Editorial

More than four weeks after Zimbabwe’s elections, the Registrar General’s office is still refusing to release the digital version of the voters’ roll.

We can draw only one conclusion from this – that they have something to hide. All over the world, voters’ rolls are a matter of public record. Only governments with a history of rigging elections regard them as state secrets.

This is reinforced by the revelations from human rights activists, who say they have unearthed huge discrepancies in the voting patterns and the issuing of fake ID numbers in areas considered strongholds of Zanu (PF).

We understand this will form the basis of the MDC’s legal challenge to 60 seats purportedly won by Zanu (PF) in the March 2008 elections.

“The key is the voters’ roll, but ZEC won’t give it to us. What can we assume – except that they have something to hide?” a spokesman for one of the human rights organisations told our reporter.

The court challenge has obviously sent shock waves to the core of Zanu (PF) – of which the Registrar General’s office is a key component. It is easy to tell that the police are in a complete state of panic. They are now busy trying to destroy the evidence by seizing computers from the MDC election control centre and the independent electoral body, Zimbabwe Electoral Supervisory Network (ZESN).

Officials of the MDC as well as ZEC and ZESN have been arrested and locked up in a desperate effort to stem the tide of evidence of the MDC convincingly having won the parliamentary and presidential polls on March 29.

In countries where there is any vestige of the rule of law, such actions would be regarded as interfering with the course of justice. But this is modern day Zimbabwe, ruled with an iron fist by a military junta, led by a man who has been rejected by the people. He only remains in power by force.

Zimbabweans in the rural areas are bearing the brunt of his wrath, in the aftermath of his electoral defeat at the hands of Morgan Tsvangirai.

With ZEC continuing to hold results of the presidential poll, Zimbabweans and the rest of the world are growing increasingly impatient.

We know it is difficult for them, but, even at this late stage, we urge the civil servants in the Registrar General’s office, to do the right thing.

There is life after Mugabe.  

Word

Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you.” Then the LORD struck down his enemies.  They fled before Asa and his army pursued them. Such a great number fell that they could not recover – they were crushed before the LORD and his forces. – 2 Chron 14:11