Do you ever wonder how people cope in failed states? Well, this weekend for me it requires Alcohol. The current reality is just too horrible. Tomorrow I’ll be OK, but today I need help.

On TV the regime’s propaganda machine is going through its miserable charade of vote ‘counting’! Honestly. Of course I’ll feel worse for the alcohol later, but for now I need something with that extra lift.

I’m sick to my stomach. How can anyone follow through with this nauseating fabrication? What a come down for Robert Mugabe. They’ve had to beat, threaten, plead, kill, to get someone, anyone to the polls. How must he feel as he prepares for the inauguration?

Today, overhead, a lone jet went through its paces in preparation for Mugabe’s inevitable ‘crowning’. That’s what we’ve been reduced to. Just enough fuel and a single pilot for a fly past. In spite of this, Mugabe will ride into Cairo this coming week and whip the rest of Africa’s spineless leaders into shape. Pathetic.

Over this desperate weekend I watched a documentary that opened my eyes to the Bush administration’s rampant corruption in the awarding of contracts to Halliburton et al for the logistics behind their war in Iraq. “Oh God”, I thought. “Where in the world is their integrity?”

Yes, Mugabe has every right to point out everyone else’s failings, but that doesn’t forgive him his own. As a people we have suffered not only the bruises and wounds of his excesses, but have had to tolerate nauseating propaganda purporting Zimbabweans turned up willingly to vote in a one horse race. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Tomorrow I will be stronger, but for today I need to drown my sorrows.

As you will expect, Bev & I have decided not to vote today. We drove around to have a look at some of the polling stations on our side of town and found them very quiet: Courtney Selous, Highlands, Borrowdale School. More police and elections staff than voters.

Busier were polling station tents in Gunhill and Chikurubi. These tents seem to be processing voters from Tomlinson Depot and the prison. Clearly zanupf own you and your family’s votes if you work for the police, prison or army. Watch the voting patterns at polling stations in these areas.

Intimidation has taken an interesting turn this election. In previous elections people were beaten and had their identity documents destroyed/seized by zanupf zealots to stop them voting. This time they are being threatened with violence if they don’t go and vote. Since the MDC’s withdrawal from the run-off, zanupf have had to reverse their tactics in an effort to legitimise these elections. How foolish would they look if no-one turned up?

A friend living in one of Harare’s high density suburbs, Tafara, returned home after work on Thursday evening to a demand from the local zanupf chairman. Everyone in the area was required to take his/her identity document to the chairman’s house – they would have it returned to them the next day (June 27, run-off election day) on their way to the nearby polling station. On collection of his id this morning he was instructed to vote for Robert Mugabe and return with the serial number of the ballot paper issued to him.

Clearly zanupf feel the need to carry their threats further than usual to coerce people to vote in this sham of an election. Against the bloody backdrop of the last 3 months Zimbabweans are taking these threats seriously in areas where zanupf is organised and has a permanent base or representative.

At a last minute rally in Kamfinsa, zanupf youth apologised for beating the people over the last few weeks and implored (advised?) the reluctant gathering to vote for ‘madala’ (old man) on June 27. A creative variation on the coersion theme!

Reports from other parts of the country are of dramatically reduced voter turnout – zanupf will have to work hard to fabricate enthusiastic support for the run-off election. You can count on them doing that. As a friend wryly commented today, it’s a case of One Man One Vote.

Yet again, Zimbabweans have not been allowed to express their will through the ballot box. So, in the short-term, it’s over to Africa’s leaders to deliver on their condemnation of this election. Action must follow their words. Of course most African leaders have skeletons and dubious elections in their pasts. Mugabe wants to make sure they don’t conveniently forget this fact. Still, Africa’s renaissance must begin sometime – and now is as good a time as any.

Sifting through the spam than inundates my inbox at work, I spotted this one – “Serial killer on the loose”.

Made me think that spam has gotten to be rather like google advertisements – smart enough to reflect the context of your present situation!

The magnitude of the state organised violence in Zimbabwe is mind blowing. In previous elections, zanupf did whatever it could to prevent people trying to vote. This time round they’re forcing people to go and vote for Mugabe in the presidential run-off election.

Their threats include post-election beatings of anyone ‘found’ to have stayed away or voted the ‘wrong way’. In true Mafia-style, they have threatened to beat the extended family of recalcitrant non-voters.

Long gone is any notion of a secret ballot. People are being told that they will have to report to a zanupf representative after they vote. They will be required to provide the receipt number on their ballot paper together with their national identity number. This way the ‘authorities’ will supposedly know how they voted.

The public are also being ‘informed’ by zanupf zealots that they will arbitrarily choose and beat the same number of people living near a polling station as there are votes NOT cast for Mugabe.

All very bizarre now that we know the run-off election is a one horse race.

There is indeed a serial killer on the loose.

Look at zanupf’s ‘promotional’ materials for the run-off.
Notice they’ve dumped the grimacing, threatening Mugabe.
In its stead are colourful, smiling images,
Even the co-opting of Makoni’s cheerful yellow background.

Gone the threat of ‘fist of fury’.
Now replaced with real beatings, coersion and crippling encounters.

These colourful ambassadors of zanupf.
First clean in white t-shirts, smiling Mugabe on the front,
Our proud colours on the scarves around their heads.
Now wielding sticks and chains in hosepipe.
Now blood spattered from their labour.

We are clear,
Who you are,
Is not a future we can afford.

I will vote. Against this.

Read, watch or listen to any of the Zimbabwe government’s mouth pieces and you will feel yourself drowning in a sewer of distortion, bias and brazen untruth.

There must be a lexicon of words and phrases to describe this level of manipulation and blatant fabrication and distortion. I’d appreciate it if readers would share them with me because at the moment I’m struggling to find words adequate to express my disgust.

Anyone familiar with the work of WOZA (Women of Zimbabwe Arise) will know that this group of grassroots activists has practiced and preached the doctrine of non-violent protest for years now. Most recently they gathered in Harare on May 28 to commemorate Africa Day and to protest against the political violence being perpetrated in the weeks leading up to the Presidential run-off election of June 27. In near silence they walked together, holding up placards calling on SADC and others to act on the crisis in Zimbabwe.

Riot police quickly mobilised and arrested 14 of the protesters. It took 17 days and great persistence to gain the release, on bail, of 11 of those arrested. Leaders, Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu are still in custody on the spurious claims by the State that these women intend to orchestrate Kenya-style violence ahead of the presidential run-off election on June 27. And pigs too may fly!

It is exactly this kind of fabricated nonsense that exposes the rest of the government’s propaganda for what it is. An abuse of public funds and a mockery of the cruel reality we live here.

Coming in to work this morning I walked past a queue outside a bank. Money like everything else is in short supply. What shocked and amused me – that’s Zimbabwe for you – is that standing in line waiting his turn with the other customers was a tall policeman in fatigues with an AK47 slung over his shoulder!

Bizarre or what?