Submitted by: Yardbroom
The various official bodies, Prime Ministers and Presidents are having their say, but the people of Zimbabwe are paying a price …in blood. The United Nations was quoted as saying “more than 5 million Zimbabweans are facing hunger as the country staggers towards next week’s presidential elections under the burden of increasing violence and economic collapse.” The threat of hunger, important as it is has paled into almost insignificance in comparison to what some Zimbabweans are suffering.
Farai Gamba a ward organiser for the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) opposition party was shot dead last weekend. Rape has become a method of intimidation, however those who have had to succumb to that ordeal, now consider themselves lucky. Three women were brutally sexually assualted with wooden objects. I will spare you the reported details…and quickly move on. President Mugabe was quoted as making this chilling statement of intent as “seeing the upcoming vote not as an election but as a continuation of the liberation struggle against western imperalism and its “puppet” Tsvangirai. This country shall not again come under the rule and control of the white man, direct or indirect. We are masters of our own destiny”…I will return to this later. This statement is at the “root” of Zimbabwe’s problems. The MDC’s election director Ian Makone is in hiding…with good reason. “His campaign manager, Ken Nyeve, and security, Godfrey Kauzani have been abducted and murdered, along with Better Chokururama, the driver for Makone’s wife, Theresa who is an opposition MP.” As if to underscore intent Chris Mc Greal writing in the Guardian stated:” …the soldiers and ruling party militia men herded the people of Rusape to an open field at the back of the local sports club and made their point crystal clear. ” Your vote is your bullet”, a soldier told the terrified crowd.” Everyone knew what he meant.
On the 28 March 2008, I wrote on this blog: “Tomorrow there is the much awaited general election in Zimbabwe, its importance lies not only in the result, but in how the election is conducted or perceived post election.” I did not know at the time how prophetic those words would be. I will now return to Mugabe’s statement about Tsvangirai. After a bitter struggle for independence in which thousands of lives were lost, Mugabe became President. He feels bitter even now, about the events before, during and after his election. In his eyes Tsvangirai is not the leader of the opposition, he is the embodiment of western imperalism. His followers and supporters are little better, he fears…they have not got the interest of Zimbabwe at heart. He reasons that if people are killed, in thousands, even hundreds of thousands, it does not matter.
Zimbabweans have the land. It is the “land” which is at the root of Zimbabwe’s problems. I fear the scale of this situation has not reached full force yet. Mugabe will not surrender power lightly…it will have to be wrested from him. The election is just a ripple on a turbulent surface, there will be many more ripples, but it will take more than a ripple to move Mugabe.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.