Retribution in some rural areas as Mugabe prepares for another term
By Tererai Karimakwenda
June 29, 2008

Many Zimbabweans went to church as usual on Sunday while Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF tried to create some excitement over the results of the one-man presidential election. But many people were depressed, not excited, at the prospect of another 5 years under the Mugabe regime.

Our Harare correspondent Simon Muchemwa spoke to parishioners at several churches on Sunday and reported that most Harare residents were not anxious to hear the results of the poll.

Muchemwa said the urban areas are peaceful but there are reports that villagers are being assaulted in some rural districts of Manicaland, because there were too many spoiled ballots and not votes for Mugabe.
The areas that were mostly targeted were Chimanimani, Chipinge and Buhera. According to Muchemwa, the victims were being asked why many of them had not voted and why there were many spoiled papers. Reports from around the country indicate that many people either stayed home, spoiled their ballots or voted for Tsvangirai.

Muchemwa said there are fewer roadblocks in the capital and in the high-density areas. The youth militia who were hired to terrorise voters ahead of the poll are nowhere to be seen. Only the local thugs are still around and they are no longer wearing police uniforms.

From Bulawayo, our correspondent Sindiso Dube reported that residents of Plumtree are being ordered to go to a war veterans base called Sowezi, to prove that they voted by showing the ink on their fingers. Lupane residents are also being targeted because voter turnout was too low. Sindiso said many fled on Saturday after voting, clearly because they were expecting violence after the election. He believes this is a sign that they did not vote for Mugabe.

The desperate regime went ahead with plans to inaugurate Mugabe as president for another 5 years. It is hoped that African leaders who are meeting in Egypt for the A.U. summit will condemn Mugabe’s actions and finally take concrete steps to resolve the Zimbabwe crisis, which is now affecting many other countries in the region.