Zimbabwe goes to the polls. Will this be another stitch up.

[geared 302]

Well the Korean war was going pretty well until half of China poured across the border to join in.

 

The US/South had the North on the run and chased pretty much to the border with China.

[Electerrific 14]

Well the Korean war was going pretty well until half of China poured across the border to join in.

 

The US/South had the North on the run and chased pretty much to the border with China.

Yes, my point was that the US didn't "steer clear" of China. Actually it ebbed and flowed, hence the 38th parallel which still has a de-militarised zone today.

[Harleyman 12]

We don't live there, it has nothing to do with us so we should have no opinions on world events.

 

Strange comment coming from you of all people. You seem to have plenty of opinions on what's good for Americans and you dont even live here either

[ronthenekred 10]

Strange comment coming from you of all people. You seem to have plenty of opinions on what's good for Americans and you dont even live here either

 

Whoooooosh"

 

Not strange at all when you consider liz like you spout inane comments like "you don't even live here/there" or "what has it to do with SF posters if Americans love guns". Irony is lost on you Joe, it went straight over your head. I'm quite forgiving towards very old people though, it's the carer in me.

 

 

As for Mugabe, as long as he holds the reigns it'll be a stitch up, bit like Bush2.

[frank ryan 10]

Strange comment coming from you of all people. You seem to have plenty of opinions on what's good for Americans and you dont even live here either

 

bloody keyboard warriors on provincial forums eh!!!

 

tsskkk

[andygardener 10]

There are already rumours that the fix is on.

 

Mugabe won't go down without a fight.

 

I think Mugabe would love to go now, the army commanders who know they're going to be doing a musollini from a lamp post the minute ZANU-PF give up power have other ideas though.

[Harleyman 12]

Whoooooosh"

 

Not strange at all when you consider liz like you spout inane comments like "you don't even live here/there" or "what has it to do with SF posters if Americans love guns". Irony is lost on you Joe, it went straight over your head. I'm quite forgiving towards very old people though, it's the carer in me.

 

 

As for Mugabe, as long as he holds the reigns it'll be a stitch up, bit like Bush2.

 

Since you want to get personal I for my part have nothing against gays. In fact they're allowed to get hitched legally now in California.

 

Toodly hoo for now !

[lizmachin 10]

I think Mugabe would love to go now, the army commanders who know they're going to be doing a musollini from a lamp post the minute ZANU-PF give up power have other ideas though.

 

 

Mugabe won't stand down and will do anything to hold on to power. He control a massive blood diamond mine in the north that is jointly run by the Chinese. It's run like a concentration camp worked by slave labour and political opponents.

 

 

http://www.psmag.com/politics/are-conflict-diamonds-rigging-todays-zimbabwe-elections-63711/

 

Zimbabwe goes to the polls today. London-based resource watchdog Global Witness, which tracks conflict or “blood” diamonds, is accusing President Robert Mugabe of rigging the elections using connections and income from the country’s extensive diamond fields. The accusation, which the group claims is based on research on the ground—we can’t independently confirm the findings, but they’re provocative and well-documented enough to note—goes like this:

 

In 2008, Zimbabwe’s army seized a rich diamond mining center called Marange. Zimbabwe’s state diamond company took over the mines. They did this by striking partnerships with a series of local and international companies that were working the Marange diamond fields. Those companies tended to have Zimbabwean military chiefs as major stakeholders. Global Witness’ version of the story suggests several generals had used the army to take the fields, handed them to a puppet agency, and in that tidy manner, got themselves into the diamond business:

 

Last year the deputy minister of mines admitted that Zimbabwe’s largest diamond mining company, Anjin, is 40% owned by Zimbabwe Defence Industries, a private arms company wholly owned by the Ministry of Defence. He stated that a further 10% is held by state-owned mining company Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC). However our research has shown that ZMDC used another company, Matt Bronze, to incorporate its share in Anjin. Matt Bronze’s principal officer is Brigadier Charles Tarumbwa, a senior lawyer in the Ministry of Defence. An affidavit in the corporate registry indicates that Tarumbwa is a significant shareholder in Anjin.

 

This raises concerns that Tarumbwa is receiving revenues from Anjin on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. Our research also showed that a second ZMDC joint venture, Mbada, is 25% owned by a company linked to Air Vice-Marshall Robert Mhlanga, a close confidante of Robert Mugabe, again pointing to possible off-budget funding to ZANU’s inner circle.

 

So Global Witness appears to have proven that members of the Mugabe government essentially nationalized a valuable diamond-mining region and several high-ranking officers profited personally. How do we know those profits are actually going to election-rigging today?

 

From there the case appears entirely circumstantial. Global Witness says the diamonds-generals-Mugabe chain “could” be finding its way into today’s elections. It seems easily possible from afar. But that link isn’t established yet. Human Rights Watch took a run at it last month, noting in slightly greater detail how Zimbabwe’s election commission is largely made up of military staff, and military staff are largely in control of the diamond trade—and loyal to Mugabe.

 

Crucial outstanding electoral reforms include reforms to a Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) whose secretariat staff has been dominated by state intelligence and military officials. While ZEC has new commissioners, the secretariat staff is largely the same pro ZANU-PF team [ZANU-PF is Mugabe's political party] that worked for previous commissions. Several senior ZEC staff are either serving or retired members of the security forces drawn from the CIO, the army, and the police.

 

Still, as Zimbabweans go to the polls, the case for diamond-fueled corruption passes a smell test but remains far from proven. At least by the international observers pushing it today. And with the polls still open, we’ve yet to start seeing any on-the-ground testimony of vote buying, or investigation of where any such buying would have gotten its funds. Does the case for a diamond-fueled rigged election make intuitive sense? Sure. The dots are all there. But no one’s connected them—including us; we’re not in Zimbabwe today. We’ve put in a few calls to election observers in Harare, and we’ll update the story if and when we hear back.

 

There’s also the small matter of the election outcome itself. If by the end of the day we learn that President-for-life Mugabe has lost, and then he actually steps down, then the accusation looks very different. In that case, the accusation was either wrong, or, more interestingly, the diamond money (read: the military) decided to back someone else. In a few hours we’ll know.

Edited August 1, 2013 by lizmachin

[Peer Gynt 10]

Zimbabwe goes to the polls. Will this be another stitch up.

 

Just depends which way you swing, if you're anti shale fracking rip off yes, if you think that the government was right to rip us off over North Sea Oil & Gas no.

[geared 302]

Your attempt to divert the thread to talk about what you want was, err pathetic!

 

Back on track and the MDC have already said the vote was heavily rigged and they 'declare it null and void'

 

Looks to me like the military indicated they want Mugabae in still, so no doubt Zanu-PF will be declared winners soon enough.

[andygardener 10]

It's certainly an unusual country demographically if the voter lists are to be believed. A devil of a lot of folks in their 80s 90s and 100s and about three 18 years olds seems a little odd for a nation where the life expectancy is 51.

[Jeffrey Shaw 90]

Yesterday, The Times carried a pithy cartoon. It showed Mugabe thanking his electorate for next day returning him to power.

Imagine what a slagging-off he'd receive were he not a Person of Colour...