Zimbabwe strike flops, concern in South Africa

An opposition general strike to demand the release of Zimbabwe's delayed election result flopped on Tuesday and the ruling party in neighboring South Africa called the situation "dire."
Fears of a crackdown by President Robert Mugabe's government and the desperate need of many Zimbabweans to make enough money to survive in a collapsing economy undermined the strike.
It was the second setback in two days for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) after a High Court judge on Monday refused to order the release of the presidential result.

A call for an indefinite stayaway by Zimbabwe's opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, had a mixed response on 15 April, the day protest action began.
Most private commuter operators withheld their transport but resumed normal operations by midmorning, when most businesses in the capital, Harare, opened their doors after adopting a wait-and-see approach.

But mobile phones aren't everyone's friend. To dictators and leaders of oppressive regimes, mobiles are often seen as more of a nuisance, as disruptive and something to be wary of, to fear and control. These ubiquitous little devices have already been responsible for the downfall of a number of leaders, most noticeably Philippine President Joseph Estrada, who was forced from office in early 2001 following text-message-fueled mass demonstrations in Manila.

Reports from New York suggest that South Africa has posted strong opposition to requests from the United States and Britain to place the crisis in Zimbabwe on the Security Council's agenda when it meets tomorrow. As the current rotational Chair of the United Nations Security Council, South Africa has a major role to play in determining the agenda of the Council. However, inexplicably, it appears that South Africa is opting once again to hide behind the well-worn, and in this case ludicrous, excuse that this issue has no bearing on international peace and security.