WISANI WA KA NGOBENI, JASPREET KINDRA and SAPA | Friday
THE huge complexity of the task facing South African observers of the Zimbabwe election was thrown into relief this week when senior observer Brigalia Bam warned that her team was powerless to act against politically motivated violence.
Bam, chairperson of South Africa’s Independent Electoral Commission, told SAfm the mission did not have a true monitoring role and had limited powers. It had received several complaints from Zimbabweans claiming that the police were taking sides with the ruling Zanu-PF, but these were hard to pin down.
Her comments followed the observer team’s first public complaint about security force behaviour in the run-up to Zimbabwe’s March 9 to 10 presidential election. The team said police had apparently failed to intervene in two violent clashes in Harare.
Bam said the situation on the ground in Zimbabwe made it very difficult for the observer mission to prove allegations against police, as members could not always be where violence was happening.
“Most of the time we get to the scene of violence after the incident,” she said, adding that it was not easy to reach rural areas.”
Bam said the people of Zimbabwe had huge expectations of the observer mission – even though it was unable to act. “We are observers, not monitors.
At least monitors can do something. We cannot do anything even if we witness a violent act. We are powerless.”
Sam Motsuenyane, head of the South African observer mission, said his group was also planning to investigate areas the opposition said were sealed off to its campaigners. Opposition officials said ruling party militants have set up militia bases in these “no-go” areas from which they are launching violent government-backed forays into surrounding voter districts. This is confirmed by human rights groups.
Motsuenyane’s representative, Mbulelo Musi, said the observer team had decided to concentrate on flashpoints in six regions. These were Harare, Mutare, Kweru, Karori, Masvingo and Bulawayo.
Musi said that in conjunction with the Southern African Development Community and Commonwealth observer team, the South Africans were still trying to determine what level of violence would render the election unfree and unfair. The build-up was more important than what happened on polling day.
However, he believed there was still potential for a credible poll.
South Africa’s first group of 13 observers arrived in Zimbabwe last Wednesday. Frustrated by Zimbabwe’s refusal to let its observers freely monitor the elections, the European Union imposed targeted sanctions against ruling party members on Monday and ordered its observer team home.
Motsuenyane said the group was “very disturbed” by violence in the Harare township of Epworth on Saturday and in downtown Harare on Monday. “It is alleged the police were present and did not act to prevent the incidents.
This is a matter of great concern. We will look into the matter with the relevant authorities,” he said.
In Epworth, five opposition supporters were injured in clashes with ruling party militants on their way to a rally where Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, was scheduled to speak.
The opposition party said the venue was then switched to a vacant lot next to the Epworth police station after police insisted they could not protect the larger site.
Also on Monday, the opposition’s headquarters in Harare was stoned during a march by thousands of ruling-party militants. Motsuenyane said office windows were broken and some people were injured while police stood by.
Police later said it was opposition activists who attacked the ruling party procession – a charge the opposition denies.
Motsuenyane said the withdrawal of EU observers was unfortunate. “To assist Zimbabwe in having free and credible elections” was “a daunting task that requires as many observers and monitors as possible”.
South Africa has 25 official observers in Zimbabwe and about another 30 were expected before the election. The Commonwealth of former British territories has 10, with more scheduled to arrive on Friday. The EU was to have deployed 150 observers.
Motsuenyane also criticised the government’s decision to bar most South Africa media organisations from covering the election.
Several international media organisations, including AP, have also been refused official accreditation.
Applications for accreditation by South African journalists in almost all major publications were turned down by the Zimbabwean authorities earlier this week. It was learned that newspaper groups’ association with media groups based in Europe was the reason for the Zimbabwean authorities’ disapproval.
After an intervention on Tuesday by the South African National Editors’ Forum led by its chairperson Mathatha Tsedu, accompanied by the South African High Commissioner Jerry Ndou, the Zimbabwean government agreed to reconsider its earlier decision.
At the time of going to press only a journalist from Beeld had received accreditation. The Sunday Times, the Independent group and the Mail & Guardian had still to hear from the authorities.