More proof that anything remotely resembling a free and fair election in Zimbabwe is not possible. From the This is Zimbabwe website:
The Zimbabwean government has announced the beginning of yet another operation designed to oppress the people of Zimbabwe.
Under Operation Dzikisai Madhishi (Operation pull down your satellite dish) the regime is forcing Zimbabweans to pull down their home satellite dishes through which the majority of Zimbabweans have been able to access eTV, SABC, Botswana Television as well some DSTV channels. The coverage of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) is generally poor outside of the main urban areas. The overwhelming propaganda content of this state channel has seen the proliferation of private satellite dishes in recent years.
This operation is a concerted effort by the regime to close all spaces through which information can be disseminated, with the objective of stealing the election.
Zimbabwe has descended into unparalleled levels of media censorship. The regime is determined to cut off Zimbabweans from the rest of the world by ensuring that they are unable to receive news from outside Zimbabwe about what is happening in their own country.
After the 2005 elections we saw Operation Murambatsvina to punish urban dwellers who voted for the MDC by forcing them out of their homes. Shortly after it became known that Mugabe’s Zanu PF has lost the March 29 parliamentary elections, we saw widespread violence against MDC supporters in Operation Makovotera papi (How have you voted? / Who have you voted for?). Now Operation Dzikisai Madishi. What next.
Khosi, by the way, your question yesterday on when the Matabeleland slaughters were, was already answered and brought to your attention in a similar debate here http://constitutionallyspeaking.co.za/?p=525#comments where you advocated the opinion that the Zim crisis was all about colonialism and the liberation struggle by African states. There the question was rightly asked by one reader what the killing of 20,000 Matabele people and the recent torture of Zimbabweans had to do with colonialism and the liberation struggle against Western powers – as I remember you did not have an answer there. Point is, Robert Mugabe’s government is committing crimes against humanity at a grand scale, and has been doing so since the 1980′s when the first Matabele were slaughtered to keep him in power. The world has been turning its head much too long now, and it has become time that the Security Council investigate the threat to international peace and security in (and emanating from) Zim, which RSA has been denying exists to thwart attempts to have it placed on the UN SC agenda.
I managed to stumble across the following article by Mutumwa Mawere, with an interesting take on balancing the effects of colonialism and racism in Zim today. http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=3287
Now Thabo Mbeki has said that he or the government is not prepared to be the “subservient ‘klipgooiers’ ” of the parties calling for him to repudiate what Mugabe is busy doing – that while he has been appointed to fulfil the role of an impartial mediator between the Mugabe regime and the opposition leaders. Now with all due respect, this is tantamount to saying to Mugabe: “Continue stealing the ‘run-off’ election. Continue torturing and murdering people you suspect did not vote for you on March 29. Continue ripping down satelite dishes. Continue arresting opposition party leaders each time they legitimately try to fight a fair election campaign. Ignore the threats of a resistance movement forming. Slaughter another 20,000 Matabeles. Do not worry about the other SADC leaders or the AU, or the US, or the UN speaking out against you. We will do nothing to stop you, as long as you remain the serving President of Zimbabwe, and as long as RSA ocupies the chair in the Security Council.”
Rat,
Which address were you listening to? I am certain it was not the one in Parliament today or yesterday.
Khosi – it was the one yesterday (today in your post) – it made the News headlines on rradio as well as on SABC TV. Were you perhaps sleeping when TM said that?
See nybooks.com {The Reign of Thuggery } on where this liberation movement leadership by the ANSleaze got the image of the country – yet hopefully its only the image of the ANSleaze and Mbeki.
At least now that farcical NEPAD is deadmeat.
Rat,
Which part of that speech translates to this?
“Continue stealing the ‘run-off’ election. Continue torturing and murdering people you suspect did not vote for you on March 29. Continue ripping down satelite dishes. Continue arresting opposition party leaders each time they legitimately try to fight a fair election campaign. Ignore the threats of a resistance movement forming. Slaughter another 20,000 Matabeles. Do not worry about the other SADC leaders or the AU, or the US, or the UN speaking out against you. We will do nothing to stop you, as long as you remain the serving President of Zimbabwe, and as long as RSA ocupies the chair in the Security Council.”
Rat,
Let me help you, here is the transcript of that speech:-
http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/show.asp?type=sp&include=president/sp/2008/sp0612155.htm
Pierre,
Would it be too much if you post the presidents speech as a new post. I think its one of those speeches that should map a new way of thinking in all of us.
People have been asking for leadership and I think it would be great to here what fellow bloggers have to say about it.
http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/show.asp?type=sp&include=president/sp/2008/sp0612155.htm
here = hear
I vote yes for a discussion of the speech.
I agree that the speech (and every response, or rather lack thereof) by Thabo Mbeki on the Zim situation should be discussed. If you have gone to the trouble, Khosi, to actually read my post above, I said that the part of Thabo Mbeki’s speech where he says that the government refuses to be the “subservient klipgooiers” for those who believe that he is running a rogue democracy because he does not want to interfere in Zim, “is tantamount to saying to Mugabe …”. It is not that he has actually said so in the exact words I used above (he would have been a baboon had he done so); but the tone and tenor of his speech was that, nothing is wrong in Zimbabwe. At least nothing serious enough that would require any intervention by him as intermediary, except for a visit now and then and a handshake or two (with Mugabe, not with the opposition leaders, mind you) and a short tour of the streets from the airport to the government buildings / presidency, where obviously he would not witness any violence or protest against any violence (the police will make sure of that). And then, he goes and believe Angel-faced uncle Bob when he says that there is no problem in Zimbabwe, and that the people of Zimbabwe should be given a fair chance to decide at the poll who their next president should be. And, in the process, TM (like Mugabe and all the others that say that there is no problem in Zim) turns a blind eye towards the continued violence, torture, murder, forced dissapearances, arrests of the opposition leaders – sometimes twice a day, the fact that more than 4 Milion people have fled Zimbabwe (both legally and illegally) to neighbourng countries, the tearing down of satelite dishes – even though the media, Human Rights Watch, some (of the younger) leaders of the SADC states and many independent observers abound with evidence thereof and requests for TM, SADC, AU, UN, UN SC to intervene. All TM can say in response is: At least now the people of Zim whose satelite dishes have been removed could not hear TM actually saying that he refuses to intervene in any other way than through speaking with the leaders (read Robert Mugabe – because it has been a while since TM has spoken to Tsvangirai or any leader of the MDC).
The part of the speech i am referring is:
“Take the matter of the role of our country with regard to our important neighbour, the Republic of Zimbabwe.
It seems to me perfectly obvious that one of our principal tasks in this regard is to assist the people of Zimbabwe to find one another with regard to the resolution of the immense problems they face.
There are some farther afield from us who choose to describe us as a so-called Rogue Democracy, to the absolute delight of the Hon Rev K.R.J. Meshoe, because we refuse to serve as their subservient klipgooiers against especially President Robert Mugabe.
Given all this, the Government I am honoured to lead will continue to engage the Zimbabweans to convey to them our views and feelings about any matter we believe is fundamentally or otherwise at variance with processes that must respect the will of the people.
We will continue to insist that the people of Zimbabwe must have the possibility freely to choose their leaders and Government and refuse to participate in projects based on the notion that we have a right to bring about “regime change” in Zimbabwe.
We will also continue to argue that the people of Zimbabwe will have to unite to extricate their country from the economic crisis in which it is immersed, and that we will contribute everything we can to support the realisation of this objective.”
Note all the empty words on what “we will continue to do”, whilst nothing at all has been done, not even a single word of public condemnation of what the miltary under control of Robert Mugabe has been doing.
Anon,
That speech was not about Zimbabwe, it only referred to Zim. That speech is about US AS SOUTH AFRICANS. Please read it again.
If Pierre indulges the request, we can discuss the speech, further.
Khosi, the part of the speech I quoted above has seven references to Zimbabwe and Robert Mugabe, and what the government is prepared (or not prepared) to do in rspect thereof. The kind of thing I say Thabo Mbeki gas been ignorant of (or blind for) is the following
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/Zimbabwe/0,,2-11-1662_2340090,00.html
Oh yes, Khosi, lest you again call for ‘proof’ (‘facts’) that the situation in Zim has so deterioated that it requires at least a public condemnation, in the strongest possible terms, by our beloved President, do yourself a favour and read the following report by Human rights Watch
http://hrw.org/reports/2008/zimbabwe0608/
It might take you the whole weekend to digest.
In the above report, read especially Human Rights Watch’s conclusion on the response of the International Community, especially the SADC and AU by clicking on the last heading, or you can use the link below. Thabo Mbeki’s name features quite prominently as the denialist among the “old boys club [network]‘ as Patricia de Lille has called this solidarity movement of liberation struggle comrades in the face of clear indications that they have veered off the route the liberation struggle had in mind. http://hrw.org/reports/2008/zimbabwe0608/10.htm#_Toc200507407
Is this guy for real? http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/Zimbabwe/0,,2-11-1662_2341008,00.html