at it is people’s party by winning a heavily-contested Budiriro by-election by such an amazing big margin.
The Budiriro Residents have also conveyed a clear massage to the said Professors that with or without them MDC will remain the only people’s party under its President Tsvangirai. Also, though Mugabe and his fake war veteran candidate tried to intimidate them by singing liberation songs at their rally and claiming to own them they refused to be owned, but chose to affiliate themselves to MDC for a New Zimbabwe and a New Beginning. I salute your courage guys! Keep it up.
S MASUKU, Johannesburg
In the name of freedom
EDITOR – It is not surprising that Thabo Mbeki is in Britain negotiating a deal on behalf of Robert Mugabe in order that he has immunity from prosecution from human rights abuses in the past and the present. Now we know what Thabo Mbeki means when he speaks of quite diplomacy with Mugabe.
Let us not forget the ANC’S 100th anniversary in 2007, where Mugabe will no doubt be hailed as a hero in the so-called liberation struggle. Where freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom of movement in Zimbabwe are monitored daily and crushed by the army, police and so-called war veterans. Where the media have been bombed and shut down by Mugabe, where the judiciary is politicised and belong to Mugabe’s regime. All in the name of freedom!
NAME WITHELD, Harare
Blair an embarrassment
EDITOR- Tony Blair you are an embarrassment and a disgrace. No wonder Britain is spiralling out of control. Mugabe and ZANU-PF have total control over the economy in Zimbabwe regardless of which political party forms a new government. Why not give a blank slate to all ZANU-PF members who have murdered, raped and robbed for that in truth is how deep the mass human rights abuses are. Enter the IMF and the United Nations for Tony Blair’s quiet diplomacy. He has blood on his hands with Iraq why not Zimbabwe?
ALBERT WEIDEMANN, North Yorkshire
Zimbabwe will be free again
EDITOR – It gives me great joy to see copies of The Zimbabwean side by side with the major tabloid newspapers in most retail and convenience shops in UK.
At these sad times when most independent newspapers have been banned, freedom of speech denied, journalists arrested and the state-controlled media so economic with the truth, your paper is without doubt the best thing that has happened to those in pursuit of the truth, facts, unbiased news and information about the current political and economic situation in our troubled land.
It is through The Zimbabwean that most of us in the diaspora have of late learnt with regret the extent of the unprecedented economic crisis, the untold sufferings of the starving masses, the unspeakable horrific demolitions of houses, the excruciating suffering of the displaced homeless people, the dire shortages of food and fuel, crumbling health and education system, spiralling HIV and AIDS, the collapse of basic amenities in urban areas, the crippling shortage of foreign currency, the alarming school fees hike, rocketing inflation, the blatant violation of peoples rights, the unjustified closure of independent newspapers and the brutal violence perpetrated on long-suffering Zimbabweans by the repressive regime.
The voice for the voiceless has become the ideal oasis for reliable and factual news at these current times when the propaganda-laden state-owned and controlled media now resorts to distorting news, peddling lies, diverting attention from fundamental issues bedevilling country, downplaying sensitive stories, burying news regarded as bad for government publicity and fabricating information about what’s really going on in Zimbabwe.
It is saddening to see the state mouthpieces shamelessly trying to give the impression that all is well and under control in Zimbabwe, publishing what they want people to believe – not the facts.
Its common knowledge that the repressive media laws have been legislated to hide the real truth from the populace and world at large about how bad things have gone in our homeland and who is to blame for the crisis. Thanks to your paper and a few other newspapers that have survived the slaughter of press freedom, we are kept abreast of the key developments at home and we have a forum to express our views.
Mr Editor, let it be known to the architects of the draconian media laws AIPPA and POSA and those enforcing them that they may crack down on press freedom, ban or close newspapers, arrest journalists and silence people from expressing their views and opinions freely but they can’t remove that burning desire for change.
Keep telling it as it is Mr Editor, bare the truth without fear and let The Zimbabwean newspaper be the mouthpiece of the downtrodden oppressed majority. As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, one day Zimbabwe will be free again and some people will be held to account for the part they played in destroying this once peaceful and prosperous country of ours.
INNOCENT CHIMHAU, London UK