Every ones’ eye is on Zimbabwe as it goes to polls on Saturday 29th.
A change is a must. The people of Zimbabwe have suffered too long, it is time that they too must live with dignity.
A rich country in all African standard is at the verge of economic collapse.
A country that was the bread-basket of Africa has to live on food aid, shameful indeed.
According to Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR , Zimbabwe gives the following grim details,
• lowest life expectancy in the world with an average age of 37 years
• over 85% of the population lives in poverty
• worst inflation in the world at over 7000% and rising
• 3.5 million have fled the country and 1000's more flee every week
• Zimbabwe had one of the best health care systems in Africa, now is one of the worst. Only 6 healthcare workers and 1 doctor per 10 000 people
• the government has sanctioned the use of excessive force and torture by the police and military
• innocent men, woman and children are brutalized and tortured by the police on a daily basis
• in May 2005, the government launched operation "drive out trash" resulting in 700,000 people losing their homes and livelihoods
• land redistribution ordered by the government has destroyed Zimbabwe's agricultural commercial sector. Tobacco, Zimbabwe's main export, has fallen from 2 million kilograms per year to 60 thousand in 6 years
• over 7000 people arrested in the past 6 months for not adhering to government controlled prices
• in an effort to take over the mines, the government has arrested 20,000 people since 2006
• 2 million people are venerable to starvation
• international food aid is being distributed by the government to its supporters and punishes supporters of the opposition
It is to the election that everyone is looking up to though there are wide spread rumors that it will be rigged by the ruling party of President Mugabe, 84.
He has led the country since independence and the general feeling among the opposition and the international community is that it is time to pass on the baton.
According to BBC, Mr Tsvangirai, head of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, and Mr Makoni, an ex-finance minister and independent candidate, on Thursday issued a joint statement expressing severe concerns about the poll.
If the election is free and fair, it is quite clear that Mugabe may not stand another chance, but it is becoming more and more clear that the strong man of Zimbabwe is not willing to handover the chair of power yet.
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