Wednesday June 25, 2008, 7:30 pm
Sadly it seems that, in hoping Tsvangirai's withdrawal from the election would stem the bloodshed, the opposition MDC, which has been the victim of some real brutality, underestimated the depravity of Mugabe and his regime.

Thursday June 26, 2008, 7:34 pm
Election day update - Tsvangirai: Vote Mugabe to Stay Alive:
Zimbabwe's opposition has advised its supporters to vote for Robert Mugabe for their own safety when they are herded to the polls today amid threats of violence if there is not a resounding victory for the only ruler the country has known.

Sunday June 29, 2008, 1:35 pm
There always a little bit of heaven in a disaster area”

For some reason, that quote from a stage announcer at the legendary, original manifestation of Woodstock immediately sprang to mind when I opened a recent e-mail from one of my (increasingly irregular) correspondents from our beleaguered northern neighbour, Zimbabwe (where many of my friends and relatives still reside).

Inside was a press cutting. I have to say as I read through it, tears welled in my eyes ...

What a contrast in tone to almost every other message I have received from beyond the Limpopo River this past three years (at least). Those previous letters have reflected everything from incredible courage and heroism to (just occasionally) desperation and near dejection. But Zimbabweans as a nation are renowned for their stoicism. And stoic you would have to be to turn the other cheek in the face of such extremely violent abuse for so long.

This is a letter from a Zimbabwean lass of 17 that (incredible as it may seem) was published in the Bulawayo Morning Mirror of 14 May 2008. In that brief flash of time, before the Mugabe jackboot again crunched down, sunlight ignited the edges of that cloud as black as coal ... and for the first time (in how many years?) hope flooded into young Tanya’s life.

Now the responsibility falls on all of us beyond Zimbabwe’s borders to help to ensure that this was the last false dawn …

Over to Tanya …


Dear World,

Remember Me? Over a year ago, when I was sixteen, I wrote a letter to you, the world, regarding my homeland, Zimbabwe.

Well, in five months, I will be eighteen,and we're still here; still broken. But, it's different now - the Winds of Change blow over the sands of Africa. There is an air of expectancy hanging over Zimbabwe, and the brooding horizon of the Future has crept a little closer than it ever has before.

For the first time, some dare to hope.

Emotions run high as the fluctuating results of our elections seep through to the people. No one will admit it, for fear of disappointment, but, deep inside the hearts of Zimbabweans,flickering within these Children of Repression, something akin to the Hope we used to know ignites. With bated breath and shining eyes, we watch as the tiny flame of Hope, though small, begins to glow ever more brightly.

Sure,there has been nothing definite, but when one has experienced suffering as Zimbabwe has, the faintest hint of Change, a mere breath upon the wind, is as blatantly obvious as the Dawn.

And Dawn it is. After the longest Night of our lives, Dawn is about to break. There may be no rays evident upon the Horizon as yet, but the Sun is there, ready to break free of its chains and Light our paths once again. Like the coming of the Storm, the imminent arrival of the Change we had despaired of ever seeing now burns through my blood. Suppressed excitement is betrayed by the hushed whispers that fly through our community like birds set free.

Freedom, yes... Is that so much to ask for? We have kept Faith, for a quarter of a century, and now, finally, finally,we are on the verge of Tomorrow.

It took all we possessed to hold onto what little Hope we had, and many fell prey to Dejection, but we are Zimbabweans: Hope will forever burn in our hearts! Even in the Darkest of Days, we will hold our heads high, because, really, Pride, along with Hope, is all we have... (No food, no electricity, no food, no fuel, no food... It's hard to eat Hope, but it kept us alive regardless!)

And so, but a page away from the end, I wish to extend all the gratitudeof my heart to you, the World. Though we are not quite free yet, our bonds are frayed, our cages rusted - they cannot hold us forever!

To those of you who heard my plea, to those of you who listened, to those who cared - thank you. Thank you for your sympathy, thank you for your assistance, thank you for your prayers. Because you kept us in your thoughts, Someone, Something, out there, came through for us; Fate backed off, and we got to our feet, at last. So thank you. As I said, it's not over yet, but we're so close I can almost taste it!

To my fellow Zimbabweans, my People, Black, White, Indian, Multi-racial, all; both within this prison and outside of it, well, look at us... Look at what we are... We are a nation of survivors, eternally adaptable, suitably humble, and damn near indestructible! We have been to hell and back; we've seen horrors, and lived worse, and now, we appreciate Beauty, we appreciate Life. They couldn't beat us. They sure tried, and they very nearly did,but we're still here!

And I, for one, am proud to be a Zimbabwean! There's no grass here at the moment, so I guess it is definitely greener on the other side, but it will grow. We even had a good rainy season lastyear. The best we've had for a long time. Our country has been washed clean, bar a few stains, and once we've BLEACHED those, we can cut the cloth and fashion our Home into whatever we want it to be!

And the grass? The grass will grow. Fear of Change is fear of the Future, and if we fear the Future we will remain stuck in the Past. Now is the time for Change. Now is the dawn of The Future. And I... I am not afraid. No, I am not afraid. Soon, when this is all over, and we may breathe again, I hope to see my brethren, free and unafraid, return to this, our country; our home,Zimbabwe.

I hope to see the Future restore my Thriving, Living, Loving People, and I will not settle for anything less.

So, to you, the world, thank you. We're almost there; so close, so, so close.

I was born into this version of Zimbabwe - it is all I have ever known. But I know it was better before, and we will be the Breadbasket of Africa once more. Never again will we allow ourselves to be dominated like this - NEVER.

Now, all that remains after this Long, Dark War, is to Rebuild. We will need all of your support in the Future, for to rebuild our Lives, our Homes, our Country, will take as much determination as surviving this Dark Era did, and the process of picking ourselves up will be evenmore arduous than bearing the beatings of the Past. And so, I implore you,remember us, the Nation that was brought to its knees, but which refused to give in.

Remember us.

And to the Zimbabweans out there, come home...This country is nothing without its People! As we move on, and away from the Darkness of our past, let us remember: Humanity's history may have been written in blood, but our future doesn't have to be!

To the world, thank you.

Tanya Hunt (an almost-eighteen year old Zimbabwean)

Within the next few days we will be launching a website that will let these messages from the ordinary people reach out and touch the hearts of a caring humanity.

Please allow yourself to FEEL the reality that the people of Zimbabwe LIVE on a daily basis.

The new website will expose the real situation as the people of Zimbabwe EXPERIENCE it. It’s not “Live” quite yet, but please watch for www.thoserebelvoices.com in the next day or two.

Please join us.

Zimbabwe, once so fertile it was known as the ‘Breadbasket of Africa’, is now a dustbowl – its economy devastated and its best and most productive children scattered to the four winds. Four million refugees crowd into neighbouring countries, stretching their resources and sparking violent outbreaks of horrendous Xenophobia in my own country.

When that sun that Tanya speaks of at last breaks through, it will light up a scene of utter devastation, reminiscent of the aftermath of a prolonged civil war.

The site will be posing you a serious and vexing question –

HOW CAN YOU, HELP US, HELP THEM, TO HELP THEMSELVES?

Please post your reply, send me a personal message, or e-mail me on mwibent@mweb.co.za

Thank you for your concern.

Ian

Thursday July 3, 2008, 9:20 am
I am not sure whether this report has reached the outside world. I received it from a correspondent in Zimbabwe. I am also in possession of a verbatim transcript of the interviews on which this article is based. The level of violence and barbarism is horrific in the extreme.
Somehow the world at large needs to be exposed to the atrocities being perpetrated by the brutal Mugabe regime against the extremely brave but essentially defenseless citizens of Zimbabwe.
Those Rebel Voices is a website that seeks to expose the REAL situation in Zimbabwe to an as yet apathetic world. Please visit www.thoserebelvoices.com – the site is still in its infancy, but with your help and support intends to ultimately act as a rallying point for all who care about the horrific situation that currently prevails.
And be aware - these courageous voices are being silenced, one by one, as the Mugabe terror-machine snuffs out their means of reaching the outside world.
This is a plea to everyone who FEELS the pain suffered by the ordinary people of Zimbabwe to register on the site to receive a newsletter that reflects the daily life of Zimbabweans. Thereafter, please forward the newsletter to your entire address-book.
Let’s demonstrate that PEOPLE-POWER can make a difference!

Catherine Philp in Harare
The Campbells and Freeths are no strangers to aggression from Robert Mugabe’s thugs. But this time was different. After being tied up and kidnapped, they narrowly escaped with their lives from a nine-hour ordeal of beatings, torture and mock executions. Mike Campbell, 75, his wife, Angela, 66, and their son-in-law, Ben Freeth were taken to a pungwe, one of the thousands of indoctrination meetings where people must chant pro-Mugabe slogans and are beaten if they fail. The three were dragged in front of the mob of 50 thugs and doused in cold water. "Then they beat them severely," Mr Freeth’s wife, Laura, said yesterday. "They put burning sticks in my mother’s mouth. They beat my father on the back and on the feet, and with a shambok, an animal hide." Mr Freeth, who is in his 30s, was hit on the back of his head with a rifle butt and then with sticks, causing a wound that nearly cost him an eye.
After that, they were bundled, bleeding, into the car again and taken to a local site called Pixton Mine. "They got them out of the car and held a revolver to their heads," Mrs Freeth said. She said the family, who have led a landmark case before the Southern African Development Community regional court that stands to reverse Mr Mugabe’s policy of farm seizures, were then told to sign a piece of paper declaring that they would not go to the court. They were told they had to sign it or would be shot. The men also forced them to sign a statement promising that they would not go to the police. Last night The Times visited all three in hospital in Harare, where they were lying heavily sedated, recovering from their ordeal. Only Mr Campbell was conscious, nursing a broken collarbone and hand, his face a mass of blood and bruises. His wife lay unconscious in a room across the corridor, awaiting surgery today for her two smashed arms. Mr Freeth had fallen asleep after hours of vomiting from concussion, his head split open at the back, his eye hugely swollen from where he was beaten with sticks. The attack on the Campbell farm at Chegutu, west of Harare, began at 3pm on Sunday. almost the exact moment that Zimbabwe’s Election Commission announced Robert Mugabe’s landslide victory in Friday’s tainted election. Deon Theron, the vice-president of the Commercial Farmers’ Union (CFU), said the court case threat meant the attack was no coincidence. "For Mugabe, this is about opposition," Mr Theron said. "Mr Mugabe’s election slogan, ‘100 per cent empowerment’, should have been a giveaway. This is part of the 100 per cent, to get rid of the opposition."
The Campbells and their son-in-law were to be the example to warn all other farmers intent on fighting the Government over the land seizures. When Mr Freeth was dragged from his car, he too was bound and bundled along with his in-laws into Mr Campbell’s own car. Mrs Freeth’s brother tried to give chase as they drove off, "but they shot at him from the car and he could not follow any more". After their release, Mr Freeth managed to reach a house where he was able to call his wife. Despite their appalling injuries, it was a relief. "It was the awful waiting that was the worst," she said. "We thank God their lives were preserved." Farmers’ advocates fear the worst is not over yet. The Campbells and the Freeths are only the latest in a line of attacks, even if theirs was the bloodiest, all of which have involved farmers linked to the court case. "They want to stop this, it’s very clear," Trevor Gifford, the CFU president said. Astonishingly, perhaps, Mr Campbell has vowed not to give up. Mrs Freeth pointed to the 150-plus workers who rely on them for employment. "We trust in God," she said. Mr Campbell, from his hospital bed, was blunter. He would carry on, he said, and he was not afraid that the war veterans would return. "I’ll shoot them if they do," he said.