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Botswana: Zims in Botswana Want 'Uncle Bob' to Go
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Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)
14 April 2008
Posted to the web 15 April 2008
Lekopanye Mooketsi
Gaborone
Zimbabweans in Botswana are equally perturbed as much as their compatriots at home by the electoral authorities' reluctance to release the results of the March 29 presidential elections.
It is widely believed President Robert Mugabe lost the polls to opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Observers feel that this is why the Zimbabwean government has not released the eagerly-waited results. Lemeck Tshungu, a Zimbabwean based in Gaborone, probably summed up the emotions of his compatriots when he said: "All the Zimbabweans are anxious to know the results. I think Mugabe has been defeated. Maybe he is just buying time to cover his tracks."
Tshungu, who describes himself as an "economic refugee" in Botswana, said he went to Zimbabwe to vote on March 29. He voted in a Mashonaland constituency. Although he declares that his vote is a secret, it is clear whom he voted for.
Tshungu said he has always supported Tsvangirai. "I think he is the man who can transform the lives of Zimbabweans for the better. There is ample evidence to show that Mugabe cannot take us anywhere. He is old enough to retire," he said about Mugabe who has ruled Zimbabweans with an iron fist for 28 years. "We want him to go. He should not have contested the elections in the first place. Definitely Zimbabwe has always been a good country. If a new leadership takes over, I will be ready to go back home."
Tshungu blamed SADC countries for being very soft on Mugabe. He does not believe the political crisis is Zimbabwe's problem alone. "It is a SADC problem and to a great extent an African problem. Zimbabweans are seeking refuge in other countries," he said.
Just like many of his compatriots, Tshungu also trekked to Botswana in search of green pastures. He first came to Botswana in 2005 as his country's economy continued to collapse. He had been running a small business, which collapsed after "Operation Murambatsvina" in which government officials demolished informal structures. In Botswana, Tshungu survives by doing odd jobs. Another Zimbabwean, Edwin Musuna, is equally frustrated that the results of the presidential elections are still withheld. Although he did not go home to vote, Musuna has been following the events at home. He is also hoping for a change in leadership.
"I thought the outcome of the presidential elections would usher in a new era. I hoped Mugabe would do something logical - retire and hand over power to Tsavangirai, the clear winner. I really want him to go. We do not need him any more. I feel Tsavangirai will bring the desired change," he said. He said he has lost any hopes of Mugabe ever resuscitating the country's battered economy.
Musuna said countries should do something to remove Mugabe. "African leaders must do something. They should intervene on our behalf," he said. He is also ready to return home once there is a new government in Harare. He has completed A-levels at school and is intending to study for tertiary education. Musuna hangs around BBS mall for anybody who could engage him to do piece jobs. Thembi Moyo is a student at the Masvingo Polytechnic and was just visiting her aunt in Botswana. Her aunt is the one who is paying for her school fees in Zimbabwe. Her parents are working at home but they cannot afford to pay school fees. "It is tough in Zimbabwe. You can't even get food in the shops. I mean what you call basic commodities," wailed the 23-year-old young lady. "You can't get sugar in the supermarket. You can only get it at the flea market."
Moyo voted in the recent elections and although she is not willing to disclose how she voted, she also wants Mugabe to go. Moyo said they would just wait for the results because there is nothing they can do. "Definitely we want the old man to go. He is the main cause of our problems." Meanwhile, the Zimbabwean media has reported that President Mugabe has extended the term of his cabinet, which was dissolved before the elections. According to a Zimbabwean newspaper, the Financial Gazette, Mugabe's party, Zimbabwean African National Union (ZANU-Patriotic Front) has paralysed the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission (ZEC) and led a propaganda war to justify the deployment of security agents and war veterans. At least seven ZEC officials, who are accused of rigging the elections against the Mugabe, have been arrested.
The newspaper reported that since after the elections, 60 white farmers have been evicted from their farms. Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said the displaced farmers were courting trouble. "They should not stoke fires, they should not play with the tail of a lion." Chinamasa is one of the ZANU-PF MPs who lost their seats in the parliamentary elections.
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ZANU-PF has been calling for a re-run of the presidential elections although the results have not been released. The MDC has applied to court in a bid to compel the ZEC to release the results. High Court judge Tendai Uchena will make a ruling today, according to the country's media.
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