Harare is a stronghold of the Movement for Democratic Change (Tsvangirai). Initially it had appeared the commuter buses sporting the presidential portraits were restricted to a few eastern middle class suburban routes.
But investigations by ZimOnline revealed that A3-size Mugabe posters were in fact appearing plastered on minibuses on nearly all city routes including the densely populated southern working class areas, where the veteran leader is loathed the most.Bus drivers told ZimOnline that youths, they believed were ruling party activists and who were wearing T-shirts emblazoned with similar Mugabe portraits, had stormed termini earlier this week, marshalling bus crew to assist in sticking the posters onto their vehicles.The youths caught us by complete surprise, within seconds they were all over the place pushing and shoving commuters and demanding to see drivers and conductors of selected buses whom they ordered to stick the President’s posters on the kombis (minibuses), said one conductor at the Fourth Street terminus just outside Harare central business district.They took down the registration numbers of our kombis and said they would monitor each of the kombis to ensure we did not pull down the president’s posters threatening to deal with those who resisted, said the conductor, who identified himself only as Kingston.
The sprawling Fourth Street terminus is situated within the same perimeters with the Harare provincial offices of Zanu (PF). Attempts to get comment on the matter from the party office were fruitless with the relevant officials said to be out campaigning.A driver at the Market Square rank, who would not disclose his name saying he feared for his personal safety, said: What it means displaying these posters on my bus is that the bus owner, driver, conductor as well as the passengers support Zanu (PF), but that is not necessarily the case.On Tuesday evening a group of commuters at the Fourth Street rank refused boarding the minibuses displaying Mugabe’s posters digging in their heels for nearly 30 minutes before they finally boarded apparently because they could not get alternative means of transport home.One of the commuters remarked: This is a form of intimidation on the kombi drivers and on passengers but that will not affect how I am going to vote. An officer at Harare Central police station said the law enforcement agency was not aware of any commuter bus owner or crew being forced to display posters of Mugabe on their vehicles.We haven’t received any such reports of kombis and the President’s posters, said the policeman, indicating no action would be taken until bus owners lodged a formal complaint with the police.
MDC MP Malinga dies in car crash
BY TICHAONA SIBANDA
HARARE
The MDC MP for Redcliff in the Midlands province, Abedenico Malinga, has died. The legislator from the Mutambara faction died onThursday after he was involved in a car crash along the Gweru to Kwekwe highway.Malinga becomes the third parliamentary candidate and the second sitting MP from the faction to die in the space of three weeks. The Mutambara MDC first lost its candidate for Gwanda, Glory Makwatu a week after the nomination court, then a few days later their MP for Mpopoma, Milton Gwetu, died of a suspected heart failure.Professor Welshman Ncube said they were in total shock’ over Malinga’s untimely death.This is very, very painful. It’s a sad experience and I’m completely at a loss of words to describe this tragic moment. We are all numb with shock,’ Ncube said.Several other people, including the MDC MP for Mkoba in Gweru, Amos Chibaya, where in the same vehicle with Malinga when it veered off the road and hit a tree just as they were approaching KweKwe. Chibaya is believed to have sustained serious head injuries. He was admitted to a hospital in KweKwe.According to police Malinga, who was driving, tried to avoid a head-on collision and seemed to have lost control as the vehicle veered off the road and smashed into a tree.The MP survived the initial impact. He was rushed to hospital with multiple injuries but died an hour after being admitted. Ncube said Malinga’s death has traumatised so many of their members that they still cannot believe he has died.The man was a hardworking, charming, disciplined and principled MP. As with the other two deaths we expect the Redcliff election to be postponed to a later date,’ Ncube said. – SW Radio Africa
Clinic Fights Child Abuse
HARARE – The Family Support Clinic, which works hand in hand with the Victim Friendly Court, says increased awareness campaigns have resulted in more sexually abused children coming out and reporting their plight.The director of the Family Support Clinic, Teresa Mugadza, said however there has been a surge in the number of sexually abused boys.She challenged communities to fight against this form of child sexual abuse.Mugadza was speaking at a donation of HIV and Aids testing kits and anti retroviral drugs to the Family Support Clinic at Harare General Hospital.Meanwhile, more than 2 000 HIV and Aids testing kits, a refrigerator and ARV’s were presented to the centre.Currently the clinic is operating in Harare, Chitungwiza and Mutare and plans are underway to open new centres in Chinhoyi, Gweru and Bulawayo. -Â Â
IBA Condemns Attack on Law Society
LONDON – The International Bar Association (IBA) has condemned a series of attacks by the government of Zimbabwe on the Law Society of Zimbabwe ahead of elections later this month. It urges the government to stop interfering with the legitimate work of the country’s organised legal profession.
The state-run Herald and Sunday Mail newspapers recently published articles alleging that the Law Society of Zimbabwe is working with the European Union (EU) and United Kingdom government to circumvent a government ban on election observers from the EU.One lead article entitled EU Recruits Secret Observers’ alleges that the Law Society was asking law firms to observe the elections on behalf of the EU. It quotes the Minister of Justice Patrick Chinamasa saying, It has come to my knowledge that the Law Society of Zimbabwe leadership has turned the society into a political party to the extent of soliciting from British and other foreign governments funds to engage in active politics…. I will no longer treat them as a professional society, but a political opposition party.’These are ominous words in light of the Mugabe regime’s record of brutality against the political opposition and human rights defenders,’ said Mark Ellis, Executive Director of the International Bar Association. The true objective of this vindictive government campaign is to justify a clampdown on independent lawyers in the run-up to the election,’ he said.