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Zanu PF snubs meeting
Daily News Online
October 05, 2004

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PRETORIA - The ruling Zanu PF party yesterday snubbed a meeting organised by South African churches and Non-Governmental Organisations on the minimum standards for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe.

Organisers said they were not sure why Zanu PF had not turned up for the Pretoria meeting which was attended by political parties such as the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and South Africa's ruling African National Congress.

But a Zimbabwean participant who declined to be named said: "They don't attend these kinds of meetings. Call them to a Third Chimurenga party or bira and they will come in dozens."

Zanu PF spokesman, Nathan Shamuyarira could not be reached for comment.

At the conference, MDC spokesperson Paul Themba-Nyathi lambasted the government for instilling fear in the electorate thereby scaring them from choosing a party of their choice.

Nyathi said elections in Zimbabwe would never be free and fair for as long the government and the ruling party continued to intimidate, harass and "deal" with people perceived to support the opposition.

Time had come, said Nyathi, for Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders, to tell Mugabe in his face that what he was doing was uncivilised and bad.

He said Zimbabweans needed to restore their dignity by voting freely and fairly.

"Zimbabweans need a new beginning after 24 years of suffering under this regime," said Nyathi.

He said there was need for the government to create a conducive electoral environment in order to get rid of fear gripping the Zimbabwean electorate.

Nyathi dismissed the proposed electoral changes by the government as a facade.

He said the changes do not mean anything as the government was already failing to implement the new SADC protocol on free and fair elections which it signed last August in Mauritius.

The electoral guidelines include the running of elections by an independent electoral commission and the provision of equal access to the public media by political parties.

Zimbabwe human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa said the proposed changes were meant to "hoodwink the world".

She said there could not be any meaningful changes to the electoral environment in Zimbabwe if a host of such laws such as the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Public Order and Security Act remained in place.

Human rights activists have condemned the two pieces of legislation saying they are meant to close down democratic space in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwean churches, NGOs, SADC and African Union representatives are attending the conference.

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