The Herald (state owned): “We have been following what the newspapers have been saying, but today we had a very encouraging and informative briefing from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.” — South African government observer team leader Membathisi Mdladlana.
The Financial Gazette (semi-independent): “As we move towards March 31 elections, there are distortions that are already appearing in the media both here at home and internationally with increasing and sickening regularity. It could be political expedience that peddlers of such information sacrifice fact for fiction.” — Zimbabwe’s Commissioner of Police, Augustine Chihuri, responding to opposition claims of resurgence of violence.
“The polarisation we see within the international community … replicates the polarisation within the country itself … the lack of consensus on the Zimbabwean question has been a major stumbling block.” — Zimbabwe political analyst Eldred Masunugure.
Zimbabwe Independent (independent): “We applied for 6 500 observers to be accredited and we are still waiting for government’s response.” — Zimbabwe Election Support Network director Rindai Chipfunde.
“We are convinced that this is for election purposes. Government realises that implementing the sharp increases proposed in the Budget could cost Zanu-PF heavily in the March 31 election.” — Harare resident, on shelving of the 2005 Budget and rates increases.
The Sunday Mail (state owned): “Before and after President Mugabe was convincingly re-elected in 2002 against the forecasts of the MDC and the international community, a number of Rhodesian-supported radio stations were set up in the country to spread anti-Zanu-PF messages.”
“SW Radio Africa, a station heavily sponsored by ex-Rhodesians to illegally transmit pro-opposition and imperialist propaganda to Zimbabwe, is falsely claiming that the government is blocking its broadcast signals.” — A commentary. — Cheri-Ann James and Molatsi Lebea
Poll watch
Zanu-PF candidate for Makokoba, Sihle Thebe, in the presence of party vice-president Joyce Mujuru, told residents that they would be denied food if they voted for the opposition.
A Zimbabwe army major has been tasked with handling the accreditation of foreign journalists wishing to cover the election.
State security agents prevented Philip Chiyangwa, the former Zanu-PF Mashonaland chairperson, from entering a stadium where President Robert Mugabe was speaking. The agents were allegedly acting on Mugabe’s orders. Chiyangwa stands accused of spying on his party for the South African government.
The United States State Department issued a travel warning this week, saying that tourists traveling to Zimbabwe may risk harm because of the country’s history of violence before elections. The warning did note that reports of violence are running well below previous election levels.
The Zimbabwe Supreme Court has reversed the ban on The Daily News. The paper was closed in September 2003. This week the court ruled that the government-controlled Media and Information Commission should not have ordered the paper to stop publishing.
Amnesty International in its latest report on Zimbabwe said: “There have been significantly fewer reports of politically motivated violence in the run-up to the March elections than was the case with the elections in 2000 and 2002.” However, it notes that many observers feel this “is part of a government strategy to ensure the elections are free from overt political violence, while using … non-violent tactics to intimidate voters.” — Lloyd Gedye