Zimbabwe Elections
With Anabel Hughes
Zimbabwe Democracy Trust
Friday, March 8, 2002; 11 a.m. EST

This weekend, Zimbabweans will go to the polls to vote in a crucial election for the country. The government of President Robert Mugabe is facing a popular challenge from a trade union leader named Morgan Tsvangarai. Mugabe's government has been accused by the U.S. State Department of extrajudicial killings, undermining the independence of the courts and waging a "systematic campaign of violence targeting supporters and potential supporters of the opposition." Tuesday, Mugabe reinstated laws giving state election officers sweeping powers and restrict vote monitoring, identity requirements for voters, campaigning and voter education.

Anabel Hughes, a Zimbabwean based in London, oversees the activities of the Zimbabwe Democracy Trust (ZDT), a British-based pro-democracy group. Hughes was online Friday, March 8 at 11 a.m. EST, to discuss the upcoming elections.

Hughes was born in Kenya but raised and educated in Zimbabwe. Having chosen journalism as a career, in 1986 she joined the Financial Gazette, the only independent newspaper in Zimbabwe at the time. She now runs her own communications business in London.

The ZDT's principle goal is to help the democratic will of the people flourish to facilitate the development of a healthy society in Zimbabwe. The group works to promote a multi-party political system, voter registration, constitutional reform, root out government corruption and raise awareness of the situation in Zimbabwe to the world.

A transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Anabel Hughes: Thank you all for taking an interest in the crisis facing my country, Zimbabwe. For the last two years, as a result of ordinary Zimbabweans saying 'no' to increased governmental powers following a constitutional referendum in February 2000, Zimbabwe and its people have faced the wrath of one man who is determined to cling to power at any cost, President Robert Mugabe. This weekend, however, is the presidential election and therefore a critical moment in all our lives and future. The result next week will determine how the country moves forward.

Please feel free to ask any questions you like.

Best wishes,

Annabel

Harrisburg, Pa.: When you oversee the elections, what types of possible violations are you guarding against? Is it relatively easy or difficult to tell if there are problems with the electoral process?

Anabel Hughes: Election rigging is commonplace in Zimbabwe. This time round, though, Mr Mugabe has left nothing to chance and has openly flouted electoral laws by overuling Supreme Court decisions after changing the Electoral Act to suit himself. He has tampered with the voters' roll and has insisted monitors cannot travel with ballot boxes. Observers on the ground have they themselves been subjected to his militia's strong arm tactics, so yes, it is easy for them to witness that the election will not be free and fair, but as to witnessing tampering this weekend, remains to be seen. They are yet to announce where the polling stations are going to be!

Harrisburg, Pa.: It is reported that the government has not released to election observers the polling locations. How are voters supposed to know where to vote? Or, is that the whole idea: It will be primarily government supporters will learn these locations?

Also, the law prevents the presence of election observers. Is any independent confirmation of the propriety of this election thus possible?

Anabel Hughes: No, I don't believe that any genuine independent confirmation is going to be possible. The whole electoral process is being overseen by the Zimbabwean army, for obvious reasons. No observers/ monitors are allowed to travel with the ballot boxes to the counting areas, and as you rightly said, no one even knows where the polling stations are going to be. It has been confirmed that the number of urban polling stations, opposition strongholds, have been cut in half while the rural polling stations have been doubled. This is all part of the government's tactics to secure a victory through any means possible.

Wollongong, NSW, Australia: This is more a comment than a question.

The canard that Mugabe is using about the land situation should be countered. Zimbabwe was built on the knowledge and capital of the "white" farmers. Land has become divisive only because of dramatic African population increase brought about by inter-tribal peace and modern medicine (all instituted by the "whites"). I lived in Kenya in the 1950s, where similar problems developed. The African population of Kenya is now 20 TIMES what it was in 1900 -- and increase in Zimbabwe has been similar. It's stupid to blame the "nasty colonialists" for indigenous land shortage -- and no solution to devastate commercial farming.

Anabel Hughes: The land issue is nothing other than a political tool for Mugabe to win poltiical support. He had 22 years in which to sort out land redistribution in Zimbabwe and to date, apart from those who have invaded land in the last two years, only his cronies and business associates have ever been given farms and ranches. Every Zimbabwean of every colour knows that land redistribution is essential, but it has to be done in a lawful way. People in Zimbabwe are now starving because of Mugabe's fast track land resettlement.

Alexandria, Va.: Is there any hope of a fair and clean election? If the election does turn out to be corrupt, whose fault will that be?

Anabel Hughes: No there is no hope for a free and fair election. Mr Mugabe made sure of that two years ago when he nearly lost the parliamentary election in June 2000. He, his henchmen and his business associates, all of whom have too much lose if he goes, must all be blamed for the corrupt way in which it has been run. Believe me, there are many people who have benefited from Mr Mugabe's patronage; they definitely don't want him to lose this election.

Washington, D.C.: I come from the U.S. and the idea of an octogenerian who has been ruling for the last 20 or so years, still fighting for the presidency, is a bit out of the ordinary. There are those in pressure groups in Africa who criticize the West for not putting enough pressure on President Mugabe. And then there are those who say that the West is only against President Mugabe's antics because of the land question. This last view seems to be somewhat syncophantic.

Is President Mugabe ever going to face reality that he can run Zimbabwe forever, now that he is nearing 80, that he must someday pass the torch onto the younger generation?

Anabel Hughes: Mr Mugabe, in his own mind, intends to die in his bed as president of Zimbabwe; he believes it is his right and is furious that anyone should challenge this. So no, I do not believe he will ever want to pass the baton on to someone younger and more suitable. Regardless of the pressure groups in the West, all that Zimbabweans want is a free and fair election in order to choose a president of their choice, and Mr Mugabe is not allowing this to happen.

Washington, D.C.: I am a Zimbabwean studying in the U.S. and have therefore been denied the right to vote in Zimbabwe's election. I have a two-part question:
How much of an effect will the following have on the result of the Zim election:
1. The fact that ZANU-PF continued adding many voters to the roll months after they "closed" the roll?
2. The fact that voters have to provide utility bills or another proof of residence that is unfair to those who do not live in their own homes. (will this affect as many ZANU supporters as MDC supporters?)
Thanks for your support for democracy in Zimbabwe.

Anabel Hughes: Both of these will have an affect on the outcome, and no it will not affect the ZANU supporters; they have all been 'taken care of'. Every effort has been made by ZANU to disenfranchise potential opposition supporters and this will certainly make a difference on the numbers after the vote. The voters' roll has only just been made public and is completely inaccurate.

Arlington, Va.: Assuming Mugabe manages to hijack the elections, what do you feel foreign governments can do to put pressure on him and his gangsters without hurting the people of Zimbabwe?

Anabel Hughes: Continue working hard at targeting the elite by freezing all their assets and instituting travel bans, as well as try their hardest to engage other African leaders to put pressure on him to stand down. Leverage economic initiatives such as NEPAD against inaction: i.e. the road to NEPAD is through Harare; the crisis is damaging your economic prospects...

The people of Zimbabwe are already desperately damaged by Mugabe's regime.

Oklahoma City, Okla.: Will Mr. Mugabe remain in Zimbabwe if he loses the election? Would he possibly be subject to legal action for some of his actions while in power if he is defeated?

Anabel Hughes: I don't imagine he would stay in Zimbabwe if he lost the election; he would be too frightened to do so. If he loses the election there is every reason he could be held for 'crimes against humanity'.

Washington, D.C.: Many Black Americans admire Zimbabwe, because it's a country that is run by a black Government. President Mugabe constantly complains about the white minority and how they control the majority of the lands in Zimbabwe. But in a black run country, is this fact somewhat of an indictment on his government, or is does the blame rest solely with Britian, the USA and the rest of the West? I was told by a Zimbabwean that I don't have my own country, unlike black Zimbabweans. It is unfortunate that the majority of the population does not get to enjoy a proportionate amount of the land. But why is it that this is situation has not been handled by ZANU-PF in a country, where blacks and not whites are in control?

Anabel Hughes: To quote Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the opposition, in a BBC interview last week: 'White people in Zimbabwe have become an endangered species.'

The population of Zimbabwe is 12 million. Of this there are approx. 50,000 whites. How could they really make a such a difference? Mr Mugabe is using this racial rhetoric as a tool for his election campaign. You must remember: Zimbabwe gained its independence 22 years ago. If he wanted to give the land back to his people, he had these years to do it in. (He has ignored every international suggestion for land redistribution to date.)

Young Zimbabweans today hardly remember the liberation war. They don't want to look back to a time they know little of; they want to look to a future where they can freely express their will, and earn a living just as they may be able to anywhere else in the world.

Boston, Mass.: Having visited Zimbabwe twice in 1997 and 1998, I was impressed at how much better relations were between blacks and whites in the general population than in South Africa. I therefore have difficulty reconciling this with the ongoing occupation of white farms and violence against white Zimbabweans. What is your sense of how large the segment of the black population is that would like to see whites exit Zimbabwe?

Anabel Hughes: I believe there are very few who would like to see white Zimbabweans leave. Very few Zimbabweans do not see the 'white and black' the rest of the world talk of: we are all Zimbabweans looking for a better future. If Mr Mugabe wants to use his racial rhetoric to turn his political campaign into white/ black issue, then so be it. What is happening on the ground is less to do with colour, and more to do with economic hardships most Zimbabweans are facing today.

Arlington, Va.: What attitude has the U.S. government taken toward these elections and Mugabe's repressive measures?

Anabel Hughes: I am proud to tell all Americans that the US government has taken THE lead in finding a resolution to the crisis in Zimbabwe. They have been courageous and proactive and, quite truthfully, I believe that Zimbabweans would probably not be participating in this election at the weekend had governments such as the US not kept the pressure up on Mr Mugabe. I would also like to say thank you to the US Congress for the same reason; both the House and the Senate have remained constantly engaged in finding a solution.

Arlington, Va.: Anabel, do you ever plan to move back to Zimbabwe?

Anabel Hughes: I left Zimbabwe many years before this crisis unfolded only because of my work. I intend to go back whenever I can in the future: it is the best place in the world for a vacation (at least it was)!

Alexandria, Va.: I saw a news piece that showed Mugabe portraying his opposition as puppets of Tony Blair. As U.K./Zimbabwe relations don't make headlines over here, I wonder how on earth Mugabe ties Blair to colonialism. Is there still enough anti-U.K. sentiment to make it a wedge issue in an election occuring a full generation after independence?

Anabel Hughes: No, I don't believe there is ... if the electoral environment was normal.

Mr Mugabe is a desperate man using desperate measures. He seems to forget that he has landed his people in a desperate economic state, therefore, if they blame Blair and Britain for Zimbabwe's downfall, it is only because they have to in order to feed themselves. The youth in Zimbabwe today do not have jobs; thus they have been preyed upon by the ruling party to commit atrocities on its behalf in order to terrorise the electorate in voting for ZANU PF. In return they are given money and food. How desperate is that?

Washington, D.C.: I know some have criticized some Western leaders for propping up corrupt regimes in Africa. Now that the West is sanctioning Mugabe, African nations and commentators are doubting their sincerity and concluding that their only interest is to protect minority rule in Zimbabwe. But you can't have your cake and eat it, too. Jesse Jackson recently came out in the media and said that as a long-time friend of Mugabe, he was dissappointed in him, for his current actions in the country. Imagine if Mr. Jackson had avidly endorsed Mr. Mugabe as African presidents have done. He'd have been lambasted by some commmentators, like George Ayittey as one among a supposed African-American lobby for African dictators. He would not have been cut as much slack as the SADC and Thabo Mbeki.

Anabel Hughes: The regional leaders response to the Zimbabwean crisis is disappointing to say the least. No one can fathom why they have not taken a firmer stance. Thabo Mbeki, especially, will be paying for his lack of condemnation: he will soon be facing millions of starving Zimbabweans flooding over his border. How will he explain this to his increasingly xenophobic population who are losing jobs, not only to Zimbabweans, but also because the adverse effects the Zimbabwean crisis is having on South Africa's economy?

All Zimbabweans thank those Africans brave enought to speak out against Mugabe: Revd Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Kofi Anan ... the Congressional Black Caucus, for showing their unanimous support of the ZDERA bill that was signed into law last December by President Bush. They all believe in democracy.

Reston, Va.: Can you comment on the PR firm in Canada that has claimed that Tsvangarai has plotted to kill Mugabe?

Anabel Hughes: Mr Ben Manashe is a renowned fraudster currently being paid by Mr Mugabe to discredit his opponent.

Need I say more?

Nairobi, Kenya: I was born and raised up in Kenya, I was introduced to the Politic when I was a little kid, I know how African politics are. Everybody knows what happened in Zimbabwe. Mugabe needs to go and let the people decide the future of Zimbabwe. What I know is the the western world have done nothing to improve political situation in The continent of Africa. As we all know what happened durring the Berlin conference of 1885. I will always blame the western world for creating a mess in Africa.

Anabel Hughes: One can blame the West for a number of things, but if Africa is to move forward it needs to become responsible for its actions. It needs to move forward and stop blaming everything on everyone. I too was born in Kenya, but that country got its independence nearly 40 years ago! I am afraid that I blame corruption for Africa's woes. When Africans, of all colours and creeds, can say 'no' to corrupt politicians and their shady business associates making millions from our naturally wealthy continent, then I think we are one step closer to a decent future. Africa needs the West, the West needs Africa ... there must be some common ground where we can operate together comfortably.

Nairobi, Kenya: Like any other Africa leader, do you think Mugabe will relinquish his sit fo a younger generation or get kicked out of power like Mabuto Tseseko of DRC? What in you own opinion is the best way to get him out of the office?

Anabel Hughes: Mugabe will only go if he is forced. Ideally, if other African leaders chose to engage in this conflict instead of ignoring it, they would have the most leverage. Looking at it today, I think that there will be no dignified exit for Mr Mugabe because of his inability to let go.

Washington, D.C.: Ms. Hughes,

Thank you for being here today. I was an exchange student to South Africa in 1993-1994, and was fortunate enough to stay with a host family who were originally from Zimbabwe. I had learned nothing about the country in school, and didn't even know about the Rhodesian war (which my host father fought in).

When we visited Zimbabwe for Christmas 1993, it was the first time my host family had returned since 1980. I noticed that even though basic industries and services were dire, the people seemed upbeat and positive, with a genuine love for their country.

It is such a beautiful country. I'm sad to see that the press has been focusing on Mugabe's regime. One thing I remember is that, even in the dilapidated old post offices and grocery stores, there was a big photo of his smirking mug.

If YOU were president of Zimbabwe, what are some of the first things you would do?

Anabel Hughes: I would ensure that the people are fed. This can only be done by resurrecting commercial agriculture and engaging Western governments in food aid. When I say commerical agriculture, I mean commercial, not white: Zimbabwe was once the bread basket of sub Saharan Africa; today its population is starving. There is no justification for this. I would insist on an immediate land redistribution process which included all types of farmers and then pray like mad for rain!

Washington, DC: What have Western governments done to assist in Zimbabwe's democratic struggle. Are they doing enough? Do you ever visit the U.S. and speak with policymakers here?

Anabel Hughes: As I said to someone earlier, the US government has led on the international pressure for change and has been staunch supporters of the democracy movement in Zimbabwe. The UK government has been incredibly weak until about three weeks ago; the EU, although recently engaged, could never make a decision because the 15 member states never agreed on anything; the Commonwealth splits down the middle between African countries and the others; and the regional states have supported Mr Mugabe.

Fair Lakes, Va.: May I ask, Anabel, how it is that you are a Zimbabwean? You were born in Kenya, educated in Zimbabwe, perhaps in one of Ian Smith's Rhodesian schools, and are now in London working as a mouthpiece, in addition to the BBC, for the landed gentry and their allies in jolly old England! Right before the (rigged?) election, you are here talking to an American audience to poison their minds about the possible outcome. What if Morgan wins?

Anabel Hughes: Who am I then when I carry a Zimbabwean passport? If I am not a Zimbabwean, does that mean that every West Indian who lives in Britain or Ethiopian who lives in the US, cannot be called British or American, in spite of possessing citizenship in their respective countries? As a white African I am nonetheless African; I can't help that.

washingtonpost.com:

That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion.

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Washington, D.C.: What's your favorite new site? http://www.zwnews.com/?

Anabel Hughes: Definitely!

Virginia: The soc.culture.zimbabwe newsgroup is a great forum.

Anabel Hughes: I am afraid I have not seen it. Sorry.

London, England: Annabel,

Is there any truth in the suggestion in yesterday's Guardian that the ZDT is a front for the Tories and the MDC? It sounds absurd.

Anabel Hughes: The ZDT is a non-partisan, non-profit pro-democracy group. It would help us enormously if journalists like Seamus Milne in the Guardian clarified his irresponsible statements with those he misrepresents before embarking on writing stories about trying to justify his post-colonial guilt.

Arlington, Va.: What effect do situations in neighboring African countries, in particular South Africa, have on Zimbabwe?

And how would you characterize the white community remaining in Zimbabwe? I'm reading Alexandra Fuller's book, "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight," and am reminded of my trip back from Victoria Falls, in 1981 (gunfire on the Zambezi), when a middle-aged white woman got on the plane in Harare, began sobbing, and was still crying when the plane landed in London. Her husband said they had just left behind the farm she had spent her whole life on.

Anabel Hughes: South Africa has always had an enormous effect on Zimbabwe. Our country is landlocked and therefore rely on all its neighbours.

I feel so lucky to have grown up in such a beautiful country and am mortified that Mr Mugabe has destroyed it in order to cling on to power. But in Napolean's words: "I would rather face an army 200,000 strong than a mob of hungry people ..." Zimbabweans are starving; this must give Mr Mugabe sleepless nights.

We can only hope that the end to this crisis is nigh ...

Anabel Hughes: Thank you all for a very interesting discussion. Please keep Zimbabwe in your prayers this weekend.

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