 President Robert Mugabe branded opposition supporters as traitors in comments broadcast repeatedly on state radio yesterday, raising fears of new political violence two days before parliamentary elections. "All those who will vote for the (Movement for Democratic Change) are traitors," the radio quoted Mugabe as saying to a ruling ZANU-PF party rally Monday at Mutoko, 140 kilometres northeast of Harare.
| "You know what happens to traitors in Zim-bob-we!" |
Similar comments by the president in the past have encouraged the ruling party and its youth militia to take violent action against opposition supporters and candidates. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai did not respond to the comments during a brief speech yesterday to several thousand supporters gathered in a field at Buhera village, in his home region about 200 kilometres south of Harare. Mugabe's comments came in the wake of a call by Roman Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo on Sunday for a "nonviolent mass popular uprising" if the ruling party wins the election by fraud.
| I'd say that's pretty much a given by this point... |
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