- Dear Family and Friends,
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- It's been a long and dramatic week in politics in Zimbabwe.
Things are changing very fast and some of the news I relate here may well
be out of date or have altered completely by the time you read this letter.
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- The first major development took place last weekend when
the two factions of the opposition MDC met to decide if they were going
to reunite and stand as one party in the coming elections. Despite everything
that has happened to the MDC and their supporters in the last 8 years including
murder, rape, torture, abduction and arson, the two factions were not able
to agree to stand together to fight Mr Mugabe and Zanu PF.
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- As I write, it is still not clear if both factions
will be fielding a Presidential candidate or how many individuals they
be putting forward for parliament, senate, rural and local council seats.
I suppose the inability of the two factions to unite has not come as a
surprise to most Zimbabweans but, regardless of the detail or the inevitable
finger pointing, it is a sad event for Zimbabwe. So many people, so many
sacrifices, such pain - what a shame that in the end, at this most crucial
time, the desperate state of the country could not come first.
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- The news of the MDC division had hardly got around when
it was completely overtaken by the dramatic news of a serious challenge
within the ruling Zanu PF party. A Presidential challenge no less! Simba
Makoni, the ex Minister of Finance, long time Zanu PF member and presently
sitting on the Politburo, addressed a news conference on Tuesday. Saying
that he had consulted widely and across the board, Mr Makoni said he was
accepting the call of the people and offering himself as a candidate for
President of Zimbabwe. His short speech was realistic and down to earth.
Simba Makoni said: "Let me confirm that I share the agony and anguish
of all citizens over the extreme hardships that we all have endured for
nearly 10 years now. I also share the widely held view that these hardships
are a result of failure of national leadership and that change at that
level is a pre-requisite for change at other levels of national endeavour."
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- Almost as one Zimbabwe drew breath.
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- Naturally the rumours and speculation that have followed
this historic announcement have almost overwhelmed us. Is Simba Makoni
expelled from Zanu PF? Is he standing as an Independent. Has he got a political
party waiting in the wings? Is he a threat to Mr Mugabe? Will other senior
Zanu PF members now come out in the open and support Mr Makoni? Is this
the end of Zanu PF as we know it? Is this going to split the Zanu PF vote?
Will it have an impact on the MDC vote?
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- The most pressing question on everyone's lips has been:
Is Simba Makoni genuine? As each day has passed and the attacks on Simba
Makoni by the State propaganda have increased to greater heights, they
have perhaps even answered the question with their own vitriol. In one
classic editorial in The Herald came the predictable and groaningly familiar
blaming of the West - so insulting to the intelligence of Zimbabweans.
The editorial said: "one does not have to be a seer to see that Simba
has just subscribed to megaphone politics by giving a black face to the
voices from the White House and Whitehall."
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- In the middle of all of the upheaval came the announcement
that the date for nominating candidates had been moved back another week
and so, again, we wait and we watch. Certainly whoever Simba Makoni represents
and whatever positions the two branches of the MDC take, the events of
this past week may well have broken the apathy that is suffocating Zimbabwean
voters. I join the call of others and urge Zimbabweans, wherever you are
and if you are still on the voters roll to please come home and vote on
the 29th March.
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- Until next week, thanks for reading,
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- love cathy.
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- Copyright cathy buckle 9 February 2008
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- www.cathybuckle.com My books: "African Tears"
and "Beyond Tears" are available in South Africa from: <mailto:books@clarkesbooks.co.za>books@clarkesbooks.co.za
and in the UK from: <mailto:orders@africabookcentre.com>orders@africabookcentre.com
To subscribe/unsubscribe to this newsletter, please write to: <mailto:cbuckle@mango.zw>cbuckle@mango.zw
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