In 2008, when Zimbabweans went to vote, expectations were high that Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democracy (MDC) would win, given the support, backing and goodwill it got from the international community.The presidential election along with a parliamentary election were held on March 29, 2008 pitting incumbent Robert Mugabe of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), Tsvangirai of the MDC and former Southern African Development Community (SADC) executive secretary Simba Makoni who was an independent.
This time around, the contenders are Welshman Ncube of MDC-M, who is also the minister of commerce and industry in the coalition government, Dumiso Dabengwa, of the erstwhile liberation struggle party, Zimbabwe African People's Union (Zapu) and Kisinoti Munodei Mukwazhe, of little known Zimbabwe Development Party (ZDP).It was thought that with the country virtually on its knees due to the reported mismanagement of the economy, Zimbabweans had had enough of Uncle Bob (Robert Mugabe) and wanted to get rid of him. It all looked as if MDC was cruising to a win and Tsvangirai was going to be installed as the next president of Zimbabwe. As no candidate received an outright majority in the first round, a second round was held on June 27, 2008 between Tsvangirai (with 48 percent of the first round vote) and Mugabe (43 percent).Tsvangirai withdrew from the second round a week before it was scheduled to take place, citing violence against his party's supporters.The second round went ahead, despite widespread condemnation, and led to victory for Mugabe. As things were happening in Zimbabwe, waves and waves of Zimbabweans were flocking into Francistown such that the city's CBD streets were teeming with the Zimbos, as Francistowners started calling them.
