Seeing as we run a groovy little activist information project we’re all at work today. We work in a building not far from central Harare and we haven’t had a regular supply of municipal water from our taps for years now. In the beginning it was kind of stop, start. Now it’s just stopped. Like how we have to stop Mugabe. The owners of the building had to sink a borehole so that people could still work here and poo and wee and drink and wash up and all those things you do during the course of the day. But today seeing as its a Public Holiday the borehole has been switched off and we’re water-less. Which actually is a good thing because it one of the reminders of what’s wrong with Zimbabwe under Mugabe’s dictatorship. Another reason not to keep him and his diamond swallowers in power.

Zanu PF has put up election adverts in all sorts of places. Rocks, trees, rubbish bins, walls. They’ve even bought formal advertising space and put up full scale billboards and other smaller fixed structure advertising. Makes me wonder if a civic organisation wanting to share slogans like Stand Up For Your Rights, would have been allowed to do the same.

Photo: New York Times

Zimbabweans around the country are texting us with their feedback on Zimbabwe’s Election voting day. You can read a few below, and we’re compiling them on our Crowdmap, so take a look (and refresh the map often!)

• I have gone to Ward 29 Zvimba South. The process is very slow.
• In Budiriro 3, long long lines and slow process. MDC-T very faint on the ballot slips and is last.
• I’m done at Chinembiri Pri, Seke. In a 300 metre queue, 2hrs 18 minutes. Heavy turnout.
• Already voted in Chitungwiza Dzidzai Primary. All went well, queues moving nicely. In less than 30 minutes we were done.
• Voting is too slow and some of the names are not on the roll so we are voting with registration certificate. Chitepo Sec School, Zvimba East.
• In Goromonzi, Rusike at St Dominics Nora Primary. The polling process is in progress. No problems. About 300 ppl voted and the queue is declining.
• Am in Murehwa. Went to vote early morning. Many people came early. Queues were very long. SADC vehicles and JOMIC were moving around.
• In Bikita East voting going on peacefully, short queues.
• Gokwe Central. Voter turnout high. No incidents witnessed.
• My polling station (Avondale) full of police in uniform queueing to vote.

We just got this in from a subscriber – So if you think you’re not on the voters’ roll, maybe it’s worth just double checking – Maybe you are!

Re aliens and Zim Voting: My husband and I got the surprise of our lives this morning. As ‘aliens’, my husband and my names were not on the Online Voters Roll and we were not allowed to vote in 2008, when our names had been removed from the voters role. So my husband took a stroll to our Polling station (Eastridge School) this morning and decided check. Just in case. His name and mine were both on the list and he was allowed to VOTE! I’m about to go now and stand in the queue. So please post and encourage ‘aliens’ to take the chance and go and check. Please put word out! (Also 60′s and over can request to go to front of queue). Also be advised to use your own pens! Word has it that pens with refills that fade after 4 hours are inserted in regular ballpoints in MDC strongholds. I doubted this, but then read that this had indeed been a ploy of the Israelis’s that played out in Kenya.

From a voter

For sure a budget election. Pictures not good. To be sure you need to be able to read, or have had an affair with the person. Example: I have warned my parents to take their time and take their glasses.