Zanu-PF were widely expected to rig this election - and my sources tell me they are performing well up to expectations
From across the country this afternoon, Saturday, came reports indicating that the intimidation, the cheating, and the blatant chicanery which our people have come to expect from Mugabe's regime is in full swing.
To observers there seem to be three or four different ways that Zanu-PF and its paramilitary police and agents are operating (not including ballot box stuffing and other illegal moves that will undoubtedly come later.)
In rural areas they are "assisting" voters to vote - that is, they are guiding the hands of confused and frightened voters, making sure they vote the Zanu-PF/Mugabe ticket.
In town, where the strong points of the opposition can be found, the police are in the voting stations, slowing the flow of voters and turning away genuine registered voters, by claiming they are either 'aliens' or have names that do not appear on our notorious electoral roll.
In various areas buses have been laid on to take willing Zanu-PF volunteers from one polling station to another to take part in multiple voting - an operation known in the Central Intelligence Organisation as "Boys On Leave".
And then of course there is the normal intimidation, with many examples of opposition officials being frightened away from polling stations by CIO bullyboys. Here are some of the detailed reports.
The MDC's secretary general, Tendai Biti, is leading protests about the practice of "assisting" voters in rural areas. He gave the example of Cheunye Primary School in Mt. Darwin, where police "assisted" more than 200 people during the morning
The practice is intended, of course, to help illiterate voters. But Biti pointed out that according to UNESCO Zimbabwe has the highest overall literacy rate in Southern Africa - 90 per cent, as compared to South Africa at 86 per cent. It's clear, he believes, that these assisted voters don't need assistance.
Some would-be voters thoughtfully took their voting registration certificates with them when they went to vote, but were nonetheless turned away at dozens of polling stations by Mugabe's men. The most affected suburbs in Harare, said Biti, included Kuwadzana, Kambuzuma, Mufakose, Mabvuku and Budiriro - areas where opposition support is of the strongest.
Examples of intimidation of both voters and opposition officials came in from Runyararo polling station in Masvingo urban, and from several polling stations in the Gutu rural district.
As for the Boys On Leave, three buses were spotted in Nyamapanda by the eastern border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique. They were dutifully ferrying voter from one polling station to another.
One final report - at Munyaradzi polling station in Gutu Central, the Zanu-PF candidate Lovemore Matuke tried to buy votes at the station door by offering free maize meal to voters.
Even on a probably grim day for Zimbabwe let me bring a smile to some of you, with the following:
Robert Mugabe cast his vote in Highfield this morning. He was asked by reporters about allegations of election rigging. He said: "We don't rig elections. I could not sleep with my conscience if I have rigged."
Sleep well, Robert.
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