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Zimbabwe: Mbeki's Team Confirms Violence
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The Zimbabwe Guardian (London)
8 May 2008
Posted to the web 8 May 2008
Floyd Nkomo
THE head of a South African contingent of regional election observers charged by South African president Thabo Mbeki to investigate claims of violence in Zimbabwe has confirmed that there is violence in the country and said his team will present their findings soon.
"We have seen it, there are people in hospital who said they have been tortured, you have seen pictures, you have seen pictures of houses that have been destroyed and so on," said Kingsley Mamabolo, the leader of an eight-person team currently in Zimbabwe.
Mamabolo did not divulge the details of the itinerary or agenda for the fact-finding team dispatched by President Mbeki in his role as chief mediator on Zimbabwe for the 14-nation Southern African Development Community (Sadc).
Asked why President Mbeki himself did not visit Zimbabwe to see the events first hand, Mamabolo said, "As mediator and facilitator, he could not just sit around hearing all these stories. So he has sent the team."
He said investigations were still underway to find out who the perpetrators of the violence were.
Claims of violence have been levelled by both the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and the ruling Zanu PF party. He said, "We need to know what the scale of the violence is and who is doing it."
The team will report to the president and recommend ways of addressing the violence, he added.
Police arrests
Reports from inside the country say many people have been arrested who were perpetrating violence and police say they still have to verify from which party the arrested were.
In Mashonaland West province, police have arrested ruling party supporters who attacked MDC supporters in Karoi's Chikangwe high density suburb on Sunday.
Police reports say ruling party and MDC supporters in the suburbs were involved in violent clashes which saw at least one person dead.
Some MDC activists have been also been arrested, accused of violence in the same area.
Police say they cannot ascertain who the perpetrators of violence are, but confirmed that arrests were made in parts of Masvingo province, Mashonaland East, and parts of Manicaland province.
The opposition MDC blames 'Zanu PF thugs' for the violence--a claim declined by the ruling party.
Diplomatic visits to Zimbabwe
The team sent by President Mbeki is not the only team that has visited Zimbabwe to investigate violence claims.
On Tuesday, Angolan Foreign Affairs minister, Joao Bernardo de Miranda and head of the SADC observer mission jetted into the country to talk to President Mugabe.
Miranda was accompanied by Sadc Executive Secretary and Swaziland Foreign Minister. The three form the Sadc Troika on Defence and Security responsible for security matters in the region.
On Monday the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Jean Ping arrived in the country and held private talks with President Mugabe and the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), George Chiweshe.
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On the same day, Sydney Mufamadi, the South African Minister of Provincial and Local Government of South Africa and head of the Sadc mediation team on Zimbabwe arrived in the country to talk to President Mugabe on the need to have law and order in the country ahead of the presidential election run-off.
Incidents of violence
Incidents of post-election violence have increased and became more pronounced in rural areas in the last few weeks, especially in the provinces of Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West and Manicaland.
They come and, they go. They come to Zimbabwe, say some few words, alarming at times, surprising at some other times. The people of Zimbabwejust but watch in awe. Are any of these people bringing any hope,Nee! The Zimbos just wander and toil to fend for their progeny, slowy and surely giving in to hopelessness. Those outsiders who talk and create tarbulences,with no idea of how to solve these problems,actually make the situation worse for Zimbos,who are left to face the retaliatory conswquenses of outsiders's utterances. Help us to solve the problem, we already and very well know it,no... [Read Full Text]
So what did Mr Mbeki think we were making it all up? Mr Mbeki flys into a country has tea at state house and flys out again and then announces there is no crisis then hes got to send in more people to go see whats going on...ndaba ndaba ndaba wire wire wire talk talk talk....Quite Diplomacy....
Who and which country has the right to violate Zimbabweans Sovereignty to invade of force out a legitimate democratically elected government? Well if that is the only reason why the U.N, African union, United States and Britain are too afraid of doing anything. Then these parties have every right to apply force to remove this Mugabe, because Mugabe is is an illegitimate ruler who has violated Zimbabweans sovereignty. what ever excuse Mugabe and Zanu-pf give they have no legitimacy at all he has no right to be where he is now and must be removed. Neighbouring countries... [Read Full Text]
Zimbabwe Guardian paper and Mbeki are a Joke: I have yet to read any article that they put pressure or show any an anti-mugabe or zanu stance. We (zimbabweans and those around us) know who the real perpetrators of the violence are. Zim is a police state and zanu is using iits machinery to deal with innocent citizens that want it out.
Shame on u Mugabe and ur gang. We are gonna get u soon. And i guarantee it too.
President Mbeki was not a honest broker in Cote D'ivoire no is he a honest broker in Zimbabew. He is simply not honest.
Haidara
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