‘Zimbabwe Today’ by Robb Wj Ellis (04-04-2008)

As the reality of losing control in Zimbabwe begins to hover even closer over Mugabe’s head, we see how he has begun to use the security forces – once again – for personal reasons – against those that would usurp his power in a wholly democratic manner.

“Zimbabwe™s government staged separate police raids on Thursday against the main opposition party, foreign journalists and at least one democracy advocate, raising the specter of a broad crackdown aimed at keeping the country™s imperiled leaders in power.

With the government facing election results that threaten its 28-year reign, security officers raided the Meikles Hotel in central Harare on Thursday afternoon, searching rooms that the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, had rented for election operations, said Tendai Biti, the party™s general secretary.

About the same time, a second group of riot officers sealed off the York Lodge, a small hotel in suburban Harare that is frequented by foreign journalists. A lodge worker who refused to be identified for safety reasons said six people were detained, including Barry Bearak, a correspondent for The New York Times who was later located in a Harare jail. The identities of the others were not clear.

Leaders of the Movement for Democratic Change said the raids heralded a campaign of political repression to safeguard President Robert Mugabe, one of Africa™s longest-serving leaders. His party, known as ZANU PF, has already lost control of the lower house of Parliament, according to official results from Saturday™s elections, a huge turnabout in a nation where Mr. Mugabe has long controlled virtually all levers of power.“

Today is the last day, constitutionally, that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has to release the results of the Presidential poll.

Mugabe is obviously a worried man – as no one would resort to such activity if they were not concerned with what those results might bring.

“But the government has still not released a tally of the presidential race, prompting international criticism of the delay and concern that attempts were under way to manipulate the count. The government has said the count has been slow because the election was the first one for all national offices at once.

The opposition says that tallies posted at each polling place show that its candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, won 50.3 percent of the vote, barely enough to gain the majority needed to avert a runoff election against Mr Mugabe.

But the outcome is far less certain. One independent projection of polling data estimated that Mr Tsvangirai was well in the lead, but that a runoff would still be necessary. Before the election, Mr Mugabe repeatedly said that he would not allow the opposition to take power, and since then his aides have said that Mr Mugabe “is going to fight to the last.“

The use of the police in a crackdown on the opposition would indicate that Mugabe is content to dig in and await to see what the party of choice does. Of course, taking power from someone like Mugabe is much easier said than done.

It was suggested to me last night that Mugabe would use his Presidential powers to extend the date for a Presidential election rerun from 21 days to 90. But I then query is the new government no meant to be convened before that time?

How can Zimbabwe continue to be run by Presidential decree? Will those that have lost their seats – Patrick Chinamasa, the Minister of Justice by way of one example – be continuing in their appointments.

This is then tantamount to a coup – something which ZANU PF accused the MDC of doing earlier in the week!

“He™s not giving up; he™s not going anywhere,” Bright Matonga, the government™s deputy information minister, told the British Broadcasting Corporation. “He hasn™t lost the election.“

At present I am listening to Bright Matonga talking to the BBC – and it would appear that the ZEC is in no rush to release the results. As usual, there was the cry that America and Britain were behind the MDC ballot – but he says that the MDC is ‘not a clear winner.’

I couldn’t be bothered to listen to the rest of the interview as he went on state that the two journalists arrested were ‘American agents‘ – and he said that he ‘couldn’t give a damn‘ as to what international powers wanted to occur.

He then began to shout wildly and ranted at the BBC, making little sense. “This is a Zimbabwean election! Not an American or a British election! People must just wait!“

Absolutely unreal.

“A witness described an intimidating display of force outside the York Lodge, the hotel where Mr Bearak and others were detained. Around 5pm, two pickup trucks with 10 to 15 armed riot police officers stationed themselves outside the hotel.

Soon after, reinforcements came, blocking off the hotel and searching it room by room, confiscating laptop computers, notebooks and cellphones. The raid was overseen by high-ranking police officials, said another witness who refused to be named.

“I can confirm that we have arrested two reporters at York Lodge for practicing without accreditation,” a police spokesman, Wayne Bvudzijena, told The New Zealand Times.“