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Election Intimidation and Violence by Zanu PF increases
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- Written by: Forword; John Burke. Main article; Ignatius Banda
- Category: Blog
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An IPS article appeared in Africa.Com on 13th February 2023 clearly raising international concerns over proven intimidation as Zimbabwe heads into another Election later this year. The ruling party {A military Junta} has a long history of ensuring that they "win" these apparent democratic elections - however for the last 43 years the evidence is overwhelmingly clear that rigging of the votes, violence and intimidation seems to be the main election strategy of Zanu PF and its so called president - Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa his {false and propaganderised} profile is uploaded to Wiki by the Zanu PF regime - Read it Here Not sure if any of it is true, down to his date of birth!
In addition in the United Kingdom, their Home Office has an 'agressive' attitude towards valid Asylum seekers, fleeing the Zanu PF regime and its 'tentacles' in the diaspora. The Home Office claims that CCC { the primary opposition} can "freely" campaign in Zimbabwe. The article below and many, many before it clearly demonstrate that is DISINFORMATION. Shame on the UK Government for such a lack of empathy, and deliberate ignorance of the true state of affairs in Zimbabwe.
The article has been reproduced below and many thanks to www.africa.com and the author.
By Ignatius Banda
With political violence escalating in Zimbabwe, national elections slated for later this year face questions about whether the polls will meet free and fair international benchmarks. Zimbabwe’s elections have routinely met scrutiny largely because of what critics say is state-sponsored violence and the intimidation of opposition political parties. Recent weeks have seen violent attacks on opposition political supporters by suspected members of the ruling.
Zimbabwe African People’s Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) despite regular calls by President Emmerson Mnangagwa for peaceful political engagement among rival party supporters. The main opposition, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), says its supporters have been brutalized by ruling party activists, with analysts noting that political violence is compromising the country’s stated commitment to holding free and fair elections.
In the aftermath of political violence recorded on a widely shared video last month where opposition party supporters were attacked, the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC) issued a statement raising concerns about the implications of such attacks on the credibility of the polls.
“As the nation heads towards the harmonized elections, we urge all political players to desist from the use of violence. The people’s fundamental rights should be respected at all times. There is no citizen who should be intimidated or coerced, and worse still, be beaten to make a choice,” the Catholic bishops said in a statement last month.
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Zimbabwe Voter Intentions
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- Written by: John Burke
- Category: Diaspora
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Results of an independent survey of Zimbabwean voters show that Nelson Chamisa will defeat the incumbent president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, obtaining an outright majority of votes in elections scheduled for later this year.
The survey was conducted for The Brenthurst Foundation by the London-based SABI Strategy Group, which is not affiliated with a Zimbabwean party. The survey, conducted in January using an in-depth 15-minute questionnaire, shows Chamisa would win 53% of the vote to Mnangagwa’s 40% among those who say they will definitely vote.
The result is more evidence of the sliding dominance of “liberation” parties as economic growth in the region lags behind the rest of the developing world — and much of Africa.
SEE THE FULL SURVEY HERE
Zanu-PF was boosted by the ousting of the long-time president, Robert Mugabe, with his replacement, Mnangagwa, given the opportunity to reinvent the party and implement much-needed economic reforms.
Mnangagwa — like President Cyril Ramaphosa who took over from Jacob Zuma on the promise of reform — has failed to deliver, with the Zimbabwean economy in dire straits. In Zimbabwe’s case, civil liberties are under threat as the opposition is targeted by police, and the ruling party depends heavily on the military to bolster its power.
Survey of Voter Intentions
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- Written by: John Burke
- Category: Blog
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Results of an independent survey of Zimbabwean voters show that Nelson Chamisa will defeat the incumbent president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, obtaining an outright majority of votes in elections scheduled for later this year.
The survey was conducted for The Brenthurst Foundation by the London-based SABI Strategy Group, which is not affiliated with a Zimbabwean party. The survey, conducted in January using an in-depth 15-minute questionnaire, shows Chamisa would win 53% of the vote to Mnangagwa’s 40% among those who say they will definitely vote.
The result is more evidence of the sliding dominance of “liberation” parties as economic growth in the region lags behind the rest of the developing world — and much of Africa.
SEE THE FULL SURVEY HERE
Zanu-PF was boosted by the ousting of the long-time president, Robert Mugabe, with his replacement, Mnangagwa, given the opportunity to reinvent the party and implement much-needed economic reforms.
Misappropriated Gold and Diamonds
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- Written by: David Smith, Africa Correspondent
- Category: Corruption News
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WHO MISAPPROPRIATED OUR GOLD /DIAMOND REVENUE & PROFITS!
What’s the true story behind the Gold/Diamond Corruption? Zimbabwe regime accused of stealing $2bn in diamonds
Report claims that revenue from Marange fields has been channelled into 'parallel government' loyal to Robert Mugabe [2012] Miners dig for diamonds in the Marange fields, Zimbabwe
This article is more than 9 years old: Mon 12 Nov 2012 18.54 GMT
Diamonds worth at least $2bn (£1.26bn) have been stolen by the Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe's ruling elite, international dealers and criminals, in "perhaps the biggest single plunder of diamonds the world has seen since Cecil Rhodes", a watchdog has claimed.
Revenue that could have revived the country's ailing economy has been channelled into a "parallel government" of police and military officers and government officials loyal to Mugabe, according to Partnership Africa Canada (PAC), a group campaigning against "blood diamonds". The Marange fields in eastern Zimbabwe were discovered in 2006 and are one of the world's biggest diamond deposits. But funds from diamond sales have not reached the state treasury, says a PAC report, published on Monday to coincide with a Zimbabwe government conference on the diamond trade in Victoria Falls. Instead there is evidence that millions have gone to Mugabe's inner circle.
"Marange's potential has been overshadowed by violence, smuggling, corruption and most of all, lost opportunity," says PAC.
"The scale of illegality is mind-blowing" and has spread to "compromise most of the diamond markets of the world."
The report, Reap What You Sow: Greed and Corruption in Zimbabwe's Marange Diamond Fields, [Available in Full - click the link] describes the $2bn lost to the Zimbabwean treasury since 2008 as a "conservative estimate".
Tendai Biti, the finance minister, [2012] said in his latest budget he had been promised $600m in diamond revenue for the national treasury to help rebuild neglected hospitals, schools and other public services. Only a quarter of that pledge has been received, he claims.
The PAC names Obert Mpofu, mines minister since 2009 and a key Mugabe ally, as perhaps the biggest winner. He has amassed an unexplained personal fortune and is linked to a "small and tight group of political and military elites who have been in charge of Marange from the very beginning" and who are personally benefiting from the diamond sales, the report alleges.
Mpofu spent more than $20m‚ "mostly in cash"‚ over the past three years, the report says, and owns vast swaths of land. "While Mpofu is not the only Zanu official benefiting from Marange's riches, his role as the chief guardian of Marange raises the most concern," the report says.
Mpofu insists that western economic sanctions [sic] have prevented the government from getting fair prices for the diamonds on the international market. He has repeatedly refused to give exact figures on diamond revenues, the PAC claims.
In 2010 leading industry insiders, including Filip van Laere, a Belgian diamond expert working for the Mugabe government, forecast the country could produce as much as 30m to 40m carats a year, worth about $2bn annually, the PAC report says.
The diamonds are being mined and sold but the funds are not reaching the Zimbabwean treasury, according to the report. Instead they are going to Mugabe's allies, a group of Zimbabwean military generals and foreigners in South Africa, China, Dubai, India and Israel.
Most of the revenue is lost through a lack of transparency in accounting for how many diamonds are mined, how much is earned from their sales, the underpricing of gems on world markets, smuggling and a "high level of collusion" by government officials.
Records show that 10m carats of Marange diamonds were exported to Dubai in late 2012 for $600m, which the report says is half the value it should have been. This "underscores a price manipulation scheme perpetrated by Indian buyers and their Zimbabwe allies, with whom they are believed to share the spoils," the report says.
PAC's researchers were also unable to trace a 2.5m carat stockpile, valued at around $200m, which mysteriously disappeared in November 2011. It charges that $300m in diamond sales never made it to the Zimbabwe treasury in 2011. The report also criticises the Kimberley Process for allowing the misuse of funds to happen. "Calls for greater transparency have been dismissed within the Kimberley Process," it says.
"The lack of transparency surrounding Zimbabwe's diamond revenue is a matter of critical public interest and amplifies concerns for some time that these revenues are funding a parallel government" of Mugabe loyalists, many known to be building private mansions and buying luxury cars costing far in excess of their income from tax-funded salaries, the report adds.
Analysts have warned that the diamond wealth could boost Mugabe's war chest for elections expected next year, giving it a huge advantage over prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change.
Mugabe's Zanu-PF dismissed the report as politically motivated. Rugare Gumbo, a party spokesman, said: "Our view is that PAC is just there to destabilise the situation in southern Africa. The Kimberley Process monitor and other monitors have been here and say it's being done properly. What people don't understand is that we had to bring order to a process that was chaotic." He added: "PAC don't believe we should benefit from the resources of our country. The scapegoat always is President Mugabe because of the regime change agenda.
Mpofu told Voice of America: "I will not dignify those baseless accusations with a response. This is pure madness, rank madness really from a group that is sponsored by countries that do not want to see us benefiting from our diamonds.
"They can continue to talk but we will not look back. Zimbabwe's diamonds are the best and they are hurting that they are not mining in Marange, that's all. We are used to this. They release reports ahead of major conferences and Kimberley plenary sessions but we are not fazed at all
2022 Walk for Freedom
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- Written by: John Burke ZHRO
- Category: Diaspora
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In this update, made on the sombre anniversary of 1st August 2018 when Zimbabwe's Soldiers opened fire indiscriminately on unarmed civilians - who were quite correctly protesting about the rigging of the 2018 election, we must remind all Zimbabweans, the AU [African Union], SADC [Southern African Development Community] and the rest of the World, that there are currently NO Free and Fair Elections - nor has there been in practice since the 1980 [False] Independence. We will also repeat this item on our website that highlights the fact that there is a Military Cabal controlling Zimbabwe, the Zanu PF party. https://take2zimbabwe.com
So our WALK FOR FREEDOM is as relevant as ever on this 7th time we have planned this event [the first time was in August 2016 just prior to the formation of ZHRO in October 2016]. Our 'practice walks' this month in London and North Yorkshire, have tied-in with other events to do with campaigning for Free, Fair and Open Elections - as highlighted below:
"Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. . . . The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures."
Article 21, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948
As in previous year's we will attempt to predict our walking timetable for those who may wish to cheer us on, or join us for part of this well trodden route of ours. So we will publish maps, timetables, and for those with a 'tech savvy' outlook - live navigation links to the UK's Ordnance Survey Mapping software. The same as the organiser's on the day. {Due shortly} Now added below in yellow Highlighter.
This year we are actively seeking supporting donations so that we can [as we have done in every year previously] have a support team(s) to ferry the walkers, food, bandages, blister plasters etc., In addition as necessary, finally collect the "walking wounded" (!) - joking - but some of us have very delicate feet - and the stony footpaths can take their toll on those without practice, multiple pairs of socks {for keeping the feet cool}, good footwear, ankle support, blisters and cramps! Plus a bit of sympathy at times too!
So our donation PayPal button on this page would welcome your spontaneous generosity. Or this QR code using your phone.
Now those wishing to be at the start, we must emphasise that the walkers will hope to leave the Brighton Pier forecourt at 7:00am sharp. This is to facilitate the 8 miles to stand and take in the stunning beauty atop the "Devil's Dyke" hill within the South Downs.
As the organisation is very 'minimal' we cannot accommodate people leaving at different times - as each group would need navigational support - since so few have taken onboard the mapping software in the past. So for practical reasons, we start at one time, in a group, ideally keeping together. This will facilitate the taking of photos, Twitter, Facebook, ZHRO Live, Zim Eye Live and other media we will employ throughout the full 25-30 hours of the "Walk for Freedom"
This link is the most important, its the original detailed full route as plotted on the OS Online platform from Ordnance Survey UK. It is scaleable, in that it can be enlarged right down to individual footpath levels. If you have the OS App then you can navigate "live" in the field using your phone as a direction finder. 100km Route CLICK HERE
Timetable {Approximate}
| This timetable is AN APPROXIMATION for arriving and leaving times at the locations identified with Sat Nav Post Codes |
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Route Maps here - Along the full Walk for Freedom
| These Short Section Maps are designed to help those without Data Access "In the field" as it were. Please print off the section(s) you will be walking | |
| USE THESE LINKS Opposite TO OPEN THE MAPS in a new Window | Itemised Map Links |
| Brighton Start: BN2 1TW | Brighton and suburbs |
| Crossing the A27 | Cross A27 |
| Towards Devil's Dyke: BN1 8YJ {Public House} | Towards Devil'd Dyke |
| Fulking Villiage | Down to Fulking Villiage |
| Crossing the Vale | Crossing the Vale |
| On to Henfield: BN5 9PJ | On to Henfield |
| Joining the "Downs Link" [An old Railway Route to Guildford] | Joining the Downs Link |
| Partridge Green | Partridge Green |
| Christ's Hospital Railway Station: RH13 0ND | Christ's Hospital |
| Scaling the Hill over the "Bat Tunnel" | The BAT Tunnel |
| Approaching Guildford {Night Time} | Approaching Guildford |
| Central Guildford incl Railway Station Meet Point GU1 4UT | Guildford Area |
| Now with the River Wey Path | Leaving Guildford area |
| Keeping with the River Wey Navigation Path | River Wey Navigation |
| Under the M25 [into London!] | Under the M25 |
| Meeting with the River Thames Path | Joining Thames Navigation |
| Following the Thames Navigation footpath to Hampton Court | Hampton Court and Finish |
Ready for further Updates Here
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