In an earlier post I remarked on how the Zimbabwe dollar had devalued hugely on the parallel market in the run up to Zimbabwe’s ‘harmonised’ elections.

Who wanted foreign currency badly enough to pay hand over fist for it? The businesses and organizations whose foreign currency accounts (FCAs) had been robbed by Gideon Gono, governor of the Reserve Bank at the end of 2007? Hardly likely as there aren’t enough of these local businesses operating at sufficient capacity to finance a jump from paying 4.75 million to 65 million Zimbabwe dollars for 1 US dollar, in 8 weeks.

Funny how there was suddenly farm equipment galore to give away in the weeks before the election. And plenty of helicopter trips for Mugabe to address the nation at uncountable rallies before the March 29 elections. Seems there must be a connection.

Straight after the elections were held, the rate ‘plummeted’ for a week – down to 30 million to 1 US dollar.

Today, the rate is 85 million to the US dollar and rising fast.

So, what’s driving it back up again?

My feeling is that the regime is spending quadrillions on preparing the nation (especially the rural areas) for a runoff. Beating the rural population doesn’t come cheap. That kind of deployment requires fuel for transport, food for militias and army responsible for the beatings, extra wages – who would commit this kind of violence on their usual pay cheque?

Fuel & food are in short supply in Zimbabwe – but Zim dollars are easy to print – so our illegitimate government is the most likely to be driving the rate up.

Oh and don’t forget the innumerable times our one and a half jets have flown to and fro above our heads in the past week. That’s an expensive exercise in a country without foreign currency inflows.

I haven’t begun to talk about the reserves of tear gas they’ll need to be building up to ‘manage’ everyone when they wrap up their final subversion of the ‘harmonised’ election through re-counts and a runoff.

We need to put our heads together and work our how to starve the beast that beats us.

I’m wondering what it will take for Zimbabweans to rise up and liberate themselves.

I’m hearing that the “brilliant and vainglorious” Mugabe has organised two of Zimbabwe’s most popular soccer teams, Dynamos and Highlanders, to play at Gwanzura Stadium during the Independence Celebrations on Friday.

A young man has written to Kubatana asking us to forward his “plea” to people to boycott the Independence celebrations even if they want to see their favourite soccer stars in action. But I guarantee you that the stadium will be full of Zimbabweans wanting some free entertainment even though they will be addressed by the man who has just stolen their vote.

Where are your balls boys? If you go to Gwanzura make sure to drown the old man out with songs of true liberation, jeer, laugh, invade the pitch but Do Something.

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

The rollercoaster ride that has ensued since we cast our ballots in the March 29, 2008 “Harmonised” elections has left many of us dejected and demoralized.

We saw Zanu (PF) briefly lost for words as the magnitude of their defeat became apparent in the first few days of counting. Unhappily for us they have recovered their poisonous form and have now set their shoulder to the task of formally rigging the results.

Much criticism can be directed at the MDC(Tsvangirai), MDC(Mutambara) and Makoni camps for letting Zanu (PF) take a breathe and regroup. The fact that they have still not formed a coalition to resist Zanu (PF)’s determined attempts to steal the election is self-defeating.

As much as any of the opposition constructs may be able to lay claims to the most votes or the most integrity or the most internal Zanu (PF) support, none of them, on their own, is a match for the desperate regime that still clings to power.

What legitimacy does Robert Mugabe or his interim ‘cabinet’ have? None but that which we as a nation accord them by continuing to work through the discredited entities they have set up or influence.

• The High Court as evidenced by Justice Tendai Uchena’s reluctance to act swiftly in the face of impending electoral fraud is undermined and not worthy of our participation.
• The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission headed by High Court judge Justice George Mutandwa Chiweshe has acted in a manner that leaves no doubt that they are heavily biased towards Zanu (PF) and totally spineless.
• The police force set to guard the ballot boxes after voting day is notoriously partisan and inclined to ‘follow orders’.
• The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings is Zanu (PF)’s propaganda umbrella for radio, television and print media and purports to inform the nation on the ‘truth of the matter’.
• SADC, epitomised by Thabo Mbeki, is a deaf, blind, mute construct determined to allow the worst kind of white collar crime – electoral fraud – to be perpetuated. They would have us believe that unless blood is spilled in volumes here, there is no crisis in Zimbabwe. In fact, their paucity of vision and leadership epitomises the crisis we have in Africa.

So here comes the hard part. We have to pool our collective imagination, stamina and determination to resist Zanu (PF)’s attempts to ‘claim’ these elections through their corrupt entities and efforts. As tired as we may feel, this time we have to beat Zanu (PF) at their game.

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.

Are anarchists born or created by circumstances in which they find themselves? African politics would seem to point to the latter. Self made anarchists you would say! We have in Zimbabwe a whole nation reeling under hardships with everyone including the mighty World Bank saying this is something that has never been seen outside a war zone. Interesting then the fires of a war zone are apparently being stoked as the nation awaits the outcome of March 29 polls, with the people’s party Zanu PF leading at the last count.

Someone asked an important question that has always lingered in the country’s political discourse: do rural folks honestly “adore” Zanu PF? And this was asked in the aftermath of the party of blood (bloody party if you fancy) registering mad votes in rural areas where the likes of Joice Mujuru, Bright Matonga etc claimed ridiculously huge votes. The profits of the Farm Mechanisation Programme perhaps?

But one has to take the pulse in the urban streets since the 29th of March – the people have had it, and if they are not pushed to anarchy and wild orgies of protests then it remains in the domain of the esoteric as one attempts to decipher why Zimbabweans will never rise and claim their right to a better life.