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'Who would be our president'
03/04/2008 14:35 - (SA)
Verashni Pillay
Harare - Huddled around radios and televisions, Zimbabweans across the country waited anxiously for the result of the presidential poll that would determine who would lead the economically devastated country.
Amidst frequent power outages and jammed phone lines, people were desperate for news from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
"People are glued to their TVs and radios, waiting for the announcement," said Joseph Rose, who lives in the township of Tafara in the capital of Harare.
Decades of waiting
Some shacks in the densely populated township don't have a radio. People crowded into their neighbour's house, waiting to hear the announcement for a change of government that some have waited more than 20 years for.
"Ever since 1980 we've been experiencing a very hard life," said Cecilia Masekereya, another resident of Tafara, who lost her father in 1993. "He was murdered by central intelligence officers of the Zanu-PF regime," she told News24.
Many were hopeful that this year's elections would see an end to President Robert Mugabe's dictatorial rule since the country's independence from Britain in 1980.
Zimbabweans went to the polls on Saturday to vote in their most important election since independence. On Wednesday it was announced the Mugabe's Zanu-PF party had lost in the parliamentary elections to opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
But celebrations could not start till the results of the presidential poll were released. MDC supporters like Rose and Masekereya hoped that MDC's Morgani Tsvangirai would displace Mugabe from his 28-year rule.
Highest inflation
Under Mugabe the country had faced one economic crisis after the other. Zimbabweans were suffering the world's highest inflation of more than 100 000%, food and fuel shortages, and an HIV/Aids epidemic that had contributed to a steep decline in life expectancy.
But Masekereya, the programme manager for an organisation that worked with orphans and vulnerable groups, was emphatic that her people would no longer be dictated to by one ruler for decades. "We hope the MDC will be a good government," she said. "But if they don't do what the people want we will vote them out."
"We don't have to keep one government for such a long time."
According to Rose riot police were still patrolling the suburbs but Zanu-PF supporters were increasingly quiet.
"When Zanu-PF were ahead in the parliamentary poll, those supporters would walk around saying they were going to win," said Rose. "But now those people have disappeared."
Rose said Zanu-PF supporters were the minority in townships, where people had borne the brunt of food and fuel shortages. "There are just a few die-hard supporters," he said wryly.
While there were largely no reports of violence during the election and subsequently, armed forces broke up gatherings where they saw them and Mugabe warned that any premature celebrations would be viewed as an act of treason or coup attempt.
Daring to hope
Rose said that the atmosphere was tense but that people were nevertheless daring to hope. "We are very excited," he said.
Meanwhile Tsvangirai has announced that he has won the presidential poll according to the MDC's count.
But Rose said people were waiting for the official results. "We have heard about it but are saying, let's wait before we celebrate," he said cautiously. Hopes of change have been raised and dashed too many times for people like Rose.
"Once we know, then we will start looking forward to a new government... one who will bring better things to the people."
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