Loaded! Just Enough To Buy a Loaf.

Politburo member Dumiso Dabengwa, a respected former ZIPRA commander and intelligence supremo, has already sided with independent presidential candidate and former finance minister Simba Makoni. His Zapu (PF) party merged with Zanu in 1987, in a marriage of convenience that led to the Unity Accord.The two former politburo members have claimed in various press briefings and public announcements that they have the support of some major players in Zanu (PF), who are yet to come out in the open – claims which Mugabe and other party members have vehemently denied.Ruling party sources in Bulawayo, however, this week revealed that some senior politicians had not yet declared their support for Makoni in a bid to direct things from within and would only announce their allegiance to the former minister a few days before elections.These are said to be members aggrieved by the way in which former freedom fighters, led by their National Chairman Jabulani Sibanda, shoehorned delegates at the 2007 Special Congress to nominate Mugabe unopposed to represent the party in the presidential elections. After failing to control things in the congress, they have resorted to urging people to decampaign the President, said a party official. Most of those that are actively decampaigning him are the party’s candidates in the council, parliamentary and senatorial elections, who have told people to vote them in, but choose Makoni to lead the country out of its current economic crisis. Very few, who include Obert Mpofu and Andrew Langa, are still showing support for Mugabe.Most of the party members who are openly campaigning against Mugabe are said to be in Matabeleland North.Mpofu gave the names of these candidates to the President and said that they needed to be investigated, as they were not committed to preserving the country’s unity and sovereignty, said another source. We do not know what will happen to those members, as the President took the names but made no mention of any measures.Mpofu confirmed that some party supporters were decampaigning Mugabe, but would not reveal their names to The Zimbabwean.I cannot reveal their names, but I know them and I have been told most of the bad things they are saying, he said.

Police Claim Bosses are Cheating Them

BY MXOLISI NCUBE
BULAWAYO

Junior officers in Bulawayo have accused their superiors of cheating them out of allowances they should get for policing the forthcoming elections.The police officers, who all spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed they had been promised a paltry Z$15m a day – not even enough to buy a meal – for working during the elections. The allowance would add up to Z$150m for the 10 days that most of them will deployed.Staff from other ministries have been promised Z$300m a day, but we have been told that we will only get Z$15m a day for our part, yet we will be doing all the donkey work. This is not fair and we believe that our bosses have tampered with the money, said one junior police officer.A senior officer based at police headquarters in the city confirmed the amount, but rubbished claims that the allowances had been altered.We do not alter the allowances. These boys always complain to convey a negative image of the whole set-up when things do not favour them. These things are done in a transparent manner and audited at the end of each exercise, he said.Junior officers have made a killing in the past for taking part in various operations such as Sunrise Two, which is said to have earned each officer Z$1.5bn.

Military Chief Coercing Voters, say Lawyers Call for Prosecution.

JOHANNESBURG

The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) organization has called on the State to prosecute the country’s top military commander, General Constantine Chiwenga, for allegedly coercing voters to back President Robert Mugabe.The General was earlier this week quoted by local press as having said Mugabe’s rivals in the presidential election, Morgan Tsvangirai and Simba Makoni, were sell-outs and agents of the West’s regime change agenda in Zimbabwe.Chiwenga, who is commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) that comprises the army and air force, is said to have declared that the military would not salute anyone else except Mugabe, in what analysts said was a clear threat to stage a military coup in the event the veteran leader lost the March 29 polls.The ZLHR said Chiwenga’s statements were a violation of Sections 133B (c) and 134 (3) (b) of the Electoral Act, which make it a criminal offence to intimidate people to vote for a particular candidate or use undue influence to force people to vote or not vote during an election. Chiwenga had also breached Southern African Development Community (SADC) guidelines under which member states are obliged to ensure that elections adhere to the principles of freedom of association and political tolerance, the lawyers’ body said.Commander Chiwenga’s statements serve to directly intimidate both members of the ZDF and the electorate, through implied threats of violence, from voting freely for a presidential candidate of their choice, as is their right, the ZHLR said a statement.It is therefore clear that the ZDF Commander is in breach of the law and the regional guidelines, and should be prosecuted by the appropriate authorities forthwith, it added.Both Zimbabwe Electoral Commission spokesman Shupikai Mashereni and acting Attorney-General Bharat Patel were not immediately available to shed light on what, if any, action would be taken against Chiwenga.In 2002, the commanders of the army, air force, police, prison and secret services announced just before presidential elections that they would not salute a leader who had not fought in the country’s 1970s independence war. – ZimOnline

US Reports on Worst-ever Rights Abuses

JOHANNESBURG

The United States has said last year saw the worst human rights violations in Zimbabwe, despite regional efforts to mediate between President Robert Mugabe and the opposition.The US State Department said more than 8,000 cases of human rights violations were recorded in 2007 as the Government intensified a crackdown against dissenters as well as ordinary citizens.Security forces harassed, beat and arbitrarily arrested opposition supporters and critics within human rights NGOs (non-governmental organisations), the media and organised labour, as well as ordinary citizens, the Department said in its annual report on human rights across the globe.Zimbabwe Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa was not immediately available for comment on the US charges. However, Harare has in the past rejected similar charges as lies spread by its Western opponents to tarnish Mugabe’s image.The US findings echo a recent report by the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum that also said last year had seen the worst rights violations.The Forum, which regularly publishes reports on politically motivated violence, said it had, for example, recorded 586 cases of torture in 2007 compared to 368 the previous year.It said police and other state security agents had played a prominent role in a relentless wave of politically motivated violence and human rights abuses. – ZimOnline
 
Sweden Saddened by Lack of EU Observers

HARARE

Zimbabwe should have allowed all who wanted to observe the elections to do so, as this would have helped enhance the legitimacy of the polls, Swedish Ambassador Stan Rylander said yesterday.Rylander, whose Government yesterday donated US$1m through the World Food Programme (WFP) to fight hunger in Zimbabwe, said it was sad that Harare refused to let in European observers, but expressed hope that the regional Southern African Development Community (SADC) would do a good job monitoring the polls.He said: It is a sad situation that the EU have not been invited. It would have been better for the Government to allow those who do want to observe the elections. They do get international legitimacy. We hope SADC will do a good job and we hope it will be a good election which is free and fair.Zimbabwe, which in 2002 expelled the Swedish leader of an EU election observer team forcing the bloc to withdraw the entire mission, has invited what it says are friendly countries and groups to the month-end polls. Rylander also urged the Zimbabwean Government to step up co-operation with humanitarian agencies working in the country.The humanitarian situation is still very serious and there are few signs of an improvement in the near future. I again appeal to the Government of Zimbabwe – having the ultimate responsibility for the humanitarian situation and long term development – to work closely with the international donor community, he said. – ZimOnline