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‘Zimbabwe Today’ by Robb WJ Ellis (14-03-2008)

WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.

Original Post Date: 2008-03-14 Time: 00:00:00  Posted By: The BeardedMan

Howzit

Foreign currency mid-rates updated…

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Three years later and very little has changed. Certainly nothing has got better… Voting For Change – a Journeyman video…

And I do remember seeing this song with a video that had been worked specifically for Zimbabwe, but I can’t find it… So I will have to be happy with the music and the words only. An amazingly strong song – and the words can easily be applied to RGM…

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I fully understand that this article is from The Herald, Mugabe’s ZANU PF party’s mouthpiece. But I have seen nothing that would indicate the story to be incorrect.

I am also fully aware that this story can – and probably will – be shot down in flames by many interested people. And there are many people who are working ulterior motives.

And some of them work for The Herald…

Retired General Solomon Mujuru turned down advances made by Simba Makoni to join his political project, saying doing so would divide ZANU PF and render untenable the career of his wife, Vice President Cde Joice Mujuru, President Mugabe has said.

Speaking in an interview with ZBC-TV and The Herald at the end of a star rally at Hama High School in Chirumhanzu District, Midlands, yesterday, Cde Mugabe said Rtd Gen Mujuru met him on Monday to make it clear that he was not in any way associated with the Makoni project.

It is so easy to see who has Mugabe’s back. The Herald reporters insist on calling Mugabe “Comrade”…

One who is talked about (as supporting Makoni) is General Mujuru. He came to me on Monday and said that when Makoni first came to him, he had in mind the formation of a new party, but he discouraged him and told him doing that would divide ZANU PF.

“He wanted to make it clear to me that he did not support Makoni at all. He said if he supported Makoni, imagine what the position of ‘my wife', who is Mai Mujuru, would be? It would be untenable, so he said no. He said Makoni had an idea to form a new party, and he said: ‘If you form a new party you would be dividing the party, you would be dividing ZANU PF.' That's what he told me,” President Mugabe said.“

Being an interested party, we fully expect Mugabe to hype the whole story.

But it is an interesting spanner to throw in the works.

There has been a lot of speculation, particularly in the privately-owned media, that Makoni had a lot of sleepers in ZANU PF who were content to lie low, and support his presidential bid from within ZANU PF.

Rtd Gen Mujuru was touted as the leader of the sleepers.

The speculation was fed by Makoni's claims that he went it alone with the support of several ZANU PF “heavyweights”.

However, the only Politburo member to openly side with Makoni so far is Dumiso Dabengwa, who analysts say does not bring any value to the Makoni project since he was long rejected by his constituency in Bulawayo.

Turning to Dabengwa, President Mugabe said the man was automatically out of ZANU PF as he and not the Politburo, had decided his fate.“

Time will tell who is telling the truth, who is lying – and who is deliberately muddying the water.

The President said it was unlikely that there would be anymore defections from ZANU PF.

He said his campaign was a winning one, which was proceeding in an excellent manner.

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As I am writing this last evening, I decided to stay with The Herald. So be warned of more “Comrades” (Cde) than you can shake a stick at. Not advisable though, as the ZRP will arrest you…

Fourteen candidates from several political parties who were contesting harmonised March 29 elections withdrew their bids this week.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission confirmed the withdrawals in a notice.

ZANU PF has six candidates including Cde Dzikamai Mavhaire, the deputy secretary for lands in the ZANU PF politburo and finance minister Cde Samuel Mumbengegwi.

Cde Mavhaire lost to Cde Maina Mandava while former Masvingo governor Cde Josiah Hungwe beat Cde Mumbengegwi in the primary poll re-run.

Cde Hungwe is now expected to meet Mr Noah Mutisi of the MDC-Tsvangirai faction and independent candidate Mr Mainroad Muzenda while Cde Mandava confronts MDC-Tsvangirai's Mr Alois Chaimiti, Mr Pedzisai Kundishora of UPP, independent Mr Nhamoinesu Mahachi and MDC candidate Ms Hilda Sibanda.

Cde Eddison Zvobgo Jnr withdrew his candidature for the Masvingo Central House of Assembly seat.

ZANU PF candidate Cde Edmund Mhere, independent candidate Mr Andrew Magogo, ZDP's Kisinoti Mukwazhe, Mr Jeffereson Chitando of MDC and UPP candidate Mr Mike Mutume are now expected to fight for the seat.

ZIFA chief executive Cde Henrietta Rushwaya who had registered for the Gutu South constituency also withdrew her candidature to pave way for Cde Shuvai Mahofa who faces Mr Eliphas Mukonoweshuro of the MDC-Tsvangirai faction, Fungai Gwatidzo (UPP) and Mr Alois Mushore of MDC.

In Chivi North, Cde Clifford Mumbengegwi withdrew his nomination to allow Cde Tranos Huruba to challenge Ms Ropafadzo Tabe (Independent), MDC's Solomon Makokisi and MDC Tsvangirai candidate Mr Bernard Chiondengwa.

Cde Paradzai Mutandwa who wanted to contest the Zaka Central constituency against Cde Nyaradzo Tichaona and three other candidates also withdrew his candidature.

Six MDC Mutambara – Mr Munyaradzi Chinove (Mt Darwin South), Mr Willard Chiwanza (Mazowe West), Mr Garikai Kajau (Epworth), Mr Sanudi Katawara (Shamva North), Mr Silas Mutendeudzwa (Chiwundura) and Mr Mathew Rukwata (Mutoko South) – and two independents – Nechasike Mudiwa and Mr Whisper Chiwandire – also withdrew their bids.“

See how the MDC candidates (not correct as they are all withdrawing their candidacy) are not listed as “Comrades”? It is this biased reporting which not only proves The Herald’s bias – which we knew about – but also the fact that the newspaper is in ZANU PF’s pocket…

Again , no surprise.

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This is a long, rambling and, in some respects, nonsensical article that attempts to call on the voters to vote for Mugabe and his party as any other alternative is a vote for ‘domination’… We all know that Mugabe’s party has been dominant in just about every aspect of the voters’ lives for 28 years.

A vote against domination therefore, is a vote against Mugabe…

Smoke and mirrors.

The harmonised elections approach, invoking excitement rivalled only by the build-up to the first democratic general election of March 1980.

The prevailing socio-economic hardships are obviously the major driving factor behind the heightened political interest in the hearts of the ordinary Zimbabwean today. It would not be surprising if even the apolitical Jehovah's Witnesses contemplate a temporary waiver of their beliefs just to be part of this very exciting process.

The excitement has obviously led to some bizarre and weird happenings as many people, mainly urbanites, are trying to justify their flip-flop political positions with every assertion imaginable. At a time like this, under-achieving and mediocre soldiers like Retired Major Kudzai Mbudzi can afford to pretend to be masterminds of political think-tanks and a sizeable group of admirers is still assured.

This is a time when over-ambitious and delusional characters like Simba Makoni can promise people that they can form a government from thin air and still find admirers and followers. Makoni can at this time afford to fake a CV on his website and his followers do not really care.

This writer found the part that chronicles Makoni's stay at the Ministry of Energy, at the then SADCC and at Zimpapers reminiscent of a funeral eulogy where there is basically no point in highlighting the failures of the departed. Of course, Makoni is not yet departed although he is departing from politics on March 29. Nevertheless, his followers will read his CV as is and will expect the whole nation to emulate their foolishness.“

“Democratic” elections in 1980? Get real! I do not, and will never, deem those elections ‘democratic’ or ‘free and fair’. Just ask some of the monitoring force that were there.

Of course, if any one of them has ever come out and say that the elections were far from free, Mugabe shouts them down as supporters of the West and people bent on seeing the end of his reign. And that was the election that he allegedly won and with which he took power!

These are, indeed, exciting times.

This is a time when the likes of Morgan Richard Tsvangirai can, for the first time, begin to see the reality of our democratic Zimbabwe by campaigning peacefully without squeaking and squealing about non-existent intimidation and imaginary militias. Even the zealous Nelson Chamisa appears to have stopped affixing an MDC tag to every dead person in Zimbabwe, never mind the cause of the death.

Tsvangirai believes these times present a ripe opportunity to go back to the people and remind them that his promise that the people would “go lacking for sure” has now been fulfilled through the sanctions he so passionately mobilised and he has the temerity and audacity to go around Zimbabwe dangling a US$10 billion “rescue package” in exchange for votes.

What cheek!

These are times when Arthur Guseni Oliver Mutambara reconnects with his true student politician-self and runs for Zengeza West cover shouting that he is supporter number one for the highly delusional Makoni, who promptly refuses to associate with him.

How hilarious!“

Probably even funnier – from a not-so-funny viewpoint – is the blatant attempt the writer makes to sleeze and “sloosh” (remember that word?) he way into the current top job’s incumbent’s good books. But what a load of rubbish!

How dare this person attempt to hoodwink the good Zimbabwean people like this? How dare he!

Indeed, these are exciting times where even enemies are expecting not only to dine with their foes, but also to abuse their foes' hospitality by creating chaos at the dining table. The desperate group of urbanites will blissfully argue for the invitation of Westerners while they will continue to see nothing wrong with the sanctions imposed on their own country by the very people they would want to observe the coming election.

The writer even uses food as an example – food, in case he hasn’t noticed (of course he hasn’t, he is provided for by the ruling party) is in very short supply and many people are too weak even to get up each day – let alone vote two weeks tomorrow…

I find this fact to be an indication of the writer’s inability to know of the realities on the ground – and they are just outside his door… I am 6000 miles away!

Read the article if you will, but I am not even going to attempt to answer the idiocy that he displays so eloquently. I don’t have to shoot it down in flames – as he does it quite well himself…

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At least two people died when a light aircraft crashed at Charles Prince airport yesterday, police and aviation sources said. The two passengers confirmed dead in the crash were doctors at
Parirenyatwa Hospital, a police spokesman said.

The plane crashed just as it took off from the airport, north of Harare, after catching fire and nose-diving to the ground, witnesses said. Police spokesman Andrew Phiri confirmed the crash yesterday, but said no details could yet be released on the identities of the casualties. There was also no detail as to the make of the plane, but an aviation source said it was a light aircraft owned by a private charter company operating out of Charles Prince. The plane was on its way to Botswana, the source said. Zimbabwe is reputed to have one of the best air safety records, but incidents involving light aircraft have increased over the past five years. The most recent serious crash was in 2003, when four people were killed when a Beechcraft plunged into two Kuwadzana homes.

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And finally – only because I am running out of time…

Fighting for re-election in just over two weeks, Zimbabwe‘s President Robert Mugabe on Thursday handed out 23 buses to villagers in northern Zimbabwe, state radio said. Mugabe told at a campaign rally in Mashonaland West province that the 40-seater buses should ease transport problems in the area. He also reminded voters of the problems they faced during the colonial era, according to the report.

The 84-year-old president commissioned 300 buses last weekend and promised an equal number would arrive soon.“

Transport is a huge problem in Zimbabwe. Firstly because of a severe shortage of the buses themselves and the inability of the sector to maintain them and keep them on the road. Then there is the fuel problem. And the fare problem – bus operators charge an arm and a leg for a trip.

But my main concern is where were these buses six months ago? Why does Mugabe wait until two weeks before an election to roll out the goodies?

Mugabe, by holding these buses back until now, has displayed that he holds the election more important than the welfare of the people – but we already knew that.

In recent years, the government has brought in buses of Chinese origin and they have soon fallen to pieces as they are not designed for the rough African roads of the rural areas. I have even heard it said that the Chinese buses do not have the ground clearance to successfully negotiate any Harare speed hump…

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See as there is so much news on the internet today, I think that tomorrow’s posting will be super interesting – and super long.

Take care.

‘debvhu

Source: http://thebeardedman.blogspot.com/2008/03/friday-14th-march-2008.html