Kitsepile Nyathi
3 May 2008
Harare — Botswana is preparing for an influx of refugees fleeing the worsening political crisis in Zimbabwe sparked off by President Robert Mugabe's shock defeat in last month's elections.
Mugabe's ruling Zanu PF has sparked off a political storm by declaring that opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, did not win the presidential election by the mandatory majority.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) on Friday met the contestants in the presidential election for the second time to verify the long awaited results before they are released.
A dispute over the official results of the March 29 poll forced the electoral body to adjourn the verification.
Election officials reportedly told the meeting on Thursday that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai had won 47.8 per cent and Mugabe 43.2 per cent.
Second round
Zanu PF says Tsvangirai won 47 per cent of the vote against Mugabe's 43 per cent, making a second round of voting necessary within 21 days.
Tsvangirai announced soon after the election that he had won outright and has stuck to his claims. The MDC accused Mugabe of delaying the results so that he could launch a violent fight- back.
Already, the opposition claims that 20 of its supporters have been killed by ruling party militia, led by veterans of the country's liberation war and thousands displaced from their homes.
Botswana said it had set up a temporary camp inside a detention centre in the city of Francis town for illegal immigrants to accommodate Zimbabweans escaping the political violence.
The temporary centre will be used to screen new arrivals before they are sent to a permanent camp in the Dukwi refugee centre, near the border with Namibia.
Prime target
Tsvangirai was himself granted temporary refugee by Botswana soon after declaring himself the winner of the presidential election, saying he had become the prime target of the security forces.
Disagreements over the official results tally might delay the declaration of the final outcome even further, ZEC officials said, as the verification entered its second day on Friday.
"We adjourned to give them an opportunity to present their figures for comparison with our totals and if the figures do not tally, then they have to prove their source of results," said ZEC deputy elections officer, Utoile Silaigwana. "We, as ZEC, are the authority with the results and if we do not reach an agreement, we have to go back to the primary source of results, which are the V11 forms from all polling stations. The V11 forms are the only source of results and they also have signatures of representatives from all parties."
A first-round defeat would be a major blow to Mugabe, who has ruled the former British colony since 1980. Already reeling from his party losing parliament for the first time in 28 years, it would leave him at his weakest point.
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Martin in Canada, Zimbabwe is not the entire African continent. Most African countries are doing just fine. They is a tendency to focus exclusively on Zimbabwe, when the deeper problems are in Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia etc. The accusation, is that Zimbabwe has white anglos and the rest of the world has to pay attention to "that". Post-colonial South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzambia, to name a few, are doing well and growing economically. Anglo whites want so much to push Zimbabwe on the international agend, before even Darfur, or Somalia. The SADC countries are doing an excellent job of addressing Zimbabwean issues.
Even Kenya is slowly, but surely doing fine under the circumstances. What is not acceptable is to rush a solution in Zimbabwe and achieve nothing. The UK/USA invaded Iraq and produced the worst ever results and a total failure. They are failures also in Afghanistan by the western coalition. Swift action real have not produced good results. Why is Canada, USA or UK not interested in solving problems of Pakistan? Zimbabwean problems are being addressed, not necessary according to your own reasoning!
Actually, I think the reason for the world's focus on Zimbabwe over Sudan, Ethiopia, etc. has more to do with:
1) The fact that these elections are a recent event. 2) That there was actually a "democratic" election. 3) Because Zimbabwe was once a well recognized, globally well known African success story, and a great liberation story too. 4) Yes, also because Zim had whites, many of British origin, and did global trade with many western nations for almost 2 decades after independence, more whites (who are a majority of global news readers) are more interested in the Zimbabwe issue because it relates more to them; Thats why there's greater media pressure on Zimbabwe.
Admittedly, the crisis in Dafur is much greater, but the lack of economic development, general regional instability across much of the norther areas means that the economic loss to the world is far smaller, so fewer people are speaking up about it... I agree there's a greater humanitarian crisis though.
If Zimbabwe is in turmoil, the possible number of refugees to places like Botswana could even be larger than the country's own population which would be an economic disaster to support them, or assimilate them into the economy. South Africa is also the continent's power house, so there will obviously be more eyes and ears on South Africa and her neighbors (ie. Zimbabwe)
Long story short, yes there are greater crisises in other places, but Zimbabwe is an easier fix than other places, and theres a greater concern for time. Delaying reform in Zimbabwe would lead to vast numbers of deaths from starvation, disease and violence than can very easily be prevented at this point.
Don't you all agree that really it's time for Robert Mugabe to go and yes he must answer to all that he has done especially for the thousands of innocent people he has murdered and terrorised along the way. I just do not understand why the man is still calling the shots after he has been defeated - come on the US it is time to do what you did with Saddam Hussain! This Mugabe character is nothing but a glorified terrorist and always has been. I am a Zimbabwean and just cannot believe that this man is still where he is??? Send in the troops take the terrorist out after all he no better than Osama Bin Ladin.
You are asking the USA to do what it did to Saddam!!! You must be out of your mind! You are calling the USA to destroy the country, create more problems for every body in the region! Think twice. The USA has not solved the Iraq/Saddam problem, they only killed more people, distabilized the region and invited more terrorists. NO...No...No..the USA/UK are not the solution anymore to any intenational crisis. My fellow Zimbabwean, look to other African countries for solving Zimbabwean problems. Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique have all gone thru the same problem that Zim is going thru. Do not be decieved by "anglo propaganda"
Phiri - yes you are quite right about the Iraq situation, I just get so frustrated because none of the African countries surrounding us seem to be assisting us in getting rid of this maniac Mugabe - any suggestions? Meanwhile we are suffering with no food in the shops and even if there was our money is useless as we don't get much for it. Petrol is non existent and continual power and water cuts is driving us mad. We are desperate for some sort of action pointed at resolving the mess we are in.
Mugabe is just trying to steal more. What a mess! Decent people are being held hostage by this man, whose policies are ruining a country, which is sad, and the reputation of the capacities of Africans to rule their own countries post-colonially, which is, in my mind, the far greater crime. Mugabe is an embarrassment to the country and a disgrace to humanity. He should go, quickly, and hope he is not charged with theft and murder.