A Mess Called Zimbabwe

This hits close to home for me, I have friends in Zim and they have told me it is getting really bad. When I first moved to South Africa, Zim was a food exporter. Today 3 million are starving, inflation is running at 1,700% the economy has tanked, people are desperate.

Pray for Zim.

His face swollen and with a deep head wound, this was Zimbabwe's opposition leader on Tuesday after daring to stand up to the country's despotic leader Robert Mugabe.

A limping Morgan Tsvangirai said he had suffered 'terrible' treatment in police custody after being arrested with scores of others during political protests at the weekend. His face swollen and with a deep head wound, this was Zimbabwe's opposition leader on Tuesday after daring to stand up to the country's despotic leader Robert Mugabe.

A limping Morgan Tsvangirai said he had suffered 'terrible' treatment in police custody after being arrested with scores of others during political protests at the weekend.

Morgan Tsvangirai outside court on Tuesday. He and his supporters were said to have been tortured in custody.

'It was sadistic to attack defenceless people,' he said outside court in the capital Harare.
Several other opposition detainees had to be carried into the court. One wore a blood-stained shirt and all appeared dirty, dishevelled and tired.

Rights groups say Mr Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, and others were tortured after a prayer meeting on Sunday organised by opposition, church and civic groups to protest at Zimbabwe's political and economic crisis.

Under Mugabe inflation is 1,700 per cent, unemployment is 80 per cent, there are chronic shortages of food and fuel and dissent is ruthlessly crushed.

Police had ordered organisers to scrap Sunday's meeting, apparently worried that mounting opposition to 83-year-old Mugabe's rule is leading to a popular move to oust him.
One man was shot dead when riot squads moved in to stop the rally, a move which has brought worldwide condemnation. It was the second time in a month police had battled opposition members in the capital.

Andrew Pocock, Britain's ambassador to Zimbabwe, who was in court yesterday, said: 'The right side of Morgan's face was swollen, his eyes were bloodshot, but he seemed coherent. It was damn barbaric.'

Mr Pocock added that Arthur Mutambara, the leader of a breakaway faction of Mr Tsvangirai's party, appeared to have a broken arm and head wounds.

State lawyer Florence Ziyambi ordered that the accused be taken to hospital. Mr Tsvangirai was bundled by riot police into a minibus, while around 50 other injured detainees were taken away in ambulances. Link.