All Political Rallies Banned in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean state radio says police have banned all political rallies in the wake of the country's political crisis.

Nearly two weeks after the presidential election, results from the race have not been released.

Independent observer tallies suggest long-time President Robert Mugabe lost the vote, but that a runoff would be necessary.

The opposition says its candidate won the vote outright and that it will refuse to take part in a runoff.

Zimbabweans are on edge because maybe, just maybe, the crisis of sorts that has riddled the nation could very well be over. The hunger, poverty, displacement, and disenfranchisement could all end. And that hope, that glimmer of an end, is all the more reason to be on edge because the status quo is beyond untenable.

How did we get here? President Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF miscalculated and they miscalculated badly.

THE recent Zimbabwean elections have generated unprecedented excitement for many stakeholders as a defining moment for the future of Zimbabwe.

With the economy in a chronic state of recession, runaway inflation at more than 165 000% (the highest in the world), a life expectancy of 37 (the lowest in the world), unemployment at 82% and persistent shortages of critical supplies, the state of the economy would to a large extent have influenced the decision of a significant number of voters.

Even that "common man" in the remote but "infamous" Uzumba and Maramba-Pfungwe would have voted not only for their patch of land but for the improvement of their economic circumstances.

Zimbabwe's opposition has called for a general strike to force the official announcement of the March 29 presidential election.

The Movement for Democratic Change [MDC] issued pamphlets on Friday asking people to take part in the strike on Tuesday, as the police announced a ban on political rallies in the capital Harare.

"We call upon transporters, workers, vendors and everyone to stay at home the power is in our hands. Zimbabweans have been taken for granted for too long. We demand that the presidential election results be announced now," the pamphlet said.

The leaders of southern Africa, traditionally loth to criticise Robert Mugabe, will try and cajole Zimbabwe's president to defuse an escalating post-election crisis at a summit in Zambia Saturday.

The 14 Southern African Development Community heads of state have been summoned to Lusaka by the bloc's chairman Levy Mwanawasa two weeks on from a presidential election, the results of which have still to be declared.

While Mugabe himself has chosen not to attend but send senior ministers, Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has been invited after meeting many of SADC's leaders bilaterally this week.

SADC was slammed by Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change for giving the polls a largely clean bill of health before results were out, while US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described Zimbabwe as a disgrace to the region.

"This is an historic moment for SADC and a defining moment for Africa. We can show the world that we, Africa, can solve our own problems and safeguard democracy and the rule of law," Tsvangirai said on the eve of the summit.