- Dear Family and Friends,
-
- On Monday night Zimbabwe television announced that the
candidate for the ruling party in the Zengeza by-election had "romped
to victory." What a romp it had indeed been with numerous reports
of violence, intimidation and harassment in the weeks prior to the poll.
Hospital officials said that they treated at least 50 people for injuries
immediately prior to and during the 2 days of voting. Other reports told
of 200 people being attacked and chased away from a voting queue by a "riotous"
group of ruling party youths. In one violent incident on the first day
of voting the opposition said 4 truck loads of ruling party youths stormed
the house of the MDC candidate. 22 year old opposition supporter Francis
Chinozvinya was shot in the chest and pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.
In the same incident another man, Arthur Gunzvenzve was shot and injured.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Support network said the atmosphere was extremely
tense and intimidatory and said there is "not a chance this can be
called a free and fair election." Only 32% of registered voters exercised
their right to cast a ballot in the Zengeza by-election which the opposition
called "daylight robbery" and it was an election that has made
all Zimbabweans start thinking about national parliamentary elections due
in March next year.
-
- There is already much debate about whether or not the
opposition should boycott next year's elections. If a by election in one
small constituency can leave people being shot in broad daylight and scores
injured in violent incidents where perpetrators are not arrested, we cannot
help but wonder how many hundreds of people will be hurt in a countrywide
election and how many thousands will simply be too scared to go and vote
in the first place. The most depressing thing about Zimbabwean elections
now is the tired resignation with which people here accept the results
and the almost non existent outrage. Police, government and the state owned
media say the election was "peaceful" or that there were "minor
skirmishes", they don't talk about cold blooded murder, terror and
perpetrators walking free, There is no local radio station where you can
phone in and express your views, there is no daily independent newspaper
where you can write letters of protest, there are no public meetings at
which it is safe to stand up and say: this is a disgrace and has to be
stopped. Night after night the only way ordinary Zimbabweans can hear what
others are saying and thinking and find out what's really going on in Zimbabwe
is through the static laden voice of Short Wave Radio Africa which broadcasts
from London. On Thursday night it was agonising to listen to the father
of murdered opposition supporter Francis Chinozvinya speaking on Radio
Africa. The grieving father described how Zanu PF officials had come and
offered to pay for the funeral expenses of Francis but the family declined,
saying they would not accept money from the party whose followers had murdered
his son
-
- If you ask any Zimbabwean what they think can end Zimbabwe's
chaotic crisis they say: free and fair elections run by the world. But
the problem is we don't know what to do to insist on a democratic election
and instead keep meekly agreeing to whatever rules our government make
up as they go along. With almost every local and national election, the
ruling party move the goal posts and change the rules.This week electoral
amendments were gazetted prior to being debated in parliament. These amendments
will forbid anyone but governmental organisations from conducting or funding
voter education. They will take postal ballots away from everyone except
people on military and diplomatic duty and will make the chance of a free
and fair election nothing more than a mirage on the hot African horizon.
-
- Perhaps I'm just being particularly dense on this issue
but I simply can't see how another romping victory for Zanu PF, either
in a by election or a national parliamentary election will change anything
at all. It will still leave us with a government which is not recognised
by the world, a population in which 8 out of 10 people can't get a job
and a country where more than half of us haven't got enough food to eat
and almost 4000 people die of Aids every week. It will surely take leaders
of great vision and selfless dedication to save Zimbabwe, not a violent
romp to victory. I write this letter in memory of Francis Chinozvinya who
made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
-
- Until next week,
-
- with love, cathy.
-
- Copyright cathy buckle 3rd April 2004 http://africantears.netfirms.com
-
- My books on the Zimbabwean crisis, "African Tears"
and "Beyond Tears" are available outside Africa from: orders@africabookcentre.com
; www.africabookcentre.com ; www.amazon.co.uk ; in Australia and New Zealand:
johnmreed@johnreedbooks.com.au ; Africa: www.kalahari.net www.exclusivebooks.com
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