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Written by: John Burke

Published: 11 November 2023

Last Updated: 11 November 2023

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A personal statement by the Honourable Tendai Biti

Zimbabwe at a crossroads

Zimbabwe is at a crossroads. The weight of a stolen election, unprecedented corruption and the looting of public assets sits heavy on the shoulders of Zimbabweans who want and deserve better.

The environment in the world right now is toxic. The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have pushed Zimbabwe to the bottom of the World’s attention calendar. This has allowed the vampire state here to carry out brazen election fraud. Not satisfied, the regime is now engaged in a malicious push to weaken our struggle, the progressive movement, through the illegal recall of elected public representatives.

It is therefore shocking to hear, and read, a daily stream of abusive, malicious and defamatory claims that Professor Welshman Ncube and I, are colluding with the regime and its proxies to append a struggle that have occupied and consumed all our adult lives. I do not speak for Prof Ncube, an honest and decent comrade who buried his dear mother on Friday, but as someone who has been in this struggle for as long as I have, one who has endured Zanu PF’s jails and physical attacks by the same, it is heartbreaking, if not tragic, that many Cdes that have been with us on this journey are now given false labels and badges, Zanu PF wish they had coined first.

I don’t believe in recalls. I have never been part of recalls. I will never be part of recalls. In my life, I have been recalled twice in 2015 and in 2021 through the pernicious use of section 129(1)(k) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. I know the pain of a recall. My family knows the pain of a recall. The people of Harare East know the pain a recall. With other MPs, such as Temba Mliswa, we unsuccessfully fought for the removal and repeal of section 129(1)(k).

Like most Zimbabweans, I only get to read about the patently illegal recalls by Mr. Tshabangu in the newspapers. Given what I and my family have given to this struggle, it saddens me that I have to state publicly that I will never be part of a project to weaken the democratic struggle in Zimbabwe. I have been imprisoned and tortured for the change we all seek, and I have stood firm. I have never worked for Zanu PF, and I will die before I lend my hand to the illegitimate Zanu PF regime.

I had hoped to be a Member of Parliament. I have my reservations about the process that prevented this happening. I have my challenges and reservations about our identity, structural, strategic and procedural polity. I am a democrat who believes in constitutionalism, the rule of law, transparency, openness and collective leadership. I can never compromise on these core values. However, no dispute nor differences is ever sufficient to place one at the service of Zanu PF.

I have a daily job at my law practice and that’s where I have retreated to fight for Zimbabweans in that sphere of my influence. Additionally, I have progressive international engagements that require my full attention.

Fellow Zimbabweans, all this chatter and actions by the illegitimate regime and its proxies are an engineered distraction from the main prize: to free ourselves from this rapacious dictatorship. It has been a long and tortuous road; and victory is closer than the distance back to where we started.

Tendai Biti
11 November 2023

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Written by: John Burke

Published: 10 October 2023

Last Updated: 28 November 2023

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Its that time of year again, as the weather gets warmer, and Zimbabwe's failed sewage systems and water supplies are yet again, non-functioning and 'tainted'

- the only beneficiaries are the damn MOSQUITOES!

Irrespective of the excuses from Zanu PF {not enough vaccine etc} however, to be fair, it has been reported that they feel its due to the water supply problems and broken sewage pipes. But these are matters that have been under the purview of the said "government" for the last 43 YEARS. Notwithstanding the stolen election form 23-24th August 2023, nothing will be done, until the greedy, callous, sadistic, heartless "elite" who claim to be the "government" have FINISHED LOOTING!

We have been here before! But with all things that Zanu PF have a hand-in, there is an obvoius "Political Element" - Thus Lockdowns and Limits on Meetings! Just when the illegal regime has rigged the latest elections {see our reporting here https://zexit.org/zexit/petition-delivery-15th-sept-2023; and https://zexit.org/zexit/zimbabwe-fails-the-electorate

Please read the article {at the end of this report} which appeared in the UK Telegraph on the 9th October 2023 and well written by Verity Bowman

As a reported, Verity has covered most "sides" to this tragic and avoidable story. There is even a preposterous claim by the WHO that this is somehow due to "Climate Change" - BUT of course it's the Mosquitoes - admittedly the warmer the better for them, except if we have another ice-age {climate change too}.

But as we as ZHRO have tried to cover, its down to SANITATION, {to be fair the government has cited that too - its just their "solutions that are wrong} and we proposed the link and the solution in Novermber 2018 to the DIFD {now part of the FCDO}. Our Proposal paper is available to view and download here. It is still current and the well researched linkage between sanitation and Cholera/Typhoid is as ever relevant - see for yourself by clicking HERE.

Read more: Cholera and Typhoid

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Written by: John Burke

Published: 31 August 2023

Last Updated: 01 September 2023

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31st August Updates - see our article at https://zexit.org/zexit/zimbabwe-fails-the-electorate

The Election Observers and thier Missions prior to the Elections

European Union

Following the EU election observation methodology, the mission will observe all aspects of the electoral process before, on and after the election day. The EU EOM will issue a preliminary statement and hold a press conference in Harare after the elections. The final report, which will include a set of recommendations for future electoral processes, will be presented and shared with stakeholders after the finalisation of the entire electoral process.

The mission is expected to comprise more than 150 observers from all 27 EU member states, as well as Canada, Norway and Switzer­land. An 11-person core team arrived in Harare on 8 July. 46 long-term EU EOM observers arrive in Zimbabwe on 22 July and are deployed to all ten provinces. They observe the electoral pro­cess in their areas and report back to the core­ team in Harare where the observations are analysed.

44 short-term observers will join the mission shortly before the election day. They observe voting, counting and the tabulation of results. The mission will be also joined by a delegation of seven Members of the European Parliament, and diplomatic staff from embassies accredited in Harare. The EU EOM will remain in the country until the completion of the electoral process.

SADC (Southern African Development Community)

I am pleased to inform you that the SADC Electoral Observation Mission to the 2023 Harmonised Elections in the Republic of Zimbabwe consists of 68 personnel. They are from 9 SADC Member States, namely, Republic of Angola, Republic of Botswana, Kingdom of Eswatini, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Mozambique, Republic of Namibia, Republic of South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, and Republic of Zambia. Our observers have been deployed to the 10 Provinces of Zimbabwe, namely, Harare, Bulawayo, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands, Manicaland, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland West. The SEOM observations will focus on the pre-election, election and post-election periods, which include political parties campaigns; the voting day and the process of the counting of the ballot papers.

To that end, the SEOM has two components, Short- 5 Term Observation (STO) covering the period 10th – 24th August 2023, and Long-Term Observation (LTO), covering the period 25th August – 1st September 2023. We started stakeholder engagements in earnest since our arrival in Harare to appreciate the political, legal and security situation in the context of the elections in order to better inform the Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation, His Excellency Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia

https://www.sadc.int/media-releases-and-statements

You can read and download the SADC Reports on the election over 23-24th August 2023 Here for their intial findings, then here for their retort to the 'verbal attack' by Zanu PF actors.

The Observer Missions acknowledged the peaceful and calm nature of the pre-election and voting phases during the 23-24 August 2023 Harmonised Elections. However, they identified that certain aspects of the elections did not meet the requirements set by the Constitution of Zimbabwe, the Electoral Act, and the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2021).

The Missions commended the people of Zimbabwe for maintaining a peaceful political environment throughout the pre-election period and on voting day. They will release a final report after the validation and proclamation of the final results, which will be shared with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and all stakeholders.

The long-term observers will continue post-election observation until 1st September 2023, and the SEAC will conduct a post-election review to assess the implementation of recommendations and provide necessary support. In case of electoral disputes, the Missions urged all contestants to follow established legal procedures. They also appealed to political parties, the people of Zimbabwe, and all stakeholders to allow the ZEC to announce the final results as mandated by law.

The African Union Mission

Read or download the African Union report Here

The Mission’s interactions with civic and political actors revealed that concerns persist regarding the process and outcome of the delimitation exercise. These included: allegations of inadequate consultation with stakeholders despite assertion by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission that there were consultations at all levels; use of inaccurate population figures; gerrymandering in some areas to produce pre-determined election results; and limited civic education on the delimitation.

The Mission takes note of the Commission’s efforts to reach out and register as many eligible voters as possible. This effort was appreciated by some stakeholders the Mission interacted with but also raised some issues of concern as follows:

• a. That many potential eligible voters were left out due to lack of National Registration Cards which is one of the requirements for registration as a voter. They claimed that the process of obtaining the National Identity cards was not transparent in some areas in the country.
• b. Failure to open the review of the voters roll to political parties as a confidence building measure
• c. The limited time of only five days allocated to voters to check their registration status.
• d. Late release of the voters roll to political parties, candidates and other interested stakeholders
• e. High fees required to be pai d for those wishing to obtain a copy of the voters roll
• f. Limited communication by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to its stakeholders regarding the process and state of the voters’ roll

The US Embassy in Zimbabwe

https://zw.usembassy.gov/election-results-in-zimbabwe/ their latest comments made on the 29th August 2023 make interesting reading (click here) with respect to Free and Fair elections, which we see did NOT occur in Zimbabwe.

"For example, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and other international electoral observation missions cited problems with transparency, independence, fairness, and credibility at all stages of the electoral process. The United States notes in particular the systemic bias against political opposition during the pre-election period and reports from respected civil society groups that ZEC officials pressured election observers to sign altered polling station result forms. We call on the ZEC to make the disaggregated polling station results publicly available to increase confidence in the result tabulation process."

"We also strongly condemn the intimidation and disruption of lawful election observers throughout the electoral period."

"These actions belie President Mnangagwa’s repeated pledges to respect rule of law, transparency, and accountability. The United States is engaging regional leaders to share our concerns, including what this means for the international community’s nascent efforts to reengage the Zimbabwean government."

Read more: Election Fraud Zimbabwe - Observers Statements

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Written by: Chief Felix Ndiweni

Published: 27 August 2023

Last Updated: 04 December 2023

Hits: 4348

I am Chief Felix Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni of Ntabazinduna.
I was born and raised in Ntabazinduna Zimbabwe where I then completed my primary and secondary education. I came to the United Kingdom in 1981 to complete my further education at Polytechnic and University. I then worked in Local government in the East of London for many years. During this period I was always returning to Zimbabwe and also travelling extensively to some 62 countries.

My father was Chief Khayisa Ndiweni who was a signatory to the Lancaster House Agreement for Rhodesia / Zimbabwe. He was a Paramount Chief for 71 years. On his passing away in August 2010 through the Ndiweni Clan I ascended the Ndiweni Chieftaincy.

I have been assaulted, harassed and victimised many times by the Zanu PF government. I have also been detained and jailed by the Zanu PF government. Because for standing for the principles, of Rule of Law and democracy. Having sustained injury in detention I am now in the United Kingdom where I have and continue to receive treatment

REFERENDUM

FOR THE VOTE
and
THE DIASPORA VOTE

Fighting for the Right To Vote
“DEEDS AND NOT WORDS “
(The slogan for women fighting for The Vote as Suffragettes in 1903)
{There is no country in the world that can indefinitely deny its citizens their Human Right to Vote}

This year 2023 there are 108 political elections world-wide. Should we give or not give, these 108 elections legitimacy, purely on the basis that the word “election “has been used to describe them?

There is now need for a broader and stronger definition of what is an “election“. An international standard for an election.

Regarding the definition of what constitutes an election, we already have Election Observers, who write reports about the election they have observed. However, the Election Observers do not carry the necessary authority to make nation states comply with the international standard for elections.

Read more: Your Right to Vote Zimbabwe