Mugabe clings on despite election defeat
You can tell that there's no oil in Zim - this is un-bloody-believable!!! :evil: From the Guardian Mugabe clings on despite election defeat President blocks release of official results as opposition claims victory Robert Mugabe was desperately trying to cling to power last night, despite his clear defeat in Zimbabwe's presidential election, by blocking the electoral commission from releasing official results and threatening to treat an opposition claim of victory as a coup.

...but not at all surprising.

Looks like he's on his way out: Deal 'may let Robert Mugabe flee to safe haven and dodge prosecution' THE end of Robert Mugabe's reign looked to be drawing near last night as senior aides tried to negotiate a "safe haven" deal for the 84-year-old dictator in South Africa, following his likely defeat by Morgan Tsvangirai in last weekend's presidential polls. Mr Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe with an iron grip since 1980, has been told he is trailing the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader in preliminary results sources said. It emerged yesterday that the president's right-hand man, Emmerson Mnangagwa, flew to Pretoria on Monday to discuss plans for a safe haven, which would see Mr Mugabe immune from prosecution at The Hague. Another option for Mr Mugabe may be to fly to Malaysia. Last night, in his first public appearance since the election, Mr Tsvangirai said his party was not involved in the deal. At a news conference, the MDC leader insisted: "Let me inform you there is no way the MDC will enter into any deal before the electoral commission has announced the results. "Let's wait for the election commission to complete its work, then we can discuss the circumstances that will affect the people," he said. He added: "Robert Mugabe has said he's an honest man. I hope that when the results are announced, it's a true reflection of the vote and there's no reason to investigate fraud." Full story: http://news.scotsman.com/la-*test*-('")news/Deal-39may-let-Robert-Mugabe.3936584.jp

I hope and, if I was religious, I'd pray that Zim is finally rid of Mugabe but I can't believe that it would be so easy. I know a few people who are, quite literally, keeping the champagne on ice ready to drink to his departure. Zim, which has more potential than any other country that I've visited, has fallen so far, even from when I went nine years ago when it was starting to go seriously downhill with the farm invasions by the 'war vets'. Even if Mugabe goes, I think that it will take at least a decade before this fabulous country is back on its feet. I'd like to go back there and see it prospering again.

A decade, Sir P? In your wildest dreams! Mugabe and his thugs have chased away all the empire builders, managers, wealth and employment creators. He has also pursued a policy of genocide against the Matabele, who were always the herdsmen. Bit like the UK, actually, all the good guys have been squashed and only the shits and the scum have gravitated to the top in both politics and business. I used to have lots to do with Africa (particularly West) in the late 70s and early 80s. One day I'll tell you guys a most fascinating tale about Mr Mugabe and an election: and the Central Bank................................... Make your hair curl! :roll:

That's ice-cold water, PS, but you're probably right. Zim is in one hell of a mess at the moment.

Sir P: of all the African states, presented their freedom by the FCO (bunch of Oxbridge tossers chasing their pensions and titles) after the Paedophilic PM, Super Mac gave his "Winds of change" speech, each and every one descended into chaos, anarchy and economic ruin. Rhodesia was the most verdant, the most self-supporting and the most successful. Mugabe chased the white farmers and businessmen away within, mainly, five years. Even Kenya, a success for years, has now descended into prototypical African chaos. Yet despite all this, thanks to tossers like David Owen et al, who believed in the single dictum of freedom and self-rule, with no strings attached, the West, including the IMF and World bank and most G8 nations, have been throwing aid at these despotic states with gay abandon for years. Africa reverted to its primeaval roots: not surprising, really, as tribal hatred and warfare had been going on for over 10,000 years and the leaders simply took the aid monies and left their people on the edge of starvation: so the West started hosts of charities to try and square the fiscal circle. As Dr David Livingstone said, "Oh my poor African! he has to move from the stone age to the 20th cent in less than 100 years!" Hardly surprisingly, they haven't and they won't. When you've been educated at either Patrice Lumuba Uni in Moscow or in Peking that's not a big surprise really is it! :roll:

While we in the West criticise but do nothing, the Chinese see Mugabe's continuing rule as an opportunity. From the Guardian Chinese ship carries arms cargo to Mugabe regime 77-tonne load includes mortars, rockets and millions of ammunition rounds * David Beresford in Johannesburg * The Guardian, * Friday April 18 2008 A Chinese cargo ship believed to be carrying 77 tonnes of small arms, including more than 3m rounds of ammunition, AK47 assault rifles, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, has docked in the South African port of Durban for transportation of the weapons to Zimbabwe, the South African government confirmed yesterday. It claimed it was powerless to intervene as long as the ship's papers were in order. Copies of the documentation for the Chinese ship, the An Yue Jiang, show that the weapons were sent from Beijing to the ministry of defence in Harare. Headed "Dangerous goods description and container packing certificate", the document was issued on April 1, three days after Zimbabwe's election. It lists the consignment as including 3.5m rounds of ammunition for AK47 assault rifles and for small arms, 1,500 40mm rockets, 2,500 mortar shells of 60mm and 81mm calibre, as well as 93 cases of mortar tubes. The carrier is listed as the Cosco shipping company in China. South Africa's national conventional arms control committee issued a permit on Monday for the trans-shipment of the cargo from Durban to Harare. The head of government information in South Africa, Themba Maseko, said yesterday: "We are not in a position to act unilaterally and interfere in a trade deal between two countries." South Africa had to "tread very carefully", given the complexity of the situation in Zimbabwe, Maseko said. South Africa was not encouraging the purchase of weapons by Zimbabwe, he said, pointing out that there was no UN trade embargo against that country. But Tony Leon, the South African opposition foreign affairs spokesman, said the shipment was tantamount to "putting a fuse in a powder keg". Dockers in Durban were refusing last night to unload the ship. The SA Transport and Allied Workers Union's general secretary, Randall Howard, said: "Satawu does not agree with the position of the government not to intervene with this shipment of weapons. Our members will not unload this cargo, neither will any of our members in the truck-driving sector move this cargo by road." Despite international criticism, the Chinese government has been a longstanding backer of Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe's authoritarian regime, supplying it with jet fighters, military vehicles and guns. China, or Chinese businesses, are reported to have sold radio-jamming devices to prevent independent stations from contradicting the state-controlled media, and have signed vital agriculture deals. Even the blue tiles on Mugabe's la-*test*-('") 25-bedroom mansion, reminiscent of Beijing's Forbidden City, were a gift from China. China has in the past used its veto at the UN security council to prevent the Zimbabwe issue from being raised, on the grounds that the country's problems were an internal matter.

Mugabe is now getting nasty. It's a pity that the report, above, wasn't accurate, he should have been gone by now. t would appear that he's simply going to kill enough opponents so they give up. Why can't someone just stick a bullet through his head and be done with him? Zimbabwe police in election raids Riot police in Zimbabwe have carried out raids on headquarters of independent poll monitors and the opposition MDC in the capital, Harare. Witnesses say vote-counting material was taken from the MDC office and activists hiding there were arrested. The Zimbabwe Election Support Network chairman told the BBC that documents and computers had been seized. The observer group says MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai gained the most votes in last month's presidential election. Officials results have not yet been released. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says Mr Tsvangirai won the election outright, while the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) says he fell just short of the 50% threshold to avoid a run-off. The ruling Zanu-PF party also says there is likely to be a run-off, as no candidate gained more than 50% of the vote. 'They took everyone' Witnesses at the MDC raid said at least 100 opposition supporters who had been taking refuge from the authorities in its Harvest House headquarters had been arrested. Computers and documents were also seized, they said. MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the activists had fled political violence. "They took everyone in the building, including those who had come just to seek medical care. They are trying to destroy evidence of their brutality," Mr Chamisa said. But police said the aim of the raid was to find those responsible for arson attacks east of Harare. Spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena said police were screening those detained and anyone who had not committed any crimes would be freed. ZESN chairman Noel Kututwa told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme that the police had a search warrant to look for "subversive information likely to overthrow a constitutionally elected government". He said that no-one had been arrested but the body's programme manager had been asked to go the police station to explain the role of the network. He also said he had gone into hiding. ZESN was the largest observer group at the 29 March election and is considered the only reliable source of information about the polls, correspondents say. 'Myopic stooges' The MDC says its activists have been attacked around the country - with at least 10 killed - since the elections. Many have fled to Harare and other towns, seeking medical treatment. But the police and Zanu-PF say that no-one has died in political violence. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai has fled Zimbabwe, fearing for his safety and is touring African countries, trying to persuade them to press President Robert Mugabe to step down. The electoral commission says it cannot release the presidential results until it completes a recount in 23 of the 210 constituencies. Three recounts of the parliamentary results have been completed - all confirmed the original results. President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party lost control of parliament for the first time since independence in 1980. But if many of the results are overturned in the recount, this could change. Meanwhile, the Herald newspaper has condemned Zimbabwe's neighbours as "myopic stooges" for refusing to let a cargo of Chinese weapons cross their territory to landlocked Zimbabwe. "Zimbabwe is... under attack from the former coloniser and its allies. As such, Zimbabwe probably needs to arm itself more than any other country in Africa today for the simple reason that it has been targeted for destabilisation by the traditional Western rabble rousers," the Herald said. China's foreign ministry says the ship will now return as it cannot deliver its cargo to Zimbabwe. But the state-owned shipping company has not confirmed this.