Deadly Ballot

As the people of Zimbabwe contemplated the aftermath of an 'election' which took place against a background of killings, beatings and intimidation, evidence of the grisly climax to the run-off emerged.

The bodies of seven murdered people were found yesterday at Spillway dam in Epworth, a township outside Harare, where some of the worst anti-MDC violence has taken place.

In Mutasa Central, it was reported that the mayor disappeared on Friday night. 'Headman Sakupwanya is missing. The last we heard was that soldiers took him away to an unknown destination,' said the MDC MP for the area, Trevor Saruwaka.

In Gweru, people were warned in a door-to-door campaign that they would be expected to join a 'celebration' street party for Zanu-PF today.

Reports of a mass beating came from Mutare, after only a dozen people had turned up to vote at a polling station. Armed police and soldiers arrived at the bus terminus, hitting traders with sticks and herding them to the polls. Police stayed there until the polls closed at 7pm.

In Magudo, west of Mutate, village headman Pedzisai Magudo had a printed list of voters and with the help of militia rounded people up and forced them to accompany him to the polling station to vote for Mugabe.

In Harare this weekend, there were very few cars, except those driven by army personnel or officials.

In Chitungwiza, state agents were escorting anyone they found to polling stations. They were told to write down the number of the ballot paper on their hands and show the number after voting.

On Thursday, Zanu-PF youths attacked newspaper vendors selling foreign publications in Mutare, several people were beaten and an estimated 200,000 papers were burnt or ripped up. The group, waving Mugabe placards, chased vendors through the streets. One woman was badly injured.

Zanu-PF representatives went to all businesses in Kariba on Friday, collecting ID numbers and threatening to check if people had voted.

In one constituency tensions ran so high that militiamen beat up a group of three Mugabe supporters who, although they had Zanu-PF cards and T-shirts, didn't recite the 'correct' slogan and were taken to be MDC members in disguise.