Sunday, June 29, 2008

African Union urged to take stern measures against Mugabe

By Tichaona Sibanda
29 June 2008

Most Zimbabweans believe the African Union should intervene to resolve the crisis in the country and there are many calls on the African body to unite in rejecting Robert Mugabe’s new term as president.

Political analyst Isaac Dziya said the AU should be tough with Mugabe, saying the credibility of the African body was at stake, considering that most of the world leaders have discredited the elections.

Dziya said the AU should be encouraged to take a cue from what the U.S plans to do next week, which is to introduce a UN resolution seeking tough action against Zimbabwe to send ‘a strong message of deterrence’ to the regime - according to the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

‘The AU can start by calling for new free and fair elections that are monitored by the international community, after which they should consider sanctions against Mugabe if he refuses to comply,’ Dziya said.
But on Sunday China balked at US calls for a UN arms embargo on Zimbabwe, despite an appeal by Rice for immediate strong international action to end the political violence.

Reports said Rice and her Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi, met in Beijing to discuss US plans to introduce both an arms embargo and a travel ban on Mugabe’s regime.

Rice told a press conference that the situation in the country had deteriorated to a very grave level. ‘We believe that it is really now time for the international community to act strongly, but we are consulting about what measures might be taken,’ she said.

Cosatu urges Africa not to recognize Mugabe ‘win’

By Tererai Karimakwenda
Sun June 28, 2008

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) on Sunday announced the results of the presidential runoff between Robert Mugabe and - Robert Mugabe. MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from the race a week before the poll, citing massive violence and intimidation, including the assassination of nearly 100 of it’s key officials.

Even before any of the ‘results’ were out Mugabe was claiming an overwhelming win. According to ZEC, Mugabe won the election with 85.51 percent of the vote, receiving 2,150,269 votes compared to 233,000 for Tsvangirai, whose name had been left on the ballots. There were 131,481 spoilt ballots.

Announcing the winner, the chief elections officer Lovemore Sekeramayi said: "I therefore declare the said Mugabe, Robert Gabriel, the duly elected president of the Republic of Zimbabwe," As soon as results were announced, the Congress of South African Trade Unions released a strongly worded statement urging African countries to refuse to recognise Robert Mugabe as the legitimate head of state of Zimbabwe. COSATU appealed to them to bar Mugabe from attending any meetings of the African Union or SADC.

COSATU spokesperson Patrick Craven explained that Africa should not legitimise the rule of a dictator who is imposing his will through violence and intimidation.

He said: “The African leaders should recognise an interim government that would organise proper elections that are free and fair. Mugabe lost his mandate on March 29 and they should not invite him to any AU meetings.”