Monthly Archives: June 2008

Lament for democracy in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe

Chicago Tribune By Paul Salopek | Chicago Tribune correspondent June 29, 2008 To a nation living on its knees, violence-plagued polls seem a death knell JOHANNESBURG — Zimbabwe’s shattered opposition released its roll call of dead last week. The list, e-mailed to the international media, was clearly prepared in haste. It contains the kind of […]

Voters in main cities defy reprisal threats to avoid ‘sham’ presidential poll

Financial Times By Tony Hawkins in Harare and Tom Burgis in Johannesburg June 28 2008 Voters in Zimbabwe’s main cities boycotted yesterday’s presidential polls in defiance of the threat of reprisals against anyone not voting for the only candidate: Robert Mugabe. “None of us are bothering to vote,” said Angela, a young hairdresser. “I don’t […]

Leak reveals ruthless strategy to bomb and murder until election

The Zimbabwean Thursday, 26 June 2008 The ruling party in Zimbabwe has a detailed plan to murder opposition polling agents, bomb polling stations and march the electorate to the ballot box under armed guard to ensure an emphatic victory for Robert Mugabe in tomorrow’s uncontested presidential run-off. Minutes of a meeting of the regime’s top […]

The Reign of Thuggery

New York Review of Books Volume 55, Number 11 • June 26, 2008 By Joshua Hammer 1. On a clear spring afternoon in Harare in mid-May, South Africa’s president, Thabo Mbeki, paid a call on Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s beleaguered dictator, six weeks after Zimbabwe’s tumultuous elections on March 29 in which opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai […]

Zimbabwe’s refugees wait for a saviour

Kenyannewswebsite.wordpress.com By Tom Burgis in Johannesburg June 25 2008 For the huddled congregation at the Central Methodist Mission in downtown Johannesburg, the wait for a saviour goes on. Many of the more than 2,000 Zimbabweans who have sought sanctuary at the church in the South African capital are coming to terms with the fact that […]

Tsvangirai officially withdraws but Mugabe to go ahead with run off

SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news By Violet Gonda 24 June 2008 Morgan Tsvangirai has officially resigned from the presidential run-off. MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the party had personally handed a letter to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission on Tuesday afternoon. He said the MDC would now wait for a response from the electoral commission. Chamisa […]

‘It’s a dire situation’ – Zimbabwe in no-win situation

The Star (Johannesburg) June 24, 2008 By Peta Thornycroft, Louis Weston and Hans Pienaar Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai sought refuge at the Dutch embassy in Harare as Robert Mugabe’s government said it would press ahead with Friday’s presidential run-off despite Tsvangirai’s withdrawal. The Movement for Democratic Change leader went to the Dutch embassy, a […]

Police raid Zimbabwe opposition headquarters

Associated Press By ANGUS SHAW and JOHN HEILPRIN 24 June 2008 HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe’s opposition leader took refuge in the Dutch Embassy after pulling out of the presidential runoff, and the U.N. Security Council condemned the government Monday for a “campaign of violence” that has prevented a fair election. President Robert Mugabe and […]

Zimbabwe’s election crisis

Inthenews.co.uk Monday, 23 June 2008 Morgan Tsvangirai’s failed challenge to Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe has left the international community up in arms. He had been due to contest a second-round runoff with the much-vilified incumbent on June 27th but withdrew, claiming persecution of his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters made the vote neither free […]

Mugabe’s rival pulls out of Zimbabwe election

Radio New Zealand 23 June 2008 Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has withdrawn from a run-off election against President Robert Mugabe. He says a free and fair poll is impossible in the current climate of violence, and urged the United Nations and the African Union to intervene to stop “genocide” in Zimbabwe. “We in the […]

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