Change is needed, all around.

Usually its the MDC posters that are torn down.

Photo: Ranga Mberi

The Twittersphere is abuzz with enthusiastic Zimbabweans who have pinked their finger as a nod toward installing democracy or extending the dicktatorship. So many tweets chirping on about polite, long queues of determined, optimistic voters. This is one of the ways in which the Mugabe dictatorship and we, ourselves, keep us meek and mild – we like fairy tales, we like the possibility of magical outcomes. By and large we’re a nation of headlines – we nibble on the sound bytes and we don’t do the real work and dig further to eat and digest the meat of many of the reports and analysis that’s available to us. If we did, we’d be seriously worried about this election, and how Zanu PF have choreographed it.

Someone share this with us, emphasising that it gives an impression of magnitude rather than precision:

And the media across all fronts scream “Zimbabwe goes to the polls”.

Let’s see:

So if there are 13 million humans in Zim, 7 million under voting age, leave 6 million
1 million, at least not registered. Most of these MDC supporters because: MDC leaders have not taken this at all seriously over the years and cry foul NOW, system designed to not let them register, ZPF have a fast-track system where people do not even have to show up to register (again MDC have known this and did not pin this down years ago). We are now at 5 million
500,000 in the Diaspora. We are now at 4,5 million
100,000 disenfranchised by death – can you believe it God is with Bob. Now at 4,4 million
300,000 duplicates (proven). Now we are at 4,1 million. Guess that a least 500,000 will not be near their wards (work, lack of knowing, moved to another town.) Also having this election on a week day was no error. Workers have no time to get to Kamusha if this is their ward. Upper-classes gone on holiday (but they will be back to bleat). Now at 3,6 million
Let’s see how at the close of play stand people. Contingency to other voter roll tactics (I know people whose IDs have been changed!) 300,000. We end up with 3,3 million

So some math
25% of Zimbabwean’s (if they all get out of bed, have the enthusiasm) can go to the polls

The absence of violence on Election Day isn’t enough to make these elections credible. – Vukasin Petrovic

I am officially drunk on red wine and Oliver Mtukudzi. – RAC

Fair elections? Lets be real there’s nothing fair about what is happening. It all started with the tampering of the voters roll.
- Mr. K Jnr

If absolute power corrupts absolutely, then why does Superman use his superpowers for good? – ThatZimGuy

Too many people turned away because they are not on the voters roll. Something is not right here. – Rumbidzai Dube

Grace after voting. Why does she always look like someone’s just farted?

By Owen Maseko … Owen Maseko is a Zimbabwean visual artist and installation artist, described as “one of Zimbabwe’s most prominent artists”. In March 2010, he was arrested “less than 24 hours after his new exhibition opened” at the National Gallery in Bulawayo.