Howard Barrell The multiparty South African parliamentary delegation that observed the Zimbabwean elections in June is approaching consensus that the poll was credible and reflected the will of the people. But, because of the violence that marked the run-up to Zimbabwe’s elections, the delegation is unlikely to characterise them as having been “free and fair”, according to MPs on the delegation. The delegation – criticised for not having completed its report nearly two months after the elections – met this week to consider a draft report, to which far-reaching amendments were suggested. A new draft is due to be presented at a further meeting of the delegation within the next two weeks. The final report will be presented to Frene Ginwala, parliamentary Speaker, and will then be debated in the National Assembly. Twenty MPs – from the African National Congress (12), Democratic Party (three), National Party (two), Inkatha Freedom Party (two) and African Christian Democratic Party (one) – visited Zimbabwe for a few weeks in June. The delegation was led by ANC chief whip Tony Yengeni. A majority of MPs on the delegation are understood to have taken the view that they could not condemn the outcome of an election which had, in the main, been accepted by all the major Zimbabwean political parties. Although the delegation was concerned at the level of violence and intimidation in the run-up to the election, its members are generally agreed that the conduct of the actual polling on June 24 and 25 was good. In its report on the election, The Commonwealth accused Zanu-PF of using “a strategy of systematic violence” to crush opposition support, but gave no clear judgement on whether it believed the elections free and fair. European Union monitors noted that the scale of violence and intimidation in the run-up to the campaign and during the election period had marred the final result, while United States monitors said the elections fell short of free and fair.