HARARE – Ahead of the June 2000 parliamentary elections, the Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI) produced a pre-election survey, which predicted that the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) would win 75 seats out of the 120 seats in Parliament. The late director of MPOI, Professor Masipula Sithole accounted for the deficit in the predicted seats…
HARARE – Zimbabweans dread wading in dangerous political waters which have, in the past, brought death, pain and sad memories in our history. We all know the emotive debate on Gukurahundi and how relatives of those slain in the crackdown have not recovered from the gruesome acts. There are memories of the aftermath of March…
HARARE – It was my first time to hear of it. But you can count on the state media to come up with something outlandish that will make your day. Early this week we woke up to a strange headline in The Herald: “Tsvangirai snubs Mudenge funeral.” Can a funeral be snubbed? Is it compulsory…
HARARE – History has a long list of corporate socialites so overwhelmed by snobbery that they consider the only attention they deserve as blandishments that stroke their ego. With that mentality of self-importance, some socialites are convinced they can proscribe the media. History also recites a slew of instances when fiery critics of the elite…
HARARE – Weaving through the human traffic jungle on my way to Fourth Street Bus Termini, I bumped into a young graduate from a local university. After his studies, he expected immediate employment but because of the job freeze in the civil service, the young man who graduated with an honours degree in nursing science…
HARARE – My maternal grandmother died a few years ago in her 90s. A few months before her death, she had heard what she called a familiar voice on ZBC TV, the voice of President Robert Mugabe; she was astonished to hear that the man was still in power. For many fortunate to have relatives…
HARARE – The trouble with defending the indefensible is that sooner or later the apologist runs out of arguments to peddle and ends up advancing points that vindicate the position of those who see things from the opposite side of the fence. This is what appears to have happened to Zambian president, Michael Sata, a…
HARARE – Stan Mudenge should have been at home, retired on health grounds and recuperating. Instead, he nearly suffered the indignity of dying in public. Tragically but thankfully, he collapsed in the relative privacy of his hotel room, away from the audience he was to address. But it should not have reached this point. Mudenge…
HARARE – Now that President Robert Mugabe has signed into law the Electoral Act we hope that other cogs crucial for ensuring a free and fair election will follow. The Electoral Act that among other things sets a timeframe on poll results announcement as well as confront the violence scourge emblematic of the country’s troubled…
HARARE – Once again the election season is upon us and we are encouraged by statements from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai that he will only participate in elections that are observed by African Union, Sadc and United Nations. Election observers from Sadc, the AU and UN are critical for the next general election as their…
