Well, I’ve been on a hiatus for 2 weeks just observing the
activities and happenings on the Zimbabwe elections. How the hell did we manage to
live without the internet? One thing’s for certain, the information is
out there, and when it comes down to the crunch nothing can be swept under the carpet.
No vote rigging, violence, false arrests or corruption will go unseen and
unreported.
The good news is that internet is covering all aspects of
the Zimbabwean election, from on the ground voter registration blogging to
campaigning and even neutral observations. The blogs are colossal and illimitable
and some of the websites tremendous. The reservoir of information is so
extensive and boundless that one has to be careful how they take it all in. There
will always some dodgy reporting, but it’s up to the reader to be intelligent
enough to sieve through the data and eliminate the rubbish. It is important that both the writer and reader
are able to differentiate between opinion and fact. A note to all writers - We can
all have our own opinions but we can’t have our own facts!
On the campaign circuit there has been a change in campaign
strategy, with ZANU PF trying to sell RGM as ‘Mr Nice Guy’ through his Facebook
campaign and even appearing Dali Tambo’s People of the South Show. I’m not sure
how this direction has worked-out for ZANU however one senses that it may have
back-fired as it has drawn a lot of ugly debate within and outside Zimbabwe. Meanwhile
Morgan has held what seems like a dignified and softer Facebook campaign, however
I’m not sure if this will be enough to gain him victory over the ZANU campaign,
especially when it switches to aggressive mode.
Then we have the issue of the incongruous court ruling
stating that the Election must be held before August 2013. But again as Zimbos
nothing shocks us anymore – who knows, this could work as an advantage for the
common man on the ground with ZANU PF not having too much time to set up the
ground-work for their physical assault on the masses.
As I’ve already stated, whatever happens the world is
watching and the news keeps rolling. Anything and everything that’s said and
done will be recorded and reported, whoever you are or you think you are...
A shout-out to Trevor
Ncube and his team for starting up the latest independent newspaper in Zimbabwe
– The Southern Eye. You are true
pioneers!
We
are Watching...
Melusi Sibanda –
Information & Publicity Secretary ROHRZim/Bradford Bunch
