Editorial

The revelation this week of secret JOC documents in the possession of the BBC serve to confirm that the unprecedented suffered by thousands of Zimbabweans in the past two months is not merely the work of a few over-zealous young militias. It is a planned strategy, devised at the highest level by the very same military minds who waged the liberation struggle.  
The multi-pronged strategy has seen Zimbabweans being subjected to the most brutal violence they have ever known. Mass beatings, enforced starvation, burning of homes and continuous harassment of MDC officials and activists at every level form the cornerstone of the diabolical strategy. It cannot be called campaigning – it is terrorism pure and simple. Mugabe has not even bothered to campaign for the run-off election. He has simply given his orders, ably and willingly assisted by the JOC, and armed thugs have done the dirty work for him.
Police complicity in this dirty work has been paramount. They consistently turn things around – arresting the victims who come to report violence and even locking some of them up.
They constantly delay Morgan Tsvangirai – by arresting him and holding him for hours on end – as he tries to make his way around the country to visit his beaten supporters, attend funerals and may be a few campaign rallies.
At the time of going to press the arrest of MDC secretary general Tendai Biti on a trumped-up charge of treason is just the latest in a long line-up of activities designed to destroy the MDC. These actions have totally discredited the once-proud ZRP. It is difficult to imagine how the new government will be able to rehabilitate it.
The junta’s contempt for the rule of law knows no bounds, and the ZRP is nothing more than it’s grovelling lackey.  
A few brave magistrates and judges continue to try to uphold the law in the country’s court system. But the junta rides roughshod over them all – blatantly ignoring  countless court orders, including those to release lawyer Eric Matinenga, to get the army out of rural areas and to allow MDC rallies to go ahead.
In two weeks’ time Mugabe will no doubt congratulate himself for winning the presidential run-off.
And he had the gall to tell the world before the March elections that he could not live with his conscience if he cheated. Well we are telling him now that this is cheating. This is not free and fair. This is not democracy.
Mugabe, do you really want to go down in history as the man who was cruel enough to starve a whole nation or who was responsible for the barbarism we have seen in the past few weeks? Is this how you want to be remembered? As the one who stole food from hungry children and gave it to your well-fed supporters? Hamunyari here?

Word
As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonour, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 2 Corinthians, 6.