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Live Updates: MDC-T Bulawayo Rally

Jul 20, 2013

MDC-T rally being held at the White City Stadium in Bulawayo today. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is on the campaign trail trying to unseat 89 year old President Robert Mugabe who has been in power for 33 uninterrupted years. Full album: https://nehandaradio.com/2013/07/20/live-updates-mdc-t-bulawayo-rally/ — MDC-T rally at the White City Stadium in Bulawayo before the elections

Live updates and pictures from the MDC-T rally being held at the White City Stadium in Bulawayo today. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is on the campaign trail trying to unseat 89 year old President Robert Mugabe who has been in power for 33 uninterrupted years.

More pictures will be loaded as we get them……………

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Morgan Tsvangirai: Everyone talks about Gukurahundi but no one acts on it. Victims should be compensated and perpetrators held accountable. A New Zimbabwe is within sight. Thank you Bulawayo for an overwhelming turnout . July 31 go and cast your vote.

*We have accepted the concept of devolution because of Matabeleland’s marginalisation. Provincial gvts should determine development.

*We have accepted the concept of devolution. Devolution was supported by 80% of people who contributed to the new constitution but it was more acute in Matabeleland.

*They have sabotaged Joshua Nkomo airport because they don’t want Joshua Nkomo’s legacy to live on. We will finish the project.

Morgan Tsvangirai: *The economy needs fixing. We have to create jobs by opening collapsed industries as well as opening new ones. Zimbabwe has been ready for business. Why have firms in Bulawayo closed?

*Why is it, Bulawayo is no longer the capital of industry. We will make Byo an economic zone. Why should gvt move cold storage commission from Byo and locate it where there is no cattle rearing. Wrong priorities.

*Social services: We can’t develop this country without empowering the youth with a good education. Gone are days when children would not go to school because parents cannot afford.

We will provide free primary education to allow parents time to save money for secondary school then gvt provides loans for tertiary education.

*We have accepted the concept of devolution. Devolution was supported by 80% of people who contributed to the new constitution but it was more acute in Matabeleland. ‪

15:36: Morgan Tsvangirai: We have to change the culture of impunity and bring in a culture of accountability. Right now you will be arrested for saying Mugabe is a thief when it is true. Gvt should be open to criticism.

15:34:Morgan Tsvangirai: We have a plan. We have to change the culture of governance starting with separating the party from the government. A gvt should serve all Zimbabweans irrespective of political affiliation. We have to change the culture of partisan traditional leaders who see themselves as an extension of ZANU PF.

15:32: Morgan Tsvangirai: This is a watershed moment. We all know the suffering of 2008. Across the political divide no one wants the country to slide back to 2008. That is ZANU’s record. It was so bad that we had to rescue them from their own crisis. We had to rescue Zim and he managed to do that. Our record is there for all to see. We can do better alone without ZANU PF. Time has come to give MDC exclusive responsibility to move this country forward.

15:29: Morgan Tsvangirai: We beat Mugabe in 2008 but he refused to leave. He was saved by SADC which told him to enter into a coalition with myself to save face and provide a soft landing. Time has come for him to leave and he will leave. I want to thank those who fought for our liberation and one thing we cannot trade is our sovereignty. But we cannot allow one man to privatise this country. ‪

15:20: Vice President Thokozani Khupe says lets vote for education for our children, improved welfare and empowerment for women, jobs, a stable economy and more care for the elderly. The only person who can deliver a better life is none other other than MT with the support of the MDC-T and all Zimbabweans. After 1 August we will all be able to say “hey life is good”. She is on fire. Her message has got the crowd demanding, bring it on. We are ready for July 31.

15:15: Standing ovation for Vice President Thokozani Khupe: Thanks Gorden Moyo for organising such a huge rally.

15:11: Coalition for change partner MKD leader Simba Makoni gets warm response. Makoni talks about coalition. Says we started negotiations as five parties but two of the parties later walked away. Says we could have achieved a New Zimbabwe in 2008 if we had united because his votes and MT’s votes were more than Mugabe’s. We are correcting that mistake by backing MT for state house. Thats the only way we can achieve a New Zimbabwe.

*Simba Makoni says we lived in fear in Rhodesia and we are living in fear Zimbabwe. Even Mugabe is living in fear. That’s why he is afraid to retire. Thats why Mugabe surrounds himself with bodyguards and can’t freely mix with the people like Tsvangirai does. We want to free him to Zvimba. July 31 like 1980 election, youths have a chance to bring freedom to Zimbabwe

15:08: Cutting across the age barrier. A 10 year old delivering a touching poem. Cries for quality education and a bright future for Zimbabwe.

15:07: Mai Tsvangirai meets Bulawayo. Wild applause. She challenges me not to take people for granted. They have faith in change project, don’t let them down. Massive response to her call for unity and equal prioritisation to development in all areas and not just Harare. Urges youths to desist from violence despite political differences.

15:04: Secretary General Tendai Biti: This election is for the majority who didn’t vote before. This is a defining election for our generation. In 1980 the vote was to end war of liberation and bring one man one woman vote. This election is about ending the war on hunger, poverty and tyranny. Some of us initially resisted entering the GPA arguing it would be to save ZANU PF, but Morgan Tsvangirai the visionary said let’s get in the transitional to save Zimbabweans who were dealing with trillions, food shortages and general collapse of economy.

*Two days into coalition, things had improved. There is more to come if we boot out Mugabe and ZANU PF. The message is simple. The secret to good governance is love. If you love people you wont waste money to buy bullets instead of buying food for the people. Lack of love leads to Gukurahundi, Murambatsvina, long sleeve short sleeve violence and looting of diamond cash. Tendai Biti

14:10: Women’s assembly chair Theresa Makone reads a list of women’s demands in a New Zimbabwe. Free primary education and loans for tertiary education, teachers should be well paid to do away with incentives, good maternal care, free health services for cancer detection and treatment, title deeds to land, a good agricultural extension services and technology such as drip irrigation and monthly grants for the elderly.

*Mai Makone says most police officer’s vote thwarted because the majority of them are demanding change.

14:05: Promise Mkwananzi (Youth Secretary General): MDC-T has given Zim new hope. 90 % of our people are unemployed. Jobs are on the way with an MDC-T government. This is the time. The time is now. Robert Mugabe is going. Youths are ready to bring change. ZANU PF wants to rig elections but Zimbabwe is ready to defend vote. Election results should be announced on time. Observers should be present at all polling stations.

14:00: Provincial chairman Gorden Moyo gives special announcement: On 1 August Zimbabwe will be having a new president who cares for you. His Excellency Dr Morgan Tsvangirai and Vice President Khupe. 1 August, we will realise our dream of devolution. We will have our own provincial council. President MT has master keys to open closed Bulawayo industries. Moyo thanks Bulawayo for turning White City Stadium into Red City stadium.

*MP Zwizai wows crowd with the popular Mugabe hamba, Morgan Tsvangirai yaaa slogan.

*White City Stadium is packed to the rafters. Rapturous welcome for Vice President Khupe.

MDC-T Bulawayo Road Show in Pictures

Nehanda Radio

Jul 20, 2013

On Friday the MDC-T leadership conducted a road show in Bulawayo ahead of a star rally that will be held at White City Stadium today (Saturday). Party Vice President Thokozani Khupe and Provincial Chairman Gorden Moyo led the proceedings.

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MDC-T special vote case dismissed by Mugabe judge George Chiweshe

Nehanda Radio

Jul 20, 2013

By Nomalanga Moyo

HARARE – On Friday Constitutional Court Judge George Chiweshe dismissed an MDC-T court bid querying the figures of police officers who voted in the special ballot held on July 14^th-16^th.

The MDC-T, as well as its elections official Morgan Komichi, also wanted the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to provide the party with a list of all those who voted in the just-ended special vote.

Lawyers for both sides had to argue out their cases Thursday, after the Commission’s lawyers from the registrar-general’s office reneged on a previous mutual agreement to make the list available to the MDC-T.

But Komichi told SW Radio Africa that Justice Chiweshe dismissed the application with costs: “We were told the reasons for the ruling will follow.”

However Komichi said he was not surprised by Chiweshe’s decision: “We knew even as we filed our application that our courts have become very unprofessional at election times.

“It does not matter whether you have all the evidence and witnesses to support your case, our judges will rule in favour of ZANU PF. But we will continue fighting our cases in the courts because we are a law-abiding party.”

Komichi said it was clear from the reluctance to supply basic voter information, such as the list, that ZEC was being manipulated.

“This is not the ZEC we should have. It is obvious that someone else is running things and this is the army and the central intelligence just as they did in the last election in 2008,” Komichi added.

The MDC-T was challenging the 69,000 ballot papers prepared by the ZEC for the special vote for the police, comparing it with the figure of 44,000 provided by the Treasury for the number of police officers paid a monthly salary. SW Radio Africa

Biti claims Mudede created four different voters rolls for rigging purposes

Nehanda Radio

Jul 20, 2013

By Tichaona Sibanda

HARARE – The MDC-T on Friday claimed that Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede has created three to four different voters roll databases, for the purposes of rigging the upcoming elections.

Mugabe's trusted election rigger: Registra General Tobaiwa Mudede (in glasses) — Mugabe’s trusted election rigger: Registra General Tobaiwa Mudede (in glasses)

Tendai Biti, the secretary-general of the MDC-T, told journalists at Harvest House that the notorious Israeli company Nikuv, that has offices in Harare, has been helping Mudede in manipulating the voters roll.

Biti said the way Mudede planned to rig was that on inspection, voters would be able to see their names on the roll but come election day, their names would not appear and they would not be able to vote.

‘To counter this, each party must sign off a voters roll that would be used on election day. As such its been two weeks since the closure of the voter registration exercise on the July 9th,’ Biti said.

He continued: ‘By now the RG’s office must have finished collation and consolidation of the voter roll and handed it over to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.’

Biti explained that ZEC were therefore obliged to invite all parties contesting the poll to inspect and audit the voters roll, adding that the electoral body was also obliged to give the parties electronic versions of the roll.

‘We need copies that are searchable and analysable and not like in 2008 where we got CD copies that could not be used to analyse anything,’ Biti said.

With less than two weeks before the elections, Biti bemoaned the upsurge of violence perpetrated by known ZANU PF activists against their supporters.

He said in most of the cases that the party has recorded, their supporters had been able to identify their attackers and report them to the police, but nobody has been arrested.

‘We have noticed the rescucitation of militaristic bases used in 2008 spreading like wildfire throughout the country. We have also reported all of these cases to the electoral courts, but nothing again has happened. It appears this electoral court only appears on paper and nothing else,’ he said.

The MDC-T has also noticed violations of people’s rights by ZANU PF by forcing people to attend their star rallies, namely in Marondera, Chitungwiza and Chinhoyi.

All these rallies were addressed by Mugabe and in all the towns he has been to shops, market stalls, schools and all businesses were forced to shut down and people frog marched to attend the star rallies.

‘No one should be coerced to attend political rallies. This is because ZANU PF thrives on violence. The DNA of ZANU PF is violence and the centre of gravity for that party is violence and violations.

‘People have the right to freedom of assembly and expression and these should be respected by all parties including ZANU PF,’ Biti said. SW Radio Africa

Warriors battle Zambia in Cosafa final

Nehanda Radio

Jul 20, 2013

Petros Kausiyo in KITWE, Zambia

Zimbabwe and Zambia’s proud Cosafa Cup history makes the two sides the standout teams in the regional competition and the Warriors and Chipolopolo will resume their old rivalry in the competition when they clash at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola today.

COMEBACK KID . . . .Zimbabwe wingback, Hardlife Zvirekwi (left), seen here shadowing Malawi’s Fischer Kondowe in the quarter-finals, returns to the Warriors’ starting XI today for the Cosafa Cup final against Zambia

It is the first time that the Warriors and Chipolopolo are meeting in a Cosafa Cup final on Zambian soil. Their previous meetings have either been on neutral South Africa in 2005 or in Harare in 1998 at the National Sports Stadium, and the 2009 final was at Rufaro.

German coach Klaus Dieter Pagels will become the first foreign gaffer to guide the Warriors to success in the Cosafa Cup should his troops prevail in the battle at the 40 000-seater stadium before an expected full house.

It is Pagels swansong tournament with the Warriors before he heads back to his native Germany to take up a teaching post on August 6.

But the 64-year-old coach, who arrived in Harare to take up the job of Zifa technical advisor on a government-to-government agreement, could end his short stint as Warriors gaffer with a gold medal if his charges come good this afternoon.

Pagels has persistently argued that he does not believe in history and has brushed aside talk that the Warriors are the defending champions.

“They were champions four years ago and not now. I was not there and none of these players were there so it’s a new tournament and I only look to the future,” said Pagels.

“I am 64 years old and I don’t look back to what I did 36 years ago, my daughter has a new baby and I am now looking forward to more years and maybe each 100 and see that baby grow.” He leads a battery of exciting home-based players, including highly-rated Monomotapa forward, Ronald “Rooney” Chitiyo.

There will be two contrasting statistics, however, which both the Warriors and Chipolopolo will be hoping could work in their favour respectively.

The Warriors have been the dominant force in terms of their meetings with Chipoloplo in this tournament but the Zambians, on the other hand, rarely lose at home and are yet to taste defeat at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.

However, the Cosafa Cup provided Zambia with their first home defeat in 15 years when they lost to Angola in the semi-finals of the 1999 tournament.

Today, the Warriors are hoping to become the first team to hand Zambia their first defeat in Ndola, which has become their fortress, since the closure of Independence Stadium for some refurbishment.

Should they beat Zimbabwe this afternoon, the hosts will level the Warriors’ record of four Cosafa titles achieved in 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2009. Below is the two giant’s brief Cosafa Cup history:

Zimbabwe Cosafa Cup Record

Zimbabwe are four-time champions in the Cosafa Senior Challenge and one of the region’s powerhouses.

Their last triumph came in 2009 when they hosted the tournament and beat Zambia 3-1 in the final.

Prior to that they were victorious in 2005 in Mmabatho, again beating Zambia in the final.

In 2003, they easily beat Malawi in the decider, winning both legs for a 4-1 aggregate triumph.

Their success in 2000 in the final against Lesotho brought to an end a long spell of poor luck for the nearly-men of African soccer, who for more than two decades have consistently narrowly failed to qualify for both the World Cup and African Nations Cup finals.

That changed with the Warriors qualifying for the Nations Cup finals in Tunisia in 2004. They also competed at the 2006 finals in Egypt. Zimbabwe previously had success in the East and Central African Senior Challenge Cup, winning when they hosted the tournament in 1985.

On the last two occasions that they failed to reach the final in recent years, the Warriors have dropped out of the last two recent Cosafa Senior Challenge tournaments without conceding a goal — losing 5-4 on penalties to Mozambique in 2007 and Zambia in 2008 following goalless draws.

Zambia Cosafa Cup Record

Zambia won both of the first two editions of the Cosafa Cup in 1997 and 1998 but it took until 2006 for them to claim their third regional title.

This is despite a formidable record, having lost just five times in 39 Cosafa Cup/Senior Challenge appearances, not counting defeat in post-match penalty shootouts.

It was the annual southern African championship that in 1999 forced Zambia to give up their 15-year unbeaten record at Lusaka’s Independence Stadium when Angola surprised them in the semifinal.

The same happened again in 2001, albeit only after a post-match penalty shootout and again in the 2004 final.

Zambia’s first two Cosafa Cup victories were achieved away from home, drawing in Windhoek with Namibia in 1997 to win the mini-league and beating Zimbabwe in Harare a year later.

Their triumph in 2006 was, however, in front of their own fans in Lusaka. In 2007 they lost on penalties to South Africa, while Bafana Bafana knocked them out of the competition in the semi-finals in 2008.

The Zambians would go on to beat Madagascar 2-0 in the third-place play-off.

They were finalists in 2009 in Zimbabwe, but ended up losing the decider 3-1 to their hosts.

The country has also won two titles won in the East and Central African Senior Challenge Cup in 1984 and 1991. The Herald

AFM accountant up for $26 000 fraud

Nehanda Radio

Jul 20, 2013

AFM New Life Assembly Church in Chitungwiza

By Helen Kadirire

HARARE – An accountant with the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) has been hauled before the courts after he allegedly embezzled church funds amounting to some $26 000.

Simbarashe Tineyi Boriwondo, 29, who is being charged with theft of trust property, was not asked to plead when he appeared before magistrate Anita Tshuma. He was remanded to August 8 on $100 bail.

It is the State’s case that during the period extending January 2011 to February 2012, Boriwondo received various cash amounts which he would capture in the records. The court heard that of the received cash, he allegedly took $26 005 and converted it to his own use.

To cover up the offence, Boriwondo allegedly manipulated the Excel formula in the income schedule to report that less money had been received.

Allegations are that he would enter all amounts in a certain row of the income schedule, while also subtracting other amounts from selected columns in the schedule.

Prosecutor Tungamirai Chakurira said after the manipulation of the amounts, Boriwondo would produce cooked financial reports and present them to the church officials. Daily News

Vote rigging worries escalate

Nehanda Radio

Jul 20, 2013

By Gift Phiri

HARARE – There are escalating fears of vote rigging in Zimbabwe that could lead to President Robert Mugabe winning with the outcome likely to result in violence and chaos, analysts say.

Mugabe (left) is relying on the army to remain in power while Tsvangirai (right) and his party are asking for SADC intervention to prevent this abuse of the army. — Mugabe vs Tsvangirai

Critics have expressed fears that the country’s chaotic and drawn-out transition was entering an unexpected period of uncertainty. Five presidential candidates are standing on the July 31 election, seen as a crucial test of the inclusive government.

Only two candidates, President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, are reckoned by polls and analysts to have any chance of success and the lack of any precedent means that few are daring to predict the outcome.

With Mugabe and Tsvangirai in a statistical dead heat, the leading two will go through to a second round of voting next month if no one manages to garner over 50 percent of the July 31 vote tally.

A sudden surge in support for Tsvangirai, a former trade unionist and Prime Minister in the inclusive government, has led to widespread concerns that the military is plotting to hijack the secretariat of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) as MDC secretary-general Tendai Biti claims happened during the special vote and retain their preferred man in power.

The vote, intended to unify this long-divided nation could slip further into uncertainty, as a heated tug-of-war is likely to emerge, analysts have warned.

The outcome of the election could potentially open a new chapter for the country but also increasing the risk of political violence in this onetime economic powerhouse that has long since fallen on hard times.

Ibbo Mandaza, director of Harare-based think-tank Sapes Trust, said Zanu PF has lost its social base over the years and its survival was purely on the basis of its reliance on an unevenly strong State.

“Zanu PF’s only social base is the State; powerful disproportionate State which controls the media and the security,” Mandaza told a recent civil society conference in Johannesburg.

He argued that 60 percent of the newly registered voters were likely to vote against Zanu PF given the tendency for new voters to go against the incumbent, adding Mugabe has won elections through rigging since 1996.

He however, postulated that the stakes are so high that if elections are allowed to be rigged, the outcome will result in violence, chaos and the poll will be disputed hence a possible military coup, forcing regional and international intervention and the possibility of another GPA.

Political violence has long been a staple here, with attacks by pro-Mugabe militia groups punctuating public life for more than a decade.

Mandaza said: “If the art of rigging which remains the sole survival kit for Zanu PF is exposed and in the absence of any method to ensure their victory, the party may call off the elections by unleashing violence and chaos to disrupt the process.”

Describing the poll as a “high stakes election” where Zanu PF actors individually or collectively could not let go, rigorous scrutiny of the electoral process was needed to get Zanu PF out of office, Mandaza said.

Analysts warn that the obtaining situation in Zimbabwe indicates that the election is heading for dispute.

“Zimbabwe’s political terrain is constant flux of shifting sands,” said McDonald Lewanika, executive director of Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition. “Elections are only one thing that is supposed to be uncertain.”

He said the election has been blighted by scarcity of financial resources, side-stepping of Parliament and presidential decrees on election date, “questionable” Constitutional Court rulings and a barrage of cases before the Con-Court challenging the decision to hold the elections on July 31.

“There has been no transparency in the drawing up and implementation of procedures that govern the conduct of the election which has seen the use of presidential decree using Presidential Powers (Temporary Measures) Act through statutory instruments SI 85 and 86,” Lewanika said.

“We have also seen the disregard of Sadc resolutions in Maputo calling for the inclusive government of Zimbabwe to undertake immediate measures to create a conducive environment for the holding of peaceful, credible, free and fair elections.

“Zimbabwe is not heeding calls from the region; laws are selectively aligned while pieces of legislation like Posa, Aippa which curtail free political activities are still in place.

“There hasn’t been fair and equal coverage of contesting candidates and plural sources of information in the media, while political parties seem to be purveyors of journalists’ intimidation and harassment.”

Political analyst Brian Raftopolous believes Zanu PF will steal victory riding on a restructured political economy and the threat of violence.

Raftopolous said this was the most likely scenario based on the inclusive government’s failure to fully implement political and institutional reforms in accordance with the Global Political Agreement (GPA), “hence Zanu PF is able to manipulate the electoral process to ensure its victory.”

He said Zanu PF will steal the election through subtle means such as the manipulation of the voter registration exercise, lack of media and security reforms, amongst other crucial reforms.

An outright victory by Tsvangirai was also a likely scenario, with that victory facing resistance from the military. Raftopolous intimated that there were clear signs that power might not be handed over easily.

A former trade unionist, Tsvangirai has weathered the vicissitudes of this country’s turbulent politics for years, including an attempt on his life and treason charges. The third possible scenario is a possibility of another negotiated settlement as the country may have another hung Parliament.

“This scenario emanates from a totally disputed election marred by intimidation and violence,” Raftopolous said. “This is likely to force intervention by Sadc and the African Union (AU) and another negotiated settlement will be the solution.”

The long-awaited vote has been a significant international concern, prompting Sadc to warn officials in Zimbabwe to fully implement the GPA and to say it was ready to take “appropriate measures.”

The Mugabe government, however, has been relatively impervious to international pressure, brushing off repeated calls to stage a fair contest.

Ndlovu-Gatsheni, head of the Archie Mafeje Research Institute of the University of South Africa (Unisa), said given the prevailing conditions on the ground, Zimbabwe cannot expect conditions for free and fair elections in the remaining two weeks.

He reiterated the need to make this an “issues-based election”, urging the electorate to seriously consider what the political parties are promising in their manifesto to avoid a “choice less democracy” after elections.

He expressed worry that most people seem to believe that the holding of the forthcoming election will be the end of Zimbabwe’s problems, yet, “it was just a stepping stone towards democracy.” Daily News

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MDC-T Bulawayo Road Show in Pictures

MDC-T special vote case dismissed by Mugabe judge George Chiweshe

Biti claims Mudede created four different voters rolls for rigging purposes

Warriors battle Zambia in Cosafa final

AFM accountant up for $26 000 fraud

Vote rigging worries escalate

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