MDC faction meets Mugabe

But Tsvangirai will have nothing to do with it

Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of Zimbabwe's embattled opposition the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) nearly met Mugabe on Saturday - but pulled out of the planned historic encounter at the last moment. Yet one MDC leader did meet our sham President - and may soon be richly rewarded for his attendance.

The meeting in Harare, planned by South African's mediator president Thabo Mbeki, should have signalled a step forward in the drive to form some kind of government of national unity in Zimbabwe. But Tsvangirai failed to show after he learned that African Union president Jean Ping, his nominee as Mbeki's co-mediator, would not be present.

However, the leader of the tiny breakaway faction of the MDC, Arthur Mutambara, did attend the meeting, along with his secretary-general Welshman Ncube and his deputy, Priscilla Misihairabwi. They spent several hours in talks with Zanu-PF negotiators Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche - and Robert Mugabe himself.

Vote rigging - we got it right

How new film backs up our claims of organised Zanu-PF corruption

Video evidence currently being broadcast on western media, shows members of the Zimbabwe prison service being officially supervised as they vote for Robert Mugabe well in advance of the recent presidential run-off poll. The film serves to verify our reports of the practice published here a month ago.

On June 11 this blog, under the headline "It hasn't begun - but Mugabe is winning!" reported that "thousands of police and associated uniformed thugs" had been lined up by their officers, presented with postal voting slips, and ordered to put their mark against Mugabe's name.

We quoted a source within the police as saying that Senior Assistant Commissioner Lee Muchemwa "told us we would vote for Mugabe whether we liked it or not. We voted in front of the Police Internal Security Intelligence (PISI), who checked our ballot papers."

The process was carried out at that early date to avoid any scrutiny by outside observers, who had yet to arrive in the country. It was also conducted without the presence of any officials from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.

The new video, taken with a hidden camera by a member of the prison service, confirms that the practice was widespread amongst all sections of the military, the militia, and the security services, and undoubtedly helped to give Mugabe his huge majority in the sham election.

In my report at the time I quoted Assistant Police Commissioner Nyakutsika, who made this striking forecast in front of his men: "Even if you tell the foreign press, even if you tell the western governments, we do not care. They will do nothing."

As I said then, and as I say again now, he's got that right.

Life on the death squad

A young soldier describes his time as a Mugabe terrorist

Alfred, 24, joined the Zimbabwean army in January last year. He needed a job. He thought he would take part in the defence of his country. Instead he has spent the last two months as a member of a Zanu-PF-controlled torture and death brigade.

Acting under orders, and under the threat of death, he has taken part in the persecution and the killing of MDC supporters, even the people of his home village, his family and neighbours.

Alfred - not his real name for obvious reasons - is home on a short leave. I track him down to his tiny two-room home in Mbare township. He is a man both torn with guilt and full of fear for his future.

"You cannot refuse an order in the Zimbabwe army," he says, in a moment of self-justification. "If you do you will be punished - that is, executed. I didn't want to do what I did, but we all had to obey orders."

For twenty minutes, before he becomes too frightened to continue, Alfred paints a grim picture of how the terror squads operate.

Tsvangirai wants Ping on board

The MDC leader says he will negotiate - if he can choose the mediator

Morgan Tsvangirai, embattled leader of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has called on Jean Ping of Gabon, Chairman of the African Union (AU), to take over the proposed negotiations between himself and Robert Mugabe.

The MDC boss says he will change his mind about negotiating with Mugabe and be willing to have talks about a possible government of national unity, if - and only if - Ping agrees to partner South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki as mediator.

Mbeki has come under increasing pressure internationally in recent weeks, and has been accused of being too soft with Mugabe, ignoring the Zanu-PF violence tactics, and shielding Mugabe from criticism from other African states.

In an exclusive interview at his Strathaven home in Harare, Morgan Tsvangirai told me he thought the task of chairing negotiations in Zimbabwe was "too heavy for the troubled Mbeki."

Tsvangirai wants Ping on board

The MDC leader says he will negotiate - if he can choose the mediator

Morgan Tsvangirai, embattled leader of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has called on Jean Ping of Gabon, Chairman of the African Union (AU), to take over the proposed negotiations between himself and Robert Mugabe.

The MDC boss says he will change his mind about negotiating with Mugabe and be willing to have talks about a possible government of national unity, if - and only if - Ping agrees to partner South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki as mediator.

Mbeki has come under increasing pressure internationally in recent weeks, and has been accused of being too soft with Mugabe, ignoring the Zanu-PF violence tactics, and shielding Mugabe from criticism from other African states.

In an exclusive interview at his Strathaven home in Harare, Morgan Tsvangirai told me he thought the task of chairing negotiations in Zimbabwe was "too heavy for the troubled Mbeki."

Tsvangirai wants Ping on board

The MDC leader says he will negotiate - if he can choose the mediator

Morgan Tsvangirai, embattled leader of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has called on Jean Ping of Gabon, Chairman of the African Union (AU), to take over the proposed negotiations between himself and Robert Mugabe.

The MDC boss says he will change his mind about negotiating with Mugabe and be willing to have talks about a possible government of national unity, if - and only if - Ping agrees to partner South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki as mediator.

Mbeki has come under increasing pressure internationally in recent weeks, and has been accused of being too soft with Mugabe, ignoring the Zanu-PF violence tactics, and shielding Mugabe from criticism from other African states.

In an exclusive interview at his Strathaven home in Harare, Morgan Tsvangirai told me he thought the task of chairing negotiations in Zimbabwe was "too heavy for the troubled Mbeki."

Botswana leads the way

More African states join the protest against Mugabe

As the Zimbabwe crisis deepens, the African tradition that one country does not comment on the internal affairs of another is beginning to crumble. Yesterday saw a momentous move by our neighbouring country, Botswana. Its Vice-President, Mompati Merfahe, took the rare step of addressing Mugabe directly across the floor at the African Union (AU) conference in Egypt.

Merfahe told the Zimbabwean President that the presidential re-run vote last Friday, which Mugabe won against no opposition, had been so flawed with violence that it "did not reflect the will of the people." He demanded that Zimbabwe should, as a result, be excluded from the AU.

The Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga, also urged the AU to suspend Mugabe until he allowed free and fair elections. And Sierra Leone President Ernest Koromo commented that the people of Zimbabwe had been "denied their democratic rights."

Mugabe's new master-plan

How the so-called elected president plots to get his own way

Robert Mugabe, newly sworn in yesterday as President of Zimbabwe, will arrive at the African Union (AU) summit in Egypt today waving a giant olive branch. He is expected to tell delegates that he is ready to accept a negotiated settlement with the opposition MDC to solve the crisis in the country. But there are major conditions to his offer.

The AU members will first have to agree publicly that Friday's Presidential re-run poll was credible, and that Mugabe himself is the duly elected President of Zimbabwe. And second, they must also accept Mugabe's terms for establishing any much-vaunted Government of National Unity.

This plan is not likely to cut much ice with several African states, including Zambia, Botswana and Tanzania, who have already condemned the election and called for a new free and fair poll. But other African nations may see Mugabe's apparently benign proposals as a way out of the crisis, at least temporarily.

Mugabe to be sworn in today

Protests grow - but will they be enough?

After one of the most shameful elections of modern times, and almost within earshot of the screams of his tortured and murdered victims, Robert Mugabe will today be sworn in for another term as the President of Zimbabwe.

While his goon squads continue to hunt down and terrorise anyone they think might be a Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) sympathiser, Mugabe will immediately fly to the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh, for an African Union summit, where he will hope to be greeted as Zimbabwe's rightful leader.

He may meet with some disapproval, but probably not enough. Kenya, Botswana, Tanzania, Zambia and Nigeria have all condemned his programme of violence, and Tanzania and Botswana have even spoken of sending in troops. But other states in the 53-member union are unlikely to agree.

Meanwhile at home the Zanu-PF miltia's programme of organised terror has reportedly delivered Mugabe a landslide vote in the so-called Presidential run-off. But this has not satisfied their bosses, and the persecution will continue today with the launch of Operation Red Finger - a plan to track down those who refused to vote, and therefore are not marked with red dye on their hands.

On the diplomatic front, the dream of real negotations, of perhaps a government of national unity, remains just that - a dream. Despite statements by both Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Tutu, South African president Thabo Mbeki, who is believed to be the only man who could bring the regime down, continues to refuse to utter a single word critical of Mugabe.

Any hopes in that direction now lie with the new ANC president Jacob Zuma, who is known to be sympathetic towards the MDC leader and fellow trade unionist Morgan Tsvangirai. Zuma is likely to become President of South Africa next April. It's going to be a long wait.

Biti walks free from court

One bright moment in a grim week

Tendai Biti, the secretary-general of Zimbabwe's opposition MDC, was set free by a Harare court yesterday, Thursday, just in time for the world's most pointless election.

It was the one bright moment in an otherwise depressing week as, despite international pressure reaching an unprecedented pitch, Mugabe and his ruling Zanu-PF junta refused to postpone or call off today's one-man presidential re-run poll.

With Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader, refusing to take part in the poll, no-one can forecast how the people will react to what is clearly a farce being enacted before their eyes. But few expect any lessening of the government-inspired violence that has rocked the country in the past weeks.

Biti, who had been facing charges of treason which carry the death penalty, plus other charges relating to making false statements, and one ludicrous charge of insulting the president, was arrested two weeks ago.