After Mugabe lost the March 2008 election, Zimbabwe experienced a political melt-down followed by a bloody presidential run-off election that left more than 200 Tsvangirai supporters dead.
Addressing thousands of mourners this morning, gathered to pay their last respects to the late Vice President John Landa Nkomo at the national shrine, Mugabe called for peaceful elections.
“Peace begins with me, peace begins with you, (and) peace begins with all of us. Let’s carry this evocation of peace. Carry it with us to our parties so we can honour John Nkomo by holding elections that are peaceful.
“We want peaceful elections. let’s take advantage of calming peace. we are all Zimbabweans,” Mugabe said.
However, torture, harassment and politically motivated prosecutions of human rights defenders and perceived opponents of zanu (pf) have persisted, while villagers in parts of Zimbabwe have suffered ceaseless intimidation by soldiers and supporters of former ruling party.
The power sharing deal has dismally failed as it is characterised by frequent haggling. Efforts by MDC formations to bring peace have hit a brick war because of a lack of political will by ZANU-PF hardliners.
To date the nation has seen the emergence of youth militia groups driving political violence, the groups include Chipangano operating in Harare, Top Six in Chinhoyi, Jocho-mondo in Hurungwe, Jambanja in Maramba-pfungwe and Alshabab in Kwekwe.
It remains to be seen if the polls are going to be as peaceful as GNU principals have promised.
Mugabe said the principals in the Inclusive Government managed to resolve their political differences and agreed on the draft constitution.
“The principals of our political parties and of government succeeded in narrowing their differences on matters that had threatened to divide our national interest,” the president said.
The region joined Zimbabwe in mourning the peace-maker, Nkomo and some regional leaders who were at the national shrine were, South Africa’s Vice President Kgalema Montlante, Tanzanian Vice President Dr Mohammed Gharib Bilal, Botswana Vice President Dr Ponatshego Kedikilwe, Zambian Vice President Guy Scott and Namibian Prime Minister Hage Geingob among other diginitaries.
Vice President Joice Mujuru, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Deputy Prime Ministers Professor Arthur Mutambara and Thokozani Khupe and several government officials also attended the burial which was briefly interrupted by a power cut with Mugabe asking the choir to sing as power was being ordered to be restored.
Post published in: News
Mugabe calls for peaceful elections at John Nkomo’s burial and no one is fooled by his overture.
The day all those with the blood of over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans murdered by Mugabe and his thugs are arrested is the day people will take Mugabe’s call for peace serious. He is the murderer here; he cannot be the judge, the jury and executioner too!
When the hyena calls for a peace conference in the middle of the night; it is blood not peace it is after!