I received a bulk text message from Kubatana Wednesday morning to say Mrs. Chirota’s funeral was that day at 1400.

Her husband was elected to Harare City Council. The Councillors met on a Monday, on their own, because the man who claims to be the Local Government Minister will not let them be sworn in. So they went ahead and elected Mr. Chirota to be mayor of Harare. That night his house was burnt down, and wife and 4-year-old child abducted. Mrs Chirota’s body was found on Thursday.

Even if the dictatorship/regime wail long and hard that ‘they are not the ones’ who do the killings, the simple fact that the wife of the Mayor of Zimbabwe’s Capital city can be abducted and murdered, and no one has been arrested for it, shows that there is no law and order in this country. Any government’s job is to provide security for it’s citizens. Therefore, one must conclude, that they are not a government.

However, back to the funeral. I went by bike. Not terribly respectful but the constraints of the day do not allow us to do what is the best. On a cold and gloomy day Warren Hills Cemetry was full of people. Mrs. Chirota was laid to rest in front of well over a hundred mourners. The right words were said, some women sang a medley of songs, and all the right stuff done. That was good. However, it does not detract from the fact that the whole event was BAD. It should not have been happening. The event that led up to it was criminal.

I heard a rumour that Mrs. Chirota comes from a Zanu family. And the family tried to keep the whole thing low key, friends only. So it would seem that the wrong person was killed? It was also rather incongruous (to me) that some of the women in the choir had R G Mugabe head scarves on. Again, seems like the wrong person was killed. Is the killing that indiscriminate? Or is it that I do not have the ‘correct’ story?

I ended up having some discussions with my elected Councillor. We really need to get things done, even if just to remember her well. Give the people a choice. Do they want to go with the killers, or go with the people trying to get the rubbish taken away? While the cost of taking the rubbish out is high
(potential death), we must work along these lines. Elections are only one way to get ‘authority’. They certainly will not work if there is only one person to vote for. The other way (major way) of establishing your authority as a leader, is by leading. So even if you are the lead rubbish removal authority, you are the leader. The one who does not get the rubbish out is a failed leader.

We awoke to the news that Tonderai’s wife had been abducted . . .

Plaxedes and her two young children were trying to move to a safer place at night
They had a driver and the next door neighbour to help
Plaxedes and her two children were thrown out of the car on to the side of the road,
the neighbour was shot in the face and chest
the driver, car and all their possessions were taken

the neighbour is presumed dead
the drivers where-abouts are still unknown
and the lives of one innocent young woman and her children are changed forever
deprived of their father/husband/friend/protector
their home and possessions
their belief that the world is a safe place

Micheal, the chef from the cafe heard his wife and mother had been beaten
he took the bus to his rural home to find how they were
and was arrested on arrival
taken to the militia base where he was told that in order to avoid further beatings of his family
he had to play his part . . .
the graveyard shift at the rural bus stop from 10pm to 6 am
watching who was arriving in the area
and reporting them to the base.

Rural and urban Zimbabweans are being forced to all-night pungwes
are being beaten unless they wear the Zanu t-shirts and head scarves

and tomorrow we are instructed to go and vote
for the monster who created this energy

or else . . .

Finally the African leaders begin to show their shock
finally they distance themselves from this violence
the global reaction is one of outrage

what has been present for 8 years suddenly visible

wringing of hands
‘what is to be done? what is to be done?”

what is to be done?
‘how’, as Morgan asks, ‘do we get rid of a dictator democratically?’

and in the mean time
as the world wrings its hands – waiting for a solution
we have run out of them here
Praxades, and her children, and Michael, and his wife and mother,
and hundreds of thousands of the people of this land
stand in the face of uncontrolled evil

the ultimate cost
being peaceful comes with the price of death

As usual fearful rumours are circulating fast and furiously in Zimbabwe. And new media is aiding and abetting their viral spread.

I had a “cold one” yesterday evening with a friend of mine, and over our chill out at the end of the day drink, she showed me a text message that she’d just received. The message warned that an informal curfew was in place and that people should be in their homes by 9pm. It was attributed to some fictitious civil society organisation. The whole thing had the regime’s fingerprints all over it. But instead of sending it smartly into text message wasteland, people have been forwarding it to one another and spooking themselves shitless. One has to ask WHY? Why let unverified, random information curb your movement and frighten you?

And then there’s an email that’s doing the rounds which suggests that if you voted in the 29th March election then you have to vote in this one. Otherwise the regime will interpret your absence as MDC support and they’ll come and track you down and chop your head off. That’s an awful lot of paperwork and chopping that they are going to have to do to follow through on this ridiculous suggestion. Again its regime propaganda put out there to intimidate us.

Of course it’s difficult to stay optimistic, hopeful and confident amidst the violence and the harassment that so many of us are experiencing, but at the very least we have to court our courage, rather than let the regime fill us with fear.

And in the meantime, at Kubatana we’ve received frustrated emails from various subscribers criticising the MDC’s late withdrawal from the election. Here is what Shepherd and Regis had to say:

Lest there is some confusion as to where I stand, I do not support the leadership of Robert Mugabe and I condemn the violent campaign he has been waging. But Morgan has showed his lack of leadership skills in the past few days and has left me wondering what his true motives for opposing Mugabe are. He spends months globe trotting only to come back  when  there  is  barely  enough  time  to  campaign. Zanu PF was  already  on  a  violent  campaign  trail  then. Why  didn’t  Tsvangirai  pull  out  of  the  presidential  run off  then? He has chosen to pull out at the last moment and will hand Mugabe the legitimacy he so craves. Zanu PF supporters will vote tomorrow and a handful of MDC supporters will also vote. Guess what that means? And whats this drama of rushing to ‘hide’ in the Dutch Embassy? What happened to him when he eventually came out? Nothing. Whats this nonsense of calling a press conference where only the foreign media was invited to announce his withdrawal before officially informing ZEC and before informing the electorate? Whose struggle is it anyway?

——–

Yes, I agree that boycotting is the best but would it not be absolutely wonderful if we had more time then we all mobilise the voters to all go and vote tomorrow but spoil our votes. Just imagine more spoiled votes than those who vote for Mugabe. It would show massive support for Tsvangirai but at the same time show that this election is a sham. I wish the withdrawal had been much earlier is this message would have got ot the voters!!!

Take cover! Mugabe’s been stripped of his honorary knighthood. Wow. I bet he’s crying into his pillow. Meanwhile Tesco confirm that they won’t stop doing business with Zimbabwe and Anglo American have decided to continue with their multi-million dollar investment in platinum mining. And Odinga, outspoken fellow that he is, while calling for the isolation of Zimbabwe, hasn’t suggested imposing any sanctions or stopping any trade, any time soon. Well, actually any time at all really.

Beleaguered Zimbabweans are not short of words of comfort. What we need is brave decisive action from international and regional individuals, organisations and governments interested in the restoration of law and order in Zimbabwe. Perhaps Odinga could withdraw Kenya’s diplomatic presence in Zimbabwe and shut their embassy here. Or perhaps Kenya Airways will refuse to fly into the eye of Zimbabwe’s dictatorship?

Until words meet action on the part of so-called concerned well wishers, Zimbabwe will remain the personal playground of Mugabe.

In a way I feel safe and much comfortable to support soccer than politics. But surprisingly soccer and politics are all games. There must be a game plan for the team to win, also there must be a game plan for the party to win.

However, supporters of either sides should feel safe and much more open to each other. It’s high time I think Zimbabwe should have that feeling for accommodating each other, just like soccer players moving from one club to another without being victimized. Playing for Dynamos this season and for Caps the next season. Supporters feeling the same freedom of choosing and discussing freely which team is doing well and worth supporting.

Politics also should have that freedom of accommodating players of different parties into the system to develop the nation. What is important at the end of the day is to have a vibrant nation. Otherwise the nation will remain a developing nation until kingdom come. A national team is composed of different players from different teams, all with different ways of attacking or solving a problem.

We recently asked Kubatana’s SMS subscribers:

With the MDC pulling out of Friday’s vote can you suggest an alternative activity that builds hope and confidence? Let’s take back our future.

The hundreds of text messages we received in response were rich and widely varied, but fell within several main themes. Most of these were predictable – about 15% advocated for prayer, and another 15% for mass demonstrations. Another quarter hoped for intervention by SADC or the AU, and a quarter for negotiations and a transitional government.

But there was also the striking presence of a solid 15% or so advocating for an armed struggle and saying that Zimbabweans should fight back against the dictator on his own terms. While, from time to time, we get the occasional subscriber making this suggestion, in today’s responses this has a much higher prevalence.

Below is a small selection of people’s suggestions:

Prayer

• A nation that stands united in PRAYER on friday
• The only activity that can bring hope & confidence is PRAYER & never 2 lose heart coz GOD IS IN CONTROL not Mbuya Nehanda. Zimbabwe is about to rise. (Rom: 8-28)
• 1st Prayer. 2nd int’l community must help us. GOD wil judge Mgabe harshly
• Lets start with prayer of thanksgiving. As africans tinoombera tisati tagashira. So lets thank God for deliverance
• The only hope is God interving through prayer sessions nd mass education to the Pple wht politics means nd how best to choose a leader
• We must pray to God

Civil Disobedience

• Massive stay aways mo international pressure eg their children in foreign schs 2b sent bek home
• Shld do mass mobilisation against e regime
• We should go into the streets! Everywhere there should be a campaign of Mugabe must go!!
• Lets all disobey mugabe to the very end. He must retire with world record stress levels
• Let Mugabe declare one man state. There’s no democracy in this country. We have to unite & demonstrate against this tyrant. This is not his kitchen. He has to go
• Well first and foremost if what i hear is correct that Zanu intends to proceed lets boycott these sham of an elections and build morale and confidence
• One way i think is to start by completely boycotting the herald and chronicle and manica post. no shld buy or advertise in those zanu propaganda and brain-washing material
• GNU is out ö è qn. It’s betrayal ö those that lost their lives ä props in è struglge. also zanu has neva bn sincere. mass mobilisation 4 civil disobedience is one option

International Intervention

• The UN AU & SADC should agree to bring peace keepers and have run-off in August
• We need UN, AU and SADC 2 take do same election within a month
• On that day we all send email/sms messages to ff: UN/ SADC/EU/US govt/UK govt to insist they take decisive action NOW! Stuff MBEKI:-@
• The MDC shld gather as much evidence as possible abt grave cases of ZANU violence & present it to the SADC AU & UN & lobby for the ostracization of the dictator from all international issues. MDC can use fliers to communicate with the masses
• The way 4ward is 4 mdc 2 pressure SADC into 4cing mugabe 2 implement guidelines in election conduct
• The aspirations of MDC will remain intact To continue to lobby the UN until they force the regime to deploy peace keepers and to make AU see sense in our situation and come to condemn their friend Any election in future to be supervised by UN not ZEC
• I cant suggest war. Marching has failed so i think the inter community can assist even to push for stiffer sanctions a way that does not call for bloodshed

Armed Struggle

• Removing a military government requires a military rebellion. These guys claim they got into power through blood so lets remove them through blood
• We need an armed struggle to claim back our birth right
• My immediate reaction is to organise all opposition forces and get armed to liberate ourselves. It appears PF can only understand the language of the barrel
• MDC should buy their own weapons. WAR is the last solution. The gvt is taking advantage of fact that pple are afraid of MUGABE
• I rather opt 4 a war(to liberate ourselves)

Negotiation, Dialogue, Transition or a Government of National Unity

• A caretaker gvt that will level the electoral field & build pple’s confidence in the whole system
• Lets go back 2 dialogue 4 a trans gvt nd new election
• Install a transitional gvt that allows the nation to rehabilitate to repair to heal to restore justice and to hold free and fair elections within a year
• G.N.U similar to the Kenyan style. A new but more influential post shld be created for Morgan. f not then a push to the UN to address current challenges
• 1st step:MDC shld join hand in glove with NCA in support of new constitution since rule of law is tantamount & military junta is in control of this State. 2nd step:MDC MPs shld elect either Mr Tsvangirai/George Sibotshiwe as speaker of Parliament who shld be the leader of an inclusive govt with Francis Nhema deputy
• They should focus on the GNU and amendment of the constitution for elections to be held in two years time
• The alternative is to bring all progressive groups to negotiating table to try to negotiate a government which includes all
• I think a GNU between the two parties can lessen our burden or defer the poll to a later date and allow MDC to campaign in a peaceful environment

In addition, we received several suggestions for creative non-violent acts of defiance, such as:

• Fill up pot-holes, rehabilitate children’s play grounds, parks and grow lawns and flowers at homes.
• Lets all wear black on friday as a sign of saying no to violence and run off
• To give hope 2 è citizenry i suggest è people’s party comes up with a fund 2 assist è victims of è terror campaign thru medical bills, building destroyed houses etc
• Lets list and make public all companies that are backing Mugabe to boycott them eg Imago Y&R Western Union & other MTAs. Mugabe will be history shortly
• I suggest that all those voting on friday do a spoilt paper – this another way of showing MUGABE not wanted
• Passive resistance. Not buying Herald for example. Wearing black on Friday to show that we are mourning. Mass prayer
• Lets boycott gono’s blood money
• Theatre. Its e strong room of ideas hopes &dreams. Staging open air performances. Taking a stance will ignite hope. Getting Theatre 4 Dvlpment up &running
• First up we’ve all got to get rid of this whole victim mentality & get on with the business of masterin our destiny & claiming our rights