One of the great things about being part of a network of a wide variety of Zimbabweans is the comments and suggestions that we get at Kubatana.net. Here are some of the most recent ones:

Please if you can contact the MDC Tsvangirai. A recount must not be done. Who was keeping the boxes? Zanu can easily replace the boxes or open the old boxes and remove all the MDC ballot papers. When votes were counted all parties were present and they agreed but when the boxes were moved not all parties were present. – Andrew

It is clear that Mugabe and Zanu heavies do not want to relinquish power despite losing the elections. They will a lot of delaying tactics, counting on the docility of Zimbabweans. It’s no secret that Mugabe can steal our victory from right under our noses and Zimbabweans will just sit back and do nothing: Who wants to be shot down by Mugabe loyalists? What’s the way forward? We should avoid a situation that will force Mugabe to shoot us. Believe me; to Mugabe shooting to death tens of thousands of people to retain power is a walk in the park: He has done it before. So what should the people do? Should we wait patiently? For what? We should do something, but avoid the streets. As I see it, we do not have a legitimate government in power so we should stop obeying the government: Stop paying our bills, stop going to work. In other words make the country ungovernable until Mugabe relinquishes power, but by all means avoid the streets. At all costs.Do you catch my drift? – Shepherd

As we are going to have Independence day very soon on the 18th April, who is going to give the speech as a president because for now we are not having the president. And for the interest’s sake are there any preparations for the day. You know guys Zim is a funny country. – Melody

Let us go out there and wait somewhere everyday. Simply go to the ZEC offices sit outside and wait. Nobody goes to work. We wait. I’m tired of the arrogance. Nobody should be allowed to mess with a nation’s collective voice, the ballot! – Timothy

Its a pity this country is ruled by the army, no wonder why it has collapsed. Kusvika rini Mugabe achingozvuzvurudzwa semwana naChiwenga naShiri? – Felicitas

Could it have been a strategy by the government to introduce new tax bands at a time people are preoccupied with elections results. I realise that people are more keenly following the drama unfolding regarding elections without impressing upon ZCTU to make the proposed taxation levels an issue with government.Was it also a planned thing to introduce this issue when there is no sworn in cabinet. In any case, was it proper for a ‘cabinet minister’ to announce these taxation changes after dissolution of cabinet. So effectively we do not have any minister to address our issues to? I think I might be lost here. Advise me. – Alfonzy

A book worth having a flip through is Kurt Schock’s Unarmed Insurrections: people power movements in nondemocracies. In a section on multiple channels of resistance, he has this to say . . .

Participation in a nondemocratic regime’s channels of political participation is not likely to succeed unless combined with noninstitutional pressure. In the Philippines, segments of the oppostion participated in Marcos’s institutionalised channels, yet they continued to exert noninstitutional pressure as well. In Burma, by contrast, after the military crackdown the opposition focused on the regime-controlled election campaigning leading up to the May 1990 elections without maintaining sufficient noninstitutional pressure against the regime. The opposition won the elections, but was demobilised and unable to force the government to step down as in the Philippines, where campaigns of nonviolent action were implemented concomitantly with participation in elections, and civil disobedience was implemented when Marcos refused to step aside.

The power to disrupt is vital to a challenge, and it should not be given up in exchange for participation in channels controlled by the state.

Words of advice for the pro-democracy movement in Zimbabwe?

Morgan Tsvangirai and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) are just no match for Mugabe and his Zanu PF cohorts. Sad but true. Let’s reflect on the last few weeks:

- The MDC campaigned brilliantly in the election
- Zimbabweans voted out Mugabe and Zanu PF
- The MDC claimed victory, and sat back
- Zanu PF delayed the announcement of election results to facilitate their rigging and to find a way to stay in power
- Zanu PF reverts to the tried and tested pattern of resorting to the courts – really a smokescreen for even longer delays and provides for the mollification of our regional neighbours

In the meantime everyone in the pro-democracy movement and the political opposition in Zimbabwe say that “patience” is needed.

The net result of this patience has been a loss of momentum from a victorious declaration.

The loss of momentum and no clear plan on the part of the MDC has seen a strengthened Zanu PF.

This patience has given Zanu PF time to ban political meetings and rallies.

This patience has given Zanu PF time to deploy police and military on our streets, in the townships and rural areas.

This patience has given Zanu PF time to implement a campaign of violence and fresh land invasions.

What is clear is that the MDC yet again thought that an election alone would guarantee Mugabe’s exit.

Now we have word that the MDC has called for a general strike starting on Tuesday. Apparently the MDC has distributed some fliers publicising this strike and had intended to use a rally today to give it further publicity.

But it is yet another MDC initiative launched from satellite TV, doomed to fail because they haven’t engaged the necessary advocacy and lobbying of key stakeholders – business leaders, transport operators, banks (etc). Ask any regular person walking the streets of Harare today and they’ll give you a blank stare when you mention the general strike.

So then some suggestions . . .

1) Prepare properly for a general strike
2) Lead rolling sit-ins at the location where ZEC will be recounting the 23 constituencies
3) Groups of Zanu PF youth should hand out information materials at all intersections in major cities to keep people up to date on developments
4) The approximately 130 opposition MPs and Senators must unify and publicly protest the subversion of the recent election
5) Civil society coalitions should come together to inspire public participation in non-violent public initiatives demanding the immediate announcement of the presidential result
6) Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC leadership must be seen on the streets of Zimbabwe… our freedom will not be secured through regional and international intervention; it will be won by Zimbabweans

Just as many of us went out to vote for change a couple of weeks ago, now we must unify and give Mugabe what he really doesn’t want, or expect: mass civil disobedience.

Our “patience” helps him more than it helps us.

Looking back at our blogs – the persistent theme is “waiting” . . . and I was reminded of a beautiful piece of writing from Fools & other stories by Njabulo S Ndebele:

If the fish in a river
boiled by the midday sun
can wait for the coming of evening,
we too can wait
in this wind-frosted land,
the spring will come,
the spring will come.

If the reeds in winter
can dry up
and seem dead
and then rise in the spring,
we too will survive the fire that is coming
the fire that is coming,
we too will survive the fire that is coming.

I’ve just come back from a Friday lunchtime prayer meeting organised by the Christian Alliance. When Amanda and I got to the Baptist Hall on Fife Avenue there were hardly any people in the room. We swayed to and fro listening to the singing. Soon the room filled to capacity with Zimbabweans in every chair, leaning up against the walls and sitting on the floor.

The mood was defiant and outraged. Declarations of protecting the vote thundered from the people gathered. We left just before the meeting ended and sat outside eating frozen red freezits to cool down. As the congregation emerged from the hall a procession formed making its way into town down Second Street. But around the corner came a swarm of blue uniformed, helmeted, baton and teargas wielding riot police. Menacing doesn’t come close.

My response, almost everyone’s response, was Fear. The most immediate reaction was to Run. People scattered, and then re-formed and then scattered again. In town the riot police positioned themselves in large groups at intersections, waiting and watching.

Now I’m sitting at my desk, back in the office, drinking coffee under slow turning ceiling fans and listening to that jet fighter buzz our sky again. Anger, fear, outrage, fatigue, dismay – a gamut of emotions flood me. But I’m also in awe of the people who gathered today, who were passionate enough to show up and in solidarity say, we object.

It’s about 3:45 in the afternoon and one of Mugabe’s jet fighters is buzzing our Harare skies. As much as I hate it my skin involuntarily goose pimples. It’s intimidating, it’s threatening and it’s a fucking waste of fuel. Here on the ground, we breathe in deeply, swallow our distaste and we get on with our work.

And, we have a laugh . . . Mugabe: R.I.P (Rigging In Process)