the armed forces and the war veterans and youth militia to cause upset within the opposition strongholds, whilst the voters’ roll is cause other concern.

But the ever present threat of arrest, torture and imprisonment hangs over the head of every single Zimbabwean – regardless of who they are, where they are and who they may represent…

When he moves around the country, his motorcade causes fear, tension and with it the threat of a beating or worse.

When he travels outside the country, he commandeers aircraft that are scheduled to ply commercial routes, causing paying customers to be stranded – with little choice but to wait out the return of the aircraft.

When he has a rally, as seen in the ‘million man’ debacle, the ruling party buses in ‘supporters’ from all over – who is reality are people who are caught up in a sweep by the army and police and forced to attend.

When he feels that he needs to control events in Zimbabwe with a single order, he slashed the selling prices of all goods in Zimbabwe, thereby causing/forcing companies to operate at a loss.

When he wants to ‘attend’ to the cash woes in Zimbabwe, he order the RBZ chief to issue new currency and spring it on the population with little or no notice (I say that it will happen on the same days as the Lisbon summit…).

“We were told that there would be a register and if we failed to turn up we will be punished,” one of the frustrated vendors said in Highfield as he found their way back to his base in the CBD.

Asked what they meant by punishment the war veterans said the vendors would be removed from their stalls, where they make little money to feed their families as most of them are widows.

The march has been dubbed by fellow ZANU PF supporters as a desperate measure by Mugabe to cling on to power.“

Of course, ZANU PF will deny that anyone was forced to attend…

I wonder what will be made of their absence. Probably nothing as they are treated as ‘also rans’ and treated with disdain – as the majority of them will not be standing in next year’s election.

But if a civilian member of the public refused to go, they got a beating – and the hierarchy don’t bother… double standards displayed by ZANU PF for all to see.

“According to insiders, Mujuru was “politically correct” to attend, but didn’t score high marks on the dress code for the occasion.

While everyone else wore something with Mugabe’s picture emblazoned on it, Mujuru wore a formal dress with no picture of the 83-year-old leader on it, nor the party’s flag.

War veterans’ chairman Jabulani Sibanda said “over a million” people took part in the proceedings, but independent estimates put the figure at not more than 200 000. The country’s largest stadium, the National Sports Stadium has a capacity of 65 000.“

So the war veterans would have us believe the doctored numbers. A dry run for the elections perhaps?

“We never forced them to close Mbare Musika,” Sibanda said.

“People came on their own from all parts of the country. They were marching freely. In any case, does Mbare Musika even accommodate 500 people? There were over one million people at the Zimbabwe Grounds.“

I laugh when I read the statement that Sibanda made about the failure to attend the event by some highly placed ruling party personnel…

“Some of the people we always believed understood the reasons for the struggle have forgotten the purpose of the revolution,” said Sibanda. “Most of them are not revolutionaries. They just found themselves among revolutionaries. They are like leaves in a whirlwind. The leaves are not a whirlwind, but they are part of it.“

Inflation may be high in Zimbabwe, but when the ruling party sees it’s way clear to inflate attendance figures, then we know that they are desperate.

I would think that the upper echelons of ZANU PF will be glad when Msika does finally retire from politics.

“Vice-President Joseph Msika last weekend attacked ZANU PF officials who are evicting the few remaining white commercial farmers.

Observers said this was another indication of the growing divisions in the government over how to conclude the land reform programme.

Msika is the most senior ZANU PF official to criticise State Security Minister, Didymus Mutasa's approach to the land reform programme.

He advocates a moratorium on new land allocations.

Mutasa has reportedly been pushing for the prosecution of white farmers still occupying farms gazetted for resettlement. He has accused unnamed ZANU PF politicians of campaigning to keep the white farmers on the land.“

Mutasa, in the meantime, ignores all that Msika has to say and continues to issue offer letters, eviction notices, and support the forced removal of the white commercial farmers.

Mutasa must have been given a farm in the chaotic land grab (I have stated before that a full list of what farms have been given to whom) – but I wonder if that land is actually being worked, is productive and supplying the country with food? Or is it just like so many other farms that now belong to ZANU PF chiefs – lying stagnant and fallow?

“But speaking at a function to raise funds for the idle Ekusileni Medical Centre in Bulawayo, Msika hit out at politicians who wanted Zimbabwe to be “100% black” and advised new farmers to learn from “successful whites instead of being jealous”.

“I feel duty-bound to make these comments,” Msika said, as he departed from his prepared speech. “We fought against a system, not the skin pigmentation of certain members of our society and how can you turn around and say you want a Zimbabwe that is 100% black?

“I will never support such an idea… my conscience is clear on this and I don't care who is promoting it.

Our biggest challenge is to learn to live together.“

It’s all very well having a pang of conscience now – the damage is already done…

Does Msika own a farm? Is it being worked?

“The leaders, through senior politburo member and party spokesman Nathan Shamuyarira, wrote to Msika to convey to the presidency their recommendations to nullify Mutasa's recent land offer letters and illegal farm invasions spearheaded by top army officials, the police and senior civil servants.

In a letter to Msika, dated 19 October and delivered on 25 October, Shamuyarira said the Mashonaland West political leadership, in consultation with traditional leaders and land committees, had recommended that the remaining white farmers be allowed to continue farming on land still in their possession.

This is in sharp contrast to Mutasa's position that all white farmers should be kicked off the land. A number of farmers on the list are facing litigation after they failed to vacate the land as required by the law.“

Mugabe and Mutasa is not going to be happy until there are no whites left in Zimbabwe. Not one. And I don’t think that either of them will relent, believing that what they are doing is right. How short-sighted is that? But Mugabe does insist that the food crisis in Zimbabwe is the result of some Western plot – but can he not see that it is just his government not running the country efficiently – and destroying the agricultural sector by giving seized farms to their shamwaris?