MDC claims government restricting movement of election observers
By Tichaona Sibanda
13 June 2008

The MDC has claimed election observers have been instructed to return to their hotels by 5pm each day during their stay in the country or else authorities would not be able to guarantee their safety.

Professor Elphas Mukonoweshuro said the idea behind restricting the observers’ freedom to move around at any time was unacceptable and a serious contravention of SADC guidelines on elections.

‘We have information the observers have been told to clear their areas of observation by 5pm. They’ve also been told they must start their work after 8am,’ Mukonoweshuro said.

SADC guidelines do not restrict the movement of observers and more importantly they detail quite clearly they should have unfettered access to any place, at any time of the day.

‘As a party we don’t have the mandate to tell them where to go but we expect that by now they’re well apprised of the situation in the country. What they need to do is draw up a map, pinpoint the flashpoints of violence, and at least make an effort to visit the areas,’ the MDC MP elect for Gutu South said.

SADC began deploying more 100 observers across the country on Thursday ahead of the June 27th run-off presidential election between Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe. Thanki Mothae, director of SADC’s Secretariat on Politics, Defence and Security said 120 observers were fanned out across the country in the first wave of deployments and that more than 400 should be in place by polling day.

But Mukonoweshuro deplored the slow reaction of SADC in sending observers, especially in the rural areas where state sponsored violence has displaced over 50 000 people from their homes. The MDC says 66 of their activists have been murdered and another 3000 are hospitalised countrywide since Mugabe let loose his war dogs to terrorise those they say voted for MDC.

‘We need the observers out there now. It’s a serious situation and we are shocked SADC are not taking this seriously. We don’t need more of this madness from Zanu-PF,’ Mukonoweshuro added.