Robert Mugabe attained power in Zimbabwe in 1980 through terror, intimidation, mayhem and murder.

Twenty eight years later, he hangs on to power illegally through terror, intimidation, mayhem and murder.

One might think that nothing much has changed. But they would be very wrong in that assumption. Mugabe has broken Zimbabwe into many million different pieces and much of the population are scattered to the four winds.

Those people that have remained in the country - either through lack of resources to obtain a travel document and/or the plane ticket out, or just being trapped by the economic environment - now find themselves in much the same position they were during the chimurenga.

Eighty percent - probably more - of the workforce are out of work. Fuel is difficult to find, and exceedingly expensive. Few families can afford school fees, and even less people can afford any medical treatment or the required medication.

Food is scarce, and what little food makes it onto the shop shelves is not only hugely expensive, but is not enough to feed the hungry people. One loaf of bread costs ZW$100000000 - that’s one hundred million…

And we know that man doesn’t live by bread alone.

But how is it that Mugabe is allowed to cling to power, that the Presidential election results have not been released for almost four weeks? And how is it that the Mugabe-appointed Zimbabwe Electoral Commission are recounting 23 constituencies - called for outside of the constituted 48 hours - and a week after they started, just four of those recounts have results?

It took the ZEC four days to initially release the results of 210 constituencies, but six days to release just four. It just doesn’t compute.

And while the election results are being ‘massaged’ in back rooms somewhere in Harare, the people of Zimbabwe are being victimised in a Mugabe-authorised campaign of terror. People are being beaten within an inch of their lives.

Even more have fled their home villages.

Just this morning I was informed that the ZRP – a police force that is heavily steeped in Mugabe-ites – raided the MDC head office at Harvest House in Harare.

Heavily armed police are currently raiding the MDC Harvest House Headquarters in Harare. These armed police have taken hundreds of people that were now staying at the party Headquarters running away from the different parts of Zimbabwe, where the regime has been unleashing brutal violence. The police claim that they are searching for various undisclosed documents. Specifically, they say they want the documents that the party has that form the basis of our claim that we won the election, in general and the Presidential ballot in particular. Further they have taken all computers and equipment that was used by the MDC at the MDC’s election command centre.”

I received this as a personal communication from a contact very close on the ground to events in Zimbabwe.

Mugabe is more determined than ever that he will not be ousted from power in Zimbabwe. And is obviously prepared to take the fight to the people, before they gather enough people and strength to consider any resistance.

A cowed Zimbabwean populace waits for the next axe to fall somewhere in their midst.

I cry for my people. I despair for my people. I worry for my people.

Robb WJ Ellis
The Bearded Man