12 June 2008
Cape Town — Fourteen former African presidents, two former heads of the United Nations, African Nobel laureates and some of the continent's top artists and business leaders have called for an end to violence and intimidation ahead of Zimbabwe's June 27 presidential election run-off.
They also called on the Zimbabwean government to restore full access to the country for humanitarian and aid agencies helping the country's people.
"We are deeply troubled by the current reports of intimidation, harassment and violence," say the leaders in an open letter published on Friday.
"It is vital that the appropriate conditions are created so that the presidential run-off is conducted in a peaceful, free and fair manner. Only then can the political parties conduct their election campaigning in a way that enables the citizens to express freely their political will."
The signatories to the letter include former UN secretaries-general Kofi Annan and Boutros Boutros-Ghali and former presidents Jerry Rawlings of Ghana, Abdusalami Abubakar of Nigeria, Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique, Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania, Ketumile Masire and Festus Mogae of Botswana and Nicéphore Soglo of Benin.
Business leaders signing included Mo Ibrahim, founder of Celtel International, and Sam Jonah, former chief executive of the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation. Nobel Peace Prize winners Wangari Maathai of Kenya and Desmond Tutu of South Africa also signed, as did civil society leader Graça Machel and musicians Youssou N'Dour and Angelique Kidjo.
The leaders encouraged civil society groups and individual citizens to sign up to the letter in a website launched on Friday, www.zimbabwe-27June.com
They said in their letter that to live up to the aspirations of Zimbabweans who made sacrifices for their liberation, "it is vital that nothing is done to deny the legitimate expression of the will of the people…" Also, they said, there was a "huge number of Africans who want to see a stable, democratic and peaceful Zimbabwe."
They called for "an adequate number of independent electoral observers, both during the election process and to verify the results" and said that whatever the outcome "it will be vital for all Zimbabweans to come together in a spirit of reconciliation to secure Zimbabwe's future."
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I'm disturbed with Lloyd comment. There is great need to help Zimbabwe get its head above water. It is not time to talk about who said what and who didn't say. The fact of the matter is that the Situation in Zimbabwe isn't good. There is evidence that government is doing whatever it can to stop the opposition from winning. Elections should be free and transparent. On a short note, let the winner get access to power. We need to turn the page in Zimbabwe and in the entire continent.
LWBJ. Firstly your four names make you sound like a pompous twat. You are so anti - english yet you keep your name to sound like one. Why dont you go back to your original name instead of trying (note I say trying) to impress us with an english name. Another thing. You have big chip on your shoulder. Go feed africa with it.
that guy with 4 names needs to actually go to zimbabwe , i am from zimbabwe and was there for 4 months this year , trust me mugabe not only harasses MDC but even those so calles zanu pf people are scared of him even his own poiltburo members fear him and just nod in agreement to what he says . driving on the main HARARE-bulawayo road you see many farms with good production ,guess who owns them the top brass , and guess what race the project managers are (white) ,talk of dirty politics, so even the politicians hire white people to farm for them , not to say black people cannot farm no they can , but not all , HOW MANY STUDENTS FROM THE COUNTRIES TOP AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES WERE GIVEN FARMS ?, so please MR 4 NAMES jnr pay a visit to zimbabwe then try to take out your camera to take a holiday photo at the wrong moment and you will see what zimbabwe has become .I UNDERSTAND AFRICAN PEOPLES FRUSTRATION WITH EUROPE BUT PLEASE WE CANT BLAME THEM FOR ALL OUR PROBLEMS BECAUSE GOD KNOWS OUR LEADERS HAVE MADE A LOT OF MISTAKES AS WELL IF NOT MORE MISTAKES , ZIMBABWE HAS THE SECOND LARGEST DEPOSITS OF PLATINUM ,DIAMONDS HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED IIN SOME PARTS, WERE IS THE MONEY GOING ? PS mr 4 names i am not at all angry with you i just pity you , some wise man once said the most dangerous people in the world are not the uneducated people but the ones who prematurely think they are wise and inteligent , so please mr 4 names dont do your research and find out how many of mugabes bosses died suspiciously before independence leaving mugabe one of the most senior member ? after finding out the number tell me this do you still look highly to mugabe or do you really believe so many people could have parcel bomb deaths towrds independence . i have more to say but not the time ,hope you research your facts next time before trying to sound clever
Go back to africa then you cotton picking waste of space and re-learn your language. may I suggest one of the re-education camps run regularly by the CIO..the criminally idiotic organisation!!!!
Anyone who want to be ruled by an 84 years old- of -out touch dictator should see a psycho-analyst. Or maybe he have been to a witch doctor already? These people have low-self -esteem.
Dear western resident anti-west cornball,
I’m guessing, “the dogs of war” is your new buzz phrase. It was actually the title of a novel by Frederick Forsyth, I don’t think you can claim it as your own, Shakespeare got there first in Julius Caesar.
Hasn’t Mugabe declared war if he loses the election? He has a few more soldiers than the MDC.
P.S. you are pardoned for poor command of English but your excuse of your family losing it in the, “middle passage” is a little feeble Lloyd, and your anglicised name doesn’t bear you out convincingly. When was the last slave ship Lloyd?
Lloyd Whitefield Butler,
Where do you live? In Zimbabwe? I bet you don't. Where is Mr Butler Senior hiding?
You're a joke!
See all comments (24).
Dear Pro-West Cornballs:
The "Continent's Top Leaders Call for Free Polls" is not as important as "The Dogs of War" that are sponsoring MDC-T.
When the Secretary General of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change, Tendai Biti, declared war if MDC-T does not win the election; who are their soldiers?
PS: pardon me for my poor King & Queen's English its not mine, my family lost their African language in the Middle Passage.