The people of Zimbabwe have spoken

Not even the obsequiously pro-Mugabe SADC observer mission had the gall to declare all was free and fair. Instead it concluded that despite a number of concerns, the elections were a peaceful and credible expression of the will of the people of Zimbabwe.

All of those concerns were aimed at boosting the chances of the tyrant who, in his 28 years at the helm, has reduced Zimbabwe from a breadbasket to a basket case.

The most ominous concern noted by SADC observers was the warning by the armed services that they would not serve any leader except Mugabe. The Chief of the Army said he would not permit Mugabe to lose, and would stage a coup if this happened. The Commissioner of Police vowed live ammunition would be fired at anyone protesting the conduct or result of the election.

That’s blatant intimidation of people bullied for decades by generals.

SADC observers also air-brushed what they correctly identified as the use of state resources for party purposes. Only one party, Zanu-PF, was the intended beneficiary. At its most obvious level this saw the handing out of food and medical supplies at Zanu-PF rallies. Not to mention hundreds of cars given free to doctors on the eve of the elections. The abuse of state-owned media to portray Mugabe’s rule in a favourable light, to the exclusion of any positive coverage of the MDC, also constitutes use of state resources for party political purposes.

In their preliminary report the SADC observers also noted inadequate polling station distribution. That’s a euphemism for large-scale gerrymandering and vote rigging, aimed at limiting the effect of the urban vote, where the MDC is strong, while adding weight to rural constituencies, where Mugabe has historically held sway.

While the SADC mentioned the presence of police in polling stations, they failed to emphasise this violated previously agreed SADC rules. Allowing police inside polling stations to assist voters contradicts the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections, agreed to by regional leaders in Mauritius.

In a country where police terrorise opposition supporters the intrusion of force members in the supposedly neutral sanctum of a polling booth is gross intimidation.

While the MDC emerge with honour from these shambolic elections the same cannot be said of the South African government.

President Thabo Mbeki’s cowardly inability to deal with Mugabe has contributed hugely to the crisis on our doorstep.

Mbeki has effectively propped up Mugabe, especially in the last eight catastrophic years. The true outcome of the Zimbabwe elections is also a rejection of Mbeki’s leadership, just as decisive as Polokwane.