The Olympic factor!

Why China may finally agree to action against Mugabe

Leaders of the G8, the group of industrialised nations currently meeting in Japan, are calling for additional sanctions and United Nations action against the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe - and this time even China may join in.

The G8, in a strongly worded statement, has demanded that new sanctions target individual Zimbabwean leaders, and for a special UN Security Council envoy to be sent to Zimbabwe to report on the situation.

In the past China could be expected to veto any such Security Council action. But observers now believe that it would not wish to appear so isolated on the world stage in the year that it is hosting the Olympic Games.

MDC faction meets Mugabe

But Tsvangirai will have nothing to do with it

Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of Zimbabwe's embattled opposition the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) nearly met Mugabe on Saturday - but pulled out of the planned historic encounter at the last moment. Yet one MDC leader did meet our sham President - and may soon be richly rewarded for his attendance.

The meeting in Harare, planned by South African's mediator president Thabo Mbeki, should have signalled a step forward in the drive to form some kind of government of national unity in Zimbabwe. But Tsvangirai failed to show after he learned that African Union president Jean Ping, his nominee as Mbeki's co-mediator, would not be present.

However, the leader of the tiny breakaway faction of the MDC, Arthur Mutambara, did attend the meeting, along with his secretary-general Welshman Ncube and his deputy, Priscilla Misihairabwi. They spent several hours in talks with Zanu-PF negotiators Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche - and Robert Mugabe himself.

Vote rigging - we got it right

How new film backs up our claims of organised Zanu-PF corruption

Video evidence currently being broadcast on western media, shows members of the Zimbabwe prison service being officially supervised as they vote for Robert Mugabe well in advance of the recent presidential run-off poll. The film serves to verify our reports of the practice published here a month ago.

On June 11 this blog, under the headline "It hasn't begun - but Mugabe is winning!" reported that "thousands of police and associated uniformed thugs" had been lined up by their officers, presented with postal voting slips, and ordered to put their mark against Mugabe's name.

We quoted a source within the police as saying that Senior Assistant Commissioner Lee Muchemwa "told us we would vote for Mugabe whether we liked it or not. We voted in front of the Police Internal Security Intelligence (PISI), who checked our ballot papers."

The process was carried out at that early date to avoid any scrutiny by outside observers, who had yet to arrive in the country. It was also conducted without the presence of any officials from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.

The new video, taken with a hidden camera by a member of the prison service, confirms that the practice was widespread amongst all sections of the military, the militia, and the security services, and undoubtedly helped to give Mugabe his huge majority in the sham election.

In my report at the time I quoted Assistant Police Commissioner Nyakutsika, who made this striking forecast in front of his men: "Even if you tell the foreign press, even if you tell the western governments, we do not care. They will do nothing."

As I said then, and as I say again now, he's got that right.

Life on the death squad

A young soldier describes his time as a Mugabe terrorist

Alfred, 24, joined the Zimbabwean army in January last year. He needed a job. He thought he would take part in the defence of his country. Instead he has spent the last two months as a member of a Zanu-PF-controlled torture and death brigade.

Acting under orders, and under the threat of death, he has taken part in the persecution and the killing of MDC supporters, even the people of his home village, his family and neighbours.

Alfred - not his real name for obvious reasons - is home on a short leave. I track him down to his tiny two-room home in Mbare township. He is a man both torn with guilt and full of fear for his future.

"You cannot refuse an order in the Zimbabwe army," he says, in a moment of self-justification. "If you do you will be punished - that is, executed. I didn't want to do what I did, but we all had to obey orders."

For twenty minutes, before he becomes too frightened to continue, Alfred paints a grim picture of how the terror squads operate.

Tsvangirai wants Ping on board

The MDC leader says he will negotiate - if he can choose the mediator

Morgan Tsvangirai, embattled leader of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has called on Jean Ping of Gabon, Chairman of the African Union (AU), to take over the proposed negotiations between himself and Robert Mugabe.

The MDC boss says he will change his mind about negotiating with Mugabe and be willing to have talks about a possible government of national unity, if - and only if - Ping agrees to partner South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki as mediator.

Mbeki has come under increasing pressure internationally in recent weeks, and has been accused of being too soft with Mugabe, ignoring the Zanu-PF violence tactics, and shielding Mugabe from criticism from other African states.

In an exclusive interview at his Strathaven home in Harare, Morgan Tsvangirai told me he thought the task of chairing negotiations in Zimbabwe was "too heavy for the troubled Mbeki."

Tsvangirai wants Ping on board

The MDC leader says he will negotiate - if he can choose the mediator

Morgan Tsvangirai, embattled leader of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has called on Jean Ping of Gabon, Chairman of the African Union (AU), to take over the proposed negotiations between himself and Robert Mugabe.

The MDC boss says he will change his mind about negotiating with Mugabe and be willing to have talks about a possible government of national unity, if - and only if - Ping agrees to partner South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki as mediator.

Mbeki has come under increasing pressure internationally in recent weeks, and has been accused of being too soft with Mugabe, ignoring the Zanu-PF violence tactics, and shielding Mugabe from criticism from other African states.

In an exclusive interview at his Strathaven home in Harare, Morgan Tsvangirai told me he thought the task of chairing negotiations in Zimbabwe was "too heavy for the troubled Mbeki."

Tsvangirai wants Ping on board

The MDC leader says he will negotiate - if he can choose the mediator

Morgan Tsvangirai, embattled leader of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has called on Jean Ping of Gabon, Chairman of the African Union (AU), to take over the proposed negotiations between himself and Robert Mugabe.

The MDC boss says he will change his mind about negotiating with Mugabe and be willing to have talks about a possible government of national unity, if - and only if - Ping agrees to partner South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki as mediator.

Mbeki has come under increasing pressure internationally in recent weeks, and has been accused of being too soft with Mugabe, ignoring the Zanu-PF violence tactics, and shielding Mugabe from criticism from other African states.

In an exclusive interview at his Strathaven home in Harare, Morgan Tsvangirai told me he thought the task of chairing negotiations in Zimbabwe was "too heavy for the troubled Mbeki."

Botswana leads the way

More African states join the protest against Mugabe

As the Zimbabwe crisis deepens, the African tradition that one country does not comment on the internal affairs of another is beginning to crumble. Yesterday saw a momentous move by our neighbouring country, Botswana. Its Vice-President, Mompati Merfahe, took the rare step of addressing Mugabe directly across the floor at the African Union (AU) conference in Egypt.

Merfahe told the Zimbabwean President that the presidential re-run vote last Friday, which Mugabe won against no opposition, had been so flawed with violence that it "did not reflect the will of the people." He demanded that Zimbabwe should, as a result, be excluded from the AU.

The Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga, also urged the AU to suspend Mugabe until he allowed free and fair elections. And Sierra Leone President Ernest Koromo commented that the people of Zimbabwe had been "denied their democratic rights."