BiAS 7 – The Bible and Politics in Africa
koni and Langton Towungana polled 8,3% of the valid votes cast. Under
these circumstances, a presidential run-off between Tsvangirai and
Mugabe was inevitable.
The Presidential run-off elections
After the full announcement of the results, ZEC declared that it will
decide the date on which the run-off will be conducted. 27 June was
eventually chosen despite the fact that the law stipulates that the run-off
should be held within 21 days after the previous election. ZEC justified
its decision on logistical problems. The pre-electoral period leading to
the run-off elections witnessed political violence characteristic of a coun-
try at physical war. Hundreds of thousands of homesteads and business
premises of known and suspected opposition supporters were burnt.
According to a survey which was carried out by an accredited research
institute which is based in Harare, (the Mass Public Opinion Institute),
more than three hundred homesteads were burnt in Bikita district alone.
The nastiest incidents involve the burning up of the supermarket and a
holiday resort which belongs to Mr. Edmore Marima, the incumbent
Member of Parliament for Bikita East and the entire homestead of Mr.
Zhangazha, a suspected MDC activist^15.
Hundreds of thousands of people were killed, maimed, raped, tortured,
harassed and detained. There are widespread reports that a number of
people were abducted and never seen again. Reports are that most of
MDC polling agents during the harmonized elections were arrested,
harassed and in some cases killed. For example, Clemence Makombo
who was a polling agent in Bikita was killed by ZANU PF youths. Gift
Mutsvungu who was a polling agent in Harare was killed and his de-
composing body was found on July 3 2008. Peter Chihombori and scores
of other MDC polling officers in Masvingo were arrested and detained at
Mutimurefu prison and later Bikita prison in Masvingo. In his letter to
the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) dated 25 June 2009, Tsvan-
girai claimed that more than two thousand of MDC polling agents were
arrested nationwide.
Allegations that ZANU PF elements also embarked on a massive, sys-
tematic and widespread confiscation of identity particulars of MDC
(^15) See Elias Nhimba, “Opinion Poll Reveals Widespread Burning of Homesteads by
ZANU PF Elements” The Independent, June 16, 2009, Main Paper Section.