ANC Today
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Volume 8, No. 15, 18-24 April 2008
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THIS WEEK:
* Zimbabwe Elections: The will of the people must be heard
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ZIMBABWE ELECTIONS
The will of the people must be heard
While there have been a number of media reports suggesting contradictory messages
from the ANC and government on the recent Zimbabwe elections, closer examination of
statements made since the election shows a single common message - that the will of
the people of Zimbabwe must be heard. The presidential elections results must be
released.
Zimbabweans went to the polls on 29 March in presidential, house of assembly, senate
and local council elections, the first time that four elections have been held
simultaneously. The elections took place against the backdrop of a serious economic
and social crisis, and political tensions that have plagued the country over the last
few years.
These elections were held within the time required by the constitution, as have all
elections since independence in 1980. They took place within a framework that
emanates from a SADC-mandated mediation process, facilitated by President Thabo
Mbeki. This mediation process primarily involved ZANU-PF and the two factions of the
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). This helped to create an environment conducive
to free, fair and peaceful elections.
There is now general agreement that the people of Zimbabwe were able to vote freely
and without interference, and that the vote itself was credible.
The SADC Electoral Observer Mission (SEOM), which consisted of 163 observers from 11
countries, issued a preliminary statement on 30 April on the conduct of the
elections. It said:
"These elections were characterised by high levels of peace, tolerance and political
vigour by party leaders, candidates and their supporters. No violence was observed
countrywide except for a few incidences like the one in Bulawayo where the house of a
ZANU-PF candidate was bombed.
"With regards to the polling process, it is the mission's view that the elections
were conducted in an open and transparent manner. The voting process was meticulously
witnessed by observers and party agents. The polling stations generally opened and
closed at the prescribed times and voters behaved in an orderly manner and exercised
their franchise peacefully, freely and unhindered.
"The vote counting process was conducted meticulously and lawfully under the intense
scrutiny of observers, party agents and electoral officers.
"Notwithstanding the mammoth logistical challenges these harmonised elections brought
to bear on all concerned, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) demonstrated high
levels of professionalism, resilience and hard work in organising these complex
elections."
The mission did however highlight a number of areas of concern. These included the
need to ensure more equitable access to state media for all political parties and
candidates; more voter education; better efforts to distinguish normal and ongoing
government activities from deliberate electioneering campaign activities; wider
publication and verification of the voters' roll; and that the electoral authorities
have adequate mechanisms to deal with complaints.
This assessment focused on the pre-election period, the voting itself, and the
initial counting process. However, it is subsequent developments that have given
cause for concern and contributed to heightened tension within the country.
In the days following the election, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) released
the results of the election for the House of Assembly, in which there are a total of
210 seats, and for the Senate, in which there are 60 seats. But it has not yet, three
weeks after the election, released the results of the presidential poll.
Delayed presidential results
This has raised widespread concern, and has elicited comment from many quarters. The
ANC has made its views plainly known. In a statement released last week, it said:
"The ANC calls on the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to release the results of the
Presidential election as soon as possible. It further calls on all parties to address
whatever concerns they may have through the appropriate legal channels. Whatever the
results of this election, the will of the people should be respected."
This position has been underlined by public statements by various ANC leaders, and is
consistent with what government has been saying, and is echoed in the decisions of
the extra-ordinary summit of SADC leaders that took place in Zambia last weekend.
The Communiqué released after the SADC summit said:
"The Summit urged the electoral authorities in Zimbabwe that verification and release
of results are expeditiously done in accordance with the due process of law. Summit
also urged all the parties in the electoral process in Zimbabwe to accept the results
when they are announced.
"By due process of law, Summit understood to mean that: (a) the verification and
counting must be done in the presence of candidates and/or their agents, if they so
wish, who must all sign the authenticity of such verification and counting. (b) SADC
offers to send its Election Observer Mission who would be present throughout such
verification and counting.
"If such verification and counting makes it necessary for the parties to go for a
run-off, the government is urged to ensure that the run-off elections are held in a
secure environment."
The SADC leaders also thank President Mbeki and his facilitation team for the role
they had played in helping to contribute to the successful holding of the elections.
They asked President Mbeki to continue in his role as facilitator on the outstanding
issues in Zimbabwe.
ANC President Jacob Zuma, addressing business leaders in Ekurhuleni this week, said:
"We once again register our apprehension about the situation in Zimbabwe. The delay
in the verification process and the release of results increases anxiety each day. We
urge the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to work closely with the affected parties and
resolve these matters without delay.
"We also reiterate the appeal of the SADC Summit held over the weekend, that the ZEC
should ensure strict compliance with the rule of law and SADC Principles and
Guidelines governing democratic elections.
"The region cannot afford a deepening crisis in Zimbabwe. The situation is more
worrying now given the reported violence that has erupted in the country.
"We wish the mediator, President Thabo Mbeki, all political parties and electoral
authorities Godspeed as they seek an urgent and sustainable solution to this
impasse."
Speaking to the media following a UN Security Council debate this week, President
Thabo Mbeki said: "Everybody, including the people of the region, who met in Lusaka,
Zambia over the weekend, everyone was saying that it is essential that these results
be released. Everybody around the world is of one mind on this because we can then
see what comes out of this."
All of these positions were again reiterated by the South African cabinet, which met
earlier this week. In a statement released after the meeting, it said:
"These talks [facilitated by President Mbeki] laid a firm foundation for Zimbabweans
to elect leaders of their choice in a process that was transparent. South Africa,
like the rest of the world, is concerned about the delay in the release of results
and the anxiety that this is generating. We are keen to see a speedy release of the
election results as soon as possible.
"To that end, Cabinet endorsed the Southern African Development Community's (SADC)
call for the verification and release of all the results as soon as possible. In line
with the mandate accorded to President Mbeki by SADC, the South African government
will do all it can to interact impartially with all the relevant players in Zimbabwe
to ensure that the election process is concluded speedily and in a manner that enjoys
the confidence and reflects the will of the people of Zimbabwe. This will set the
stage for political stability and economic recovery that Zimbabweans and, indeed,
their neighbours yearn for."
Consistent ANC approach
A number of commentators have claimed a shift in the ANC's approach to the resolution
of the problems in Zimbabwe, and suggested a divergence between the ANC position and
the position of the South African government.
Among the matters that have been seized upon to illustrate this, is the question of
whether there is a crisis in Zimbabwe. President Mbeki was reported in Sunday
newspapers to have said there was no crisis. The ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe
was quoted the next day as saying there was indeed a crisis.
Speaking to journalists at the United Nations on Wednesday, President Mbeki said his
comments had been made in response to a specific question about whether there was a
crisis in the electoral process. "The story that I said there is no crisis, I do not
have the slightest clue of where it comes from. The question was about the
elections - it was not about the socio-economic conditions in Zimbabwe or anything
like that," he said.
While the debate on whether or not there is a crisis rages on in the media, a look at
the substantive issues reveals that the ANC's approach to Zimbabwe is consistent, and
is reflected in the positions of the South African government.
The ANC has consistently maintained that the people and leaders of Zimbabwe would
need to resolve the challenges facing the country. South Africa and other countries
in the region should offer whatever assistance they could to facilitate dialogue. For
this reason, the ANC and its government have resisted calls to make pronouncements
that would undermine its ability to engage meaningfully with all the parties.
At its 52nd National Conference in Polokwane in December, the ANC resolved that: "The
people of Zimbabwe in the main would find a solution to their current problems." It
expressed support for South Africa's mediation effort as mandated by the SADC region.
In an interview with the Financial Times newspaper earlier this year, President Jacob
Zuma said that the ANC's approach to Zimbabwe was the correct one, and that the
actions of the South African government and President Mbeki have been guided by that
approach.
"[N]obody in the world can say they have done better on Zimbabwe than us. Because
nobody can produce any report of any significance as to what it is they have done to
help Zimbabwe out of the problem. Some will tell you they've applied sanctions - have
they helped? Some will say, we have condemned [President Mugabe] - has it helped? ...
And therefore we engaged the ruling party and the opposition, and we have been
engaging them all the time," he said.
The way forward
The situation in Zimbabwe remains uncertain. At its meeting earlier this week, the
ANC National Working Committee rreiterated the organisation's position that the
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) should announce the presidential election results
without any further delay.
"The NWC expressed concern that the credibility of the ZEC will be questioned if it
is perceived to have lost its objectivity. To hold a run-off vote when the election
results are not known would be undemocratic and unprecedented.
"The ANC regards Zanu-PF as an ally. However, it regards the situation in Zimbabwe as
dire, with negative consequences for the SADC region. The ANC will make contact
directly with Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) with a view to
having dialogue on the situation in Zimbabwe." The release of the results of the
presidential poll must form the basis for the way forward. If no one candidate has
received a majority of votes, and there is to be a run-off, then it is essential that
the run-off poll is conducted in an environment conducive for the free expression of
the will of the Zimbabwean electorate.
All parties, including state institutions, should therefore desist from any actions
that could heighten tension or lead to instability. Any complaints that any of the
parties may have should be pursued through the available legal channels.
The NWC made the point that its position on the elections in Zimbabwe should not be
seen as favouring one party over another. The ANC regards ZANU-PF as a fraternal
liberation movement, an ally in the effort to improve the lives of the people of
Southern Africa. The ANC's position should be understood as part of its principled
commitment to the basic tenets of democracy, that the voice of the people of Zimbabwe
must be heard and that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on
the will of all the people.
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This issue of ANC Today is available from the ANC web site at:
http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/anctoday/2008/at15.htm
You need to be a member of TheBlackList Pub to add comments!
When it come to the Problems that still face the people of Zimbabwe, it is my observation that even though it may have seemed as if the Zimbabwe Colonialist revolution may have ended the colonialist political revolution continue.
As long as the Colonialist and the Colonialist sympathizers are allowed to interfere in the internal affairs of not only Zimbabwe but in Afrika per 'se, then the decisions being made concerning Zimbabwe are not a Representation of the Will of the People but only represent the colonialist influence upon the Zimbabwe and Afrikan people as a unique Group of Black people who now do not enjoy their Sovereignty as A Black Nation that has been caused to be divided in Afrika, meaning I am a staunch supporter of the President of the State of Zimbabwe and until Divine Communialism and Democratic Freedom come to Zimbabwe and Afrika entirely, there is a need for some form of Authoritarian Rule by Black Afrikan Nationalists, for the sake of the people who now are being ruled by and is under Post colonialist behavioral influence.
Which has the clout in the region - the SADC or ANC? While the author says " The people of Zimwabwe must be heard" they have been in the House of Assemby, Senate and regional government races.
The old colonialists and Western funders of the MDC are making the statements to avoid a presidential race run-off.
African have grown up and don't need Western whites, or blacks, to dictate to them how to conduct their business.
Bill
https://theblacklist.net/
Replies
As long as the Colonialist and the Colonialist sympathizers are allowed to interfere in the internal affairs of not only Zimbabwe but in Afrika per 'se, then the decisions being made concerning Zimbabwe are not a Representation of the Will of the People but only represent the colonialist influence upon the Zimbabwe and Afrikan people as a unique Group of Black people who now do not enjoy their Sovereignty as A Black Nation that has been caused to be divided in Afrika, meaning I am a staunch supporter of the President of the State of Zimbabwe and until Divine Communialism and Democratic Freedom come to Zimbabwe and Afrika entirely, there is a need for some form of Authoritarian Rule by Black Afrikan Nationalists, for the sake of the people who now are being ruled by and is under Post colonialist behavioral influence.
Be Kind to Your self
Hoteph
Osiris
Chief Elder
The old colonialists and Western funders of the MDC are making the statements to avoid a presidential race run-off.
African have grown up and don't need Western whites, or blacks, to dictate to them how to conduct their business.
Bill