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Make our votes count!
Zimbabwean Civil Society Organisations
April 14, 2008

What was meant to be the great endorsement of Robert Mugabe's nationalist policies and "Third Chimurenga" is on the verge of inspiring untold havoc and instability in Zimbabwe. The Third Chimurenga is a purportedly revolutionary struggle to defend national sovereignty against the machinations of so called western imperialism and its local puppets. It appears that not even a democratic election can be allowed to stand in the way of this revolution. Thus according to one military chief the people themselves have become enemies of the state by voting against the ruling party.

Civil Society has therefore decided to respond to the mounting threats on democracy, rule of law, respect for human rights, peace and development by mobilising the people of Zimbabwe to peaceably make their votes count and ensure that the ballot will remain the sole means of determining the country's leadership. This will be done through a grassroots based peaceful national campaign to Make the Vote of the People Count! The colour white will be the show of support for the Campaign. Non-violent social actions [prayer meetings, petitions, symbolic actions, marches, dialogue with leaders etc] will be the Campaign's hallmark.

At present the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has not released the results of the presidential elections. After a series of incomprehensible explanations It has finally been said that the ZEC's hands are tied, implying that ZEC is not able to release the results even if it wanted to. There are also shocking rumours that the National Elections Command Centre which was previously located at a Harare hotel has now been moved to an army barrack the KG6 far from the reach of the public and observers.

The elections never belonged to the people of Zimbabwe. Rather they were meant for other purposes related to the interests of the ruling elites. That is; to maintain the status quo - an intricate, social, economic and political system based on patronage that has created a ruling elite class of overlords that exists in remarkable opulence whilst the country's vast majority continues to slide ever deeper into abject poverty and want.

It has been severally reiterated that nothing not Bush, not Blair, not drought and definitely not the ballot can be allowed to reverse the gains of the liberation. These so called gains are in essence the benefits that the ruling elites have accrued for themselves by presiding over years of failed policies, patronage and apparent economic mismanagement. According to another military source it is inconceivable that a country bought by guns and bloodshed can be sold out by the stroke of a pen.

Indeed the 2008 Harmonised Elections in Zimbabwe appear to have made the blinding mistake of delivering the wrong outcome. Robert Mugabe himself had indicated prior to the elections that votes for the opposition are wasted votes - the nation should have taken him seriously! So too had the military chiefs publicly intimated that they would not recognize an opposition government. Thus true to Mugabe's words the elections can only be acceptable if they exclaim his victory and endorse his right to rule over Zimbabwe. "Never, never, never" he said would the MDC for example be allowed to rule Zimbabwe.

Hence whilst the entire nation remains in the dark about the election outcomes, the real owners of the elections are busy negotiating, recounting, legally challenging and arresting people on the basis of the outcomes of the same election, which only they know. The people of Zimbabwe need to know the results first before they can be called upon to participate in any other election process recount, runoff or re-run.

Interestingly the ruling elites have not been able to claim an outright victory in the election but have still maintained their rights to remain in power. An announcement in the state's media outlets that the cabinet remains active and no international interference or local resistance would be tolerated, have effectively put the elections in context: The elections will only be allowed to count for something if they deliver the ruling elites' expected outcomes. Such is intolerable.

It thus follows that the controversies surrounding the elections locate the people of Zimbabwe as pawns in a brutal political game, whose key players - the current ruling elites in the military and civil service have the ultimate say. Zimbabwe is currently witnessing a dark hour in its short history - when the voice of the people could be blatantly disregarded and their expressed will trashed for not complying with the interests of the ruling elites. In addition Zimbabweans are now being victimised for expressing their will and aspiring for a democratic transition to a legitimate leadership that can be held to account by the ballot.

Reports from the rural areas show that human rights abuses are being perpetrated targeting those who participated in the elections in varying capacities outside the state's structures. There are reports of farm workers on farms belonging to war veterans and top government officials in places like Mutare being victimised for voting against the ruling party. In other areas houses have so far been burnt, people beaten up, voters not returned to their homes and resources previously distributed along partisan lines withdrawn. Other reports indicate that some ZEC officials have not yet been allowed to return to their homes because they have evidence of what really transpired in the elections.

Symbols of the state's might litter communities and are a visible threat to the expression of people's fundamental freedoms of speech, assembly and association. The message is clear that the state has force and it can be unleashed. Military bases and other symbols of force such as military jets, riot water canons and police patrols littering communities give the people the impression that they are under siege. These and other processes of militarization such as the long track record of Operations are the centrepiece of the affront on the will of the people. There is no resolving the current impasse without effective steps to demilitarise and depoliticise our communities, the electoral processes and virtually all structures of government.

An upscale in state sponsored violence, intimidation, structural closure and internal displacements have begun to destabilise the social, economic and political lives of whole communities. As a result humanitarian organisations have been inhibited from dispensing critical support to vulnerable societal groups including orphans and people living with HIV/AIDS. A similar precedent was set during the 2002 and 2005 election processes which saw the deployment of war veterans and youth militia to the rural areas to orchestrate a season of human rights violations and intimidation on citizens. Many communities are barely recovering from the 2005 experience and operation Murambatsvina - they cannot sustain a fresh onslaught.

It is Civil Society's aspiration that democracy is restored in Zimbabwe and sufficient safeguards put in place to avoid the mass victimisation of people as is unfolding in Zimbabwe. The Campaign for making the peaceful vote of the people count will therefore be buttressed by mechanisms to safeguard the people from human rights abuses, internal displacement and humanitarian shocks. Most importantly the Campaign will seek to empower the people to reclaim control over decisions and processes that affect their lives. Do something for peace, wear something white, speak out, organise, collaborate and let's make our votes count.

For more information contact MISA Zimbabwe

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