'Mugabe Is Not President'
Monday, July 07, 2008
"We have no problem with the people of Zimbabwe, but we have a problem with someone who will beat up other people on the run-up to elections," he said. Skelemani was briefing the press on Friday after the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) observer mission reported that the 27 June presidential run-off elections were not free and fair, as they did not conform with the SADC, African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) principles.
Skelemani said that the government of Zimbabwe had shown no respect for institutions like SADC, the AU and UN by going ahead with the balloting despite calls for postponement to make the environment conducive for elections. The run-off was held despite the withdrawal of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, citing intimidation and violence against his supporters. An estimated 90 people were killed, tens of thousands displaced from their homes and scores abducted during the run-up to elections. This resulted in Mugabe going alone.
The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...