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Zimbabweâs MDC shuns Georgia path
The main opposition party in Zimbabwe has ruled out a "Georgia-style" removal of President Robert Mugabeâs government.
| "They'd just roll right over us, kill us all..." |
Officials of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), currently in South Africa, said they were committed to constitutional, democratic change.
| "We're, like, not into being on the wrong side of live ammunition..." |
The party has repeatedly organised protests designed to drive Mr Mugabe from power.
| Bob has repeatedly had it beaten up. |
Its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, faces two counts of treason. The MDC has challenged the results of the 2002 elections, in which Mr Mugabeâs party, Zanu-PF, was declared winners in court.
For the first time, South Africaâs ruling African National Congress has invited Zimbabweâs main opposition group to brief MPs on developments in Harare.
| Do the ANC guys have a suspicion the MDC might ultimately end up dumping Bob? Or are they just covering all the bases? |
"Is it an option to overthrow the state Georgia-style? It is certainly not an option for us. We are absolutely committed to the constitutional and democratic path," MDC spokesman Paul Themba Nyathi told South Africaâs parliamentâs foreign affairs committee. He was referring to mass protests that forced the former Soviet republicâs president, Eduardo Shevardnadze, to resign over the weekend.
| In that case, when Bob kicks it, you're going to end up with Bob, Junior. |
Mr Nyathi said Zimbabwe needed solidarity from its neighbours and called for pressure on Mr Mugabe to move negotiations on the countryâs future forward.
| You know what they say about the amount of help God extends to those who don't help themselves... |
A former military officer has confessed how he rigged last yearâs presidential elections in favour of Mr Mugabe. Herbert Ndlovu, who was until August this year a lieutenant in the national army, gave the first sworn account of vote-rigging. He described how, along with a colleague and four clerks, they were ordered to fill in possibly thousands of ballot papers on behalf of members of the armed forces, all in favour of President Mugabe.
| Did they think of that themselves, or did they have advisors from Chicago? |
"There was a list of names of those people who were to have their ballot papers filled, then Iâll put an âxâ next to President Robert Mugabe and the clerk on my right will use the other form to fill in the details of that particular person, imitate the signatures of those people," said Mr Ndlovu, who is now on the run from authorities. The former officer and another lieutenant, Promise Tshuma, left the army and revealed their story after the torture they endured when they were accused of being opposition sympathisers. Mr Ndlovu said were electrocuted and beaten for two weeks before eventually being cleared of any wrongdoing. The two said morale in the army was low, with many senior officers being given farms to maintain their loyalty.
Posted by: Dan Darling 2003-11-27 |
