Greed Fuels Mutambara For President

While there is a need for a united force to fight a common enemy its fact that there will always be divisions. I have always advocated unity citing the example of South Africa's ANC which formed a tripartite alliance during the fight to end apartheid with Congress of South African Trade Unions the largest trade union body in Africa and The South African Communist party (SACP). Still you will found out that in South Africa there remained other forces that fought apartheid on their own accord, like Inkhata Freedom Party led by Chief Mangosuthu Bhutelezi, also present was the Liberal Progressive Party led by Helen Suzman. In as much as ANC wanted to them to join their alliance, they saw it necessary to continue fighting their corner against apartheid. What people have to understand is that there will always difference of opinion, difference of strategy and that could put a strain on forming a united front against a common enemy.

That is the dilemma facing MDC today following the acrimonious split of MDC in October 2005. The real MDC led by President Morgan Tsvangirai has acknowledged that we are for unity only for the offer to be spurned by Mutambara led faction. When the issue was further explored the Mutambara faction came up with unrealistic demands for the unifying process to go ahead. They demanded 50% parliamentary representation even though they agree that they represent a very tiny fraction of the Zimbabwean population, they also demanded that executive positions that they held prior to the split be returned to them. While making all these demands it did not occur to them that MDC had restructured and we have dedicated people who never ran away from the struggle over piece-meal senatorial elections introduced by Mugabe to continue his political patronage. All the faithful comrades such as Grace Kwinjeh, Roy Bennet, Tendai Biti were expected by Mutambara and his cohorts Professor Welshman Ncube and Gibson Sibanda to just recede their positions and make way for the unfaithful comrades of Professor Mutambara. When MDC pointed out to the rebels that its them coming back home into the fold they will have to wait another 5 years in accordance with the MDC constitution before they contested positions in the MDC National Executive they cried. Hence you hear the noises and the brouhaha coming from their camp.

While a united front against Mugabe would have been a fantastic thing, its late now for MDC to be concentrating their efforts in uniting with dissidents. We have an election to contest, and given the circumstances that face us such as state systematic rigging, voter intimidation, spiraling economic meltdown the issue of unity is unimportant in the scheme of things. If Mutambara is confident enough that he can get Zimbabwe's vote and lead then, let the battle begin. As for Tsvangirai led MDC the people remain resolute in their demand for a new Zimbabwe . All corners of Zimbabwe are agog with the rising national chorus for a free and fair plebiscite. MDC is committed. MDC is ready to govern. We are ready to serve the people of Zimbabwe . This is the time.

A Nation That Has Reached A Tipping Point - Just The Headlines

Sometimes your own comment and analysis is inadequate to truly grasp what is happening in Zimbabwe today. Whilst preparing for this article its shocking to see nothing positive being reported as a result of 5000 corrupt individuals led by the demonic dictator who are financially benefiting from the melt down and desperately want to maintain the status quo while the masses suffer.

Hungry Zimbabweans urged to eat dogs
From IOL - South Africa
With meat now in desperately short supply in Zimbabwe, a group of men from the eastern city of Mutare are urging residents to try eating dogs, a local newspaper reported on Friday.

Mugabe has lots of food at local shop
From The Telegraph - UK
The shelves in Zimbabwe's stores are bare, but in a leafy suburb of Harare it's a different story, Sebastien Berger reports. Robert Mugabe's local supermarket is unlike any other shop in Zimbabwe. Elsewhere there are gaping empty shelves where bread, butter, sugar, meat and the staple maize meal should be. But at the Spar in the Borrowdale Brooke suburb of the capital Harare, close to the president's palatial hillside residence, almost anything is available, including focaccia bread, sun-dried tomatoes and cigars.

The battered dream
From The Guardian - UK
When a country's inflation rate reaches 4,500%, things begin to happen that are so surreal, so Alice In Wonderland, that for those looking on from abroad, it's almost possible to forget that they are also desperately tragic. A banana in Zimbabwe now costs as much as several large houses did seven years ago.

Babies abandoned as police beat mothers
From The Times - UK
A group of nursing mothers were ordered to put down their babies by Zimbabwean police before being beaten for hours.

Economics By Terror - 5000 Business Executives Arrested

5000 business executives and store managers have been arrested in Zimbabwe since Mugabe started his crackdown on business accusing them of hiking the prices of basic commodities in order to topple his government. At one time most of the executives and business managers were honest and upright citizens who have never seen the door of police station in their lives and they woke up one day alleged to have broken the law as they went about their businesses adjusting prices of goods to keep up with the runaway inflation that Ed Cross estimates to be about 22000% for the month of June. An inflation created by Mugabe's printing of money without any production to back it up as he funds his political patronage, foolishly thinking it will guarantee him safety and stifle revolt within his own Zanu PF.

Police Faked Case Against Madzore

Mugabe's hired thugs purporting to be policemen faked a case against MDC MP Paul Madzore, they concocted accusations of terrorism against him and 12 MDC activists based on testimony from non-existent witnesses at a fictional South African farm, a judge said during a succeful bail application by Mr Madzore. Mr Madzore and 12 other supporters were rounded up in raids in March when the police claimed to have foiled a planned petrol bombing campaign against government and private properties. They were kept in custody since then without bail having been arrested days after Mugabe had beaten up Morgan Tsvangirai the MDC president and 60 other opposition figures on their way to a prayer meeting. At the time of their arrest Mugabe had been summoned by SADC in Tanzania to explain the regression of one-time people liberator into a brutal demonic dictator. The politically staged petrol bombs were meant to show MDC as a violent party and thereby justify the recent violent crackdown on opposition figures as a way of maintaining law and order. The actual egg of the whole debacle is on the face of Thabo Mbeki and the his fellow club of dictators in SADC that swallowed Mugabe's lies as the bible truth rather than lies of a cornered dictator doing anything to desperately cling to power.

Economics By Terror - No Fuel

Enforced price controls, now Mugabe has banned private businesses from importing their own fuel, and handed back the importation of fuel to National Oil Company of Zimbabwe. The price of fuel has also been slashed to levels where fuel station operators have had to close. Also banned were the fuel coupons that allowed Zimbabweans in the diaspora to buy fuel for they relatives back in Zimbabwe helping to beat perennial fuel shortages. Fuel is added to the list of banned goods that cab be imported including groceries. As we get closer and closer to 2008 there are knee-jerk economics enforced by terror as the government tries to hoodwink the electorate into believing that Zanu PF cares. Political survival takes expediency over anything else for the despotic dictator and his bunch of thugs. Brace yourself for the full nationalisation of the economy!

Northampton Branch Gap Filling A Success

Sorry that I have been away, I recently moved home and had no internet access, by the time I got the AOL free trial CD to get me by before my broadband was activated the Broadband was faster than AOL. A lot has happened since my last post in Zimbabwe where the economic collapse of Zimbabwe will hasten the departure of the most despotic dictator Africa has ever seen. Yes President Tsvangirai came and addressed party structures, the UK executive was blamed for poor planning getting a venue that could only take 250 with a crowd estimated at 1000.

Since our regional congress in September last year the MDC structures have been operating with skeletal branch executives due to the departure of most to the provincial structures. All over UK MDC has embarked on an exercise to fill the gaps its on this note that that I have the pleasure to announce that Northampton Branch has been reconstituted. I was elected Chairman of the branch in an election that Mr Matewu, the UK Organising Secretary supervised. Mr Francis Katsuwa who was the Acting Chairman was elected Vice Chairman, Gloria Choto Secretary General, Zebedia Bangajena Treasurer, Standreck Mubaiwa Organising Secretary, Pedzisai Smemeza Youth Secretary, Mrs Victoria Murahwa Women's Secretary and Memory Mushore, Peter Shumba, Paul Silimoyo were elected Committee Members.

Now our Branch can take part in various exercises like the twinning program, whereby a UK branch helps materially and financially the election campaign of a constituents in Zimbabwe. The Gap Filling exercise was also combined with fundraising for the branch whose preparation and coordination took over most of my time. I am glad I can now continue posting regularly. Speak Soon!