The Ballot Cannot Replace The Bullet In Zimbabwe

By Citizen Correspondent George Nyathi
Date Posted: 06/30/08 Reader Rating:

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES. The Zimbabwean presidential election runoff is over and done with. My fellow countrymen and women can now heave a sigh of relief that this troublesome event, which had cause so much pain, grief, and anxiety for many political activists and observers and non-political players has come and gone. We now need to look ahead and map the best way in which our country can recover from this political madness.

Our economy as well as political and social spheres need healing, and the task now is to look at how we can heal the nation of the wounds that were created by immature political decisions and actions.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has said that more than 90 of its supporters have been killed in political violence while hundreds of thousands have been injured and displaced as a result of the upsurge of violence against pro-opposition supporters. President Robert Mugabe forged ahead last week and staged his one-man election in which he declared himself winner over MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai. Tsvangirai pulled out of the presidential race a week before the run-off, stating he could no “longer continue with the fight for the presidential seat as I risk becoming a president of dead bodies.” He said he had so much respect for human sanctity and life that he could not continue sacrificing the lives of Zimbabweans so as to achieve political office.

Other African leaders are now calling for the African Union to suspend Mugabe and bring in peace forces to ensure a fair election. This slideshow bears true testimony of what had befallen Zimbabweans in the run-up to the elections held on Friday.