Living Zimbabwe

Tag: MDC

  • MDC Zimbabwe peaceful demonstration (14 April 2016) in pictures

    MDC Zimbabwe peaceful demonstration (14 April 2016) in pictures

    The Movement for Democratic Change held a demonstration in the city centre of Harare today in protest of unemployment, corruption, lack of rule of law and the economic meltdown currently dogging the country.

    The leader of MDC former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai addressed the protesters at Africa Unity Square where he implored the youths of Zimbabwe to safe guard their future and to stand up for their rights as enshrined in the constitution and “take them and not wait to have them given to them”.

    He lamented the rampant corruption in the country and called for the return of the missing 15billion dollars from diamond sales which mysteriously disappeared in the government coffers. The protesters could be seen brandishing placards written “basa rangu riripi” as they were asking for the 2.2million jobs they were promised by the Zanu PF government, according to Mr. Tsvangirai “instead of 2million jobs, Zanu has created 2million beggars”. The Zimbabwe Republic Police were present to keep the peace and there was one isolated incident where tear gas was deployed, but the protest was relatively peaceful.

    This has been a submission by Kevin Ngwazane.
    You too can become a Citizen Journalist by submitting your story here: Citizen Journalism by Living Zimbabwe
    The views expressed in the article are those of the author and not necessarily Living Zimbabwe.

  • Exposing Baba Jukwa: Our right to privacy

    Exposing Baba Jukwa: Our right to privacy

    Exposing Baba Jukwa: Our rights to privacy

    On several occasions, state media namely the herald and Sunday mail have published ‘leaked’ emails and information exchanges by prominent politicians and socialites in Zimbabwe. Several names like Eddie cross, Tendai Biti, Elizabeth Macheka and Obert Gutu have been victims of the leaks. Questions arise as to who leaks this information? How do they do it and for what reasons?

    We are aware of the US whistle-blower Edward Snowden, who leaked many NSA documents that show the US government, has been spying on citizens globally. It revealed the agency spied even on allies like German Chancellor Angela Merkel. It is not the US government alone that spies on citizens. Recently there were reports that Ethiopian government was acquiring spy technology (to spy on citizens).

    We have two possibilities: ether the state media fabricates these stories (propagandist machinations) or the information is true. If it is true, then the state media accessed the information from another state department. Whichever way it goes, the state knows who leaks the people’s information and how they do it.

    Last week I attended a workshop that touched on digital security, which proved to be a revelation to the majority of us participants. As I was just digesting what I learnt from the workshop the media was awash with news that baba Jukwa had been caught. I have not much sympathy for Baba Jukwa especially now that he is no longer relevant as elections are over but what grabbed my attention is how they claim they caught him. They (whoever they are) are said to have successfully hacked into his/her email account. The news is spine chilling to someone who values his or her privacy. Those hackers purport that Baba Jukwa is Mxolisi Ncube a journalist with the Zimbabwean.

    Mxolisi Ncube denies the accusations and says he only interviewed the faceless Facebook character. He admits to have corresponded with the Baba Jukwa. Whether Mxolisi is the real baba Jukwa or he is being set up, it is not much of an issue compared to the methods used to try and expose the Baba Jukwa. I wonder how many accounts of ordinary citizens have been hacked so far. How much of our private information has government accessed illegally?

    In the movies, hacking seems a lot of fun and exciting but truth be told; it is an infringement on our basic human rights. Section 57 of the new constitution states that, “every person has the right to privacy…” and part (d) specifically provides for privacy of data or communication. What it means is that no one has the right to access your private and personal information without your consent. It is an infringement for one to browse through my phone (snooping) without my consent. It is our fundamental right yet someone is bragging that he/she successfully hacked Mxolisi Ncube’s emails. Their excuse for hacking is defending national security. We are the people. We are the nation. There is no way they can protect us by hacking into our accounts.

    However, part of the blame lies squarely on us. Many of us are reckless with how we share our personal information online. As I learnt at the workshop, a few things will help us be more secure online.

    1. Always think twice before you accept any friend requests, open strange emails, or download those viral files on apps like WhatsApp. Some of it is carrying spyware.
    2. Have different passwords for your different accounts and only you must know them. A strong password must contain symbols and numerals.
    3. Think before you click on those pop-up ads. Many of them will lead you to unsecure sites where you are asked to type in your personal information.
    4. Never give personal information online. Many of the sites relay the information to hackers.
    5. Always log out from all your open accounts and delete history and cookies after you use a device that is not yours or that is available for the public. Hackers and/or other criminals can use this history can use to enter into your accounts.

    So even if whether we are fans of baba Jukwa or not, the way he has been exposed must worry us. When ordinary citizen Mxolisi Ncube has his right to privacy infringed upon, we all must get vocal or the vices will not stop. After Mxolisi, it is you or I.

    This has been a submission by Ittai Bryan.
    You can connect with Ittai via the following: http://ibmatteu.blogspot.com.
    You too can become a Citizen Journalist by submitting your story here: Citizen Journalism by Living Zimbabwe
    The views expressed in the article are those of the author and not necessarily Living Zimbabwe.

  • Zimbabwe’s Stolen Election Conspiracy Theory Involving China, Nikuv, The CIA & Baba Jukwa

    Zimbabwe’s Stolen Election Conspiracy Theory Involving China, Nikuv, The CIA & Baba Jukwa

    Below is something akin to a conspiracy theory that we received. This content is doing the rounds on WhatsApp and social media. The theory gives a break down of how ZANU PF managed to defeat MDC in the elections and how the ruling party may have gotten themselves into a quandary. However true or false it is, it makes for some interesting and entertaining reading.

    (Note: We have decided to not edit it and rather post it in the form that we received it in)

    Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below:

    this is hw Mdc ws beaten, Zanu created baba jukwa to hypnotize th nation,to divert
    pple frm where ey r going to steal th election, toking abt pens and intimidation,
    that’s not where th election ws stolen, not frm busing pple, it ws a diversion, th
    election ws stolen in th making of th BALLOT PAPER, two types of ballot papers
    were made, one frm China wc ws houzd at Morris Depot and th other one in Zim,
    ts one frm China hd Maths in it, if u look at closely facing th sun, it had a big X water mark, dat X ws linking RGM’ s head to MRT’s box and vice versa, dat water
    mark ws an electric device, if u make yo X in MRT’s box it links wth RGM’s head
    and appears in front of him after 4hours,that device deactivates afta 24hrs if th
    paper is used, hw u cn verify ts, there are Xs already in front of RGM s head jus
    waiting activation, they r strait like ey were drawn using a ruler. 4million of these
    papers were done that Maths while th 2million ws not tempered wth, so th distribution of these ballot papers ws strategic, Byo ws not tempered with as it ws
    going to b evn more suspicious, Baba Jukwa ws meant to divert yo attention to
    concentrate on none important issues. On Tuesday night RGM came out on TV
    speaking confidently dat thoz dat luz must surrender to thoz dat hv won, he also
    said if Hre votes for MRT he will hv a heart attack as he knew dat all things hv
    been done to make him win in Hre, 13million dollars was spent on ts project, 5guys frm Nikuv were behind ts project and were escorted to th airport on Wed b4
    th elections were over as they hd accomplished their mission From inside Nikuv
    source
    ZANU was fooled by Nikuv ane after rigging the elections Nikuv took all the evidence when they left Zim and handed it to their subsidiary company in SA to give to Mdc.Mugabe is in quandary,walked out of meeting angry with how he was tricked.Nikuv was working wth CIA to expose Mugabe ‘s rigging ways.Now he is astonished.The World knows,SADC knows hence 14 members have refused to indose t elections as fair.Next week is going t be interesting.ZANU’s plann was to rigg a certain section but they over did it to the extend tat they are shocked as well.Pray pray pray pray,the truth will be out soon.God is on Zimbabwe side.Mugabe is a lame President even if he is sworn in.

  • Technical Rigging By ZANU PF In The 2013 Zimbabwe Harmonised Elections?

    Technical Rigging By ZANU PF In The 2013 Zimbabwe Harmonised Elections?

    The official results of the 2013 Presidential Elections have been announced and President Mugabe’s Zanu-PF claimed a landslide victory.

    To date, the election process has been peaceful which makes Morgan Tsvangirai’s loss even more difficult. Previous elections were marked with violence and in the face of defeat, Tsvangirai used these acts as a major trump card to cry foul. Suggestions of people being intimidated into voting for Zanu-PF where their vote would have otherwise gone to MDC would be aired in an attempt to nullify the elections.

    In 2013, citing violence and intimidation is something that cannot be used and this now leaves the opposition in a position where they have to find another avenue through which to proclaim the elections as a “sham”.

    At a press conference over the weekend, Tsvangirai stated the following:

    [quote]”The fraudulent and stolen election has plunged Zimbabwe into a constitutional, political and economic crisis,”[/quote]
    His concerns included stating the need for fresh elections:
    [quote]”…… once all remedies have been be exhausted, the people of Zimbabwe should be allowed fresh opportunity to freely, fairly elect a government of their choice. In this regard a credible free and fair, legitimate election must be held as soon as possible.”[/quote]

    (continued below)

    In order for their request for fresh elections to be actioned, MDC would have to prove that there were irregularities in the election process. That said, the likely option (since there was no violence) would be to go via the route of technical rigging by Zanu-PF.

    Well before the elections took place, there were reports of the ruling party enlisting Israelis to rig the elections and ensure a win for them. The company in question has a presence in not only Zimbabwe but also in other parts of Africa and provides a number of services to governments. One of their services is the provision of an election system that handles and manages voter’s registration and the election process.

    In the last day or so, a report surfaced where a spokesperson from a private South African based intelligence organisation alleged to have uncovered election fraud stated the following:

    “From our findings so far we are 99.9% convinced that the election was rigged via a ballot paper. A special watermarked ballot was used to give president Mugabe a resounding victory. The ballot had a water X against President Mugabe’s name such that if any ink is placed on the paper the substance on the paper will react and remove the ink and activate the watermarked X into print. If you look at some ballots you would see that Xs are very straight and Identical. These were mixed with ordinary ballot papers in a proportion that would favour Zanu-PF. Therefore I call for the opposition parties and the international community to stage an urgent probe into this scam”

    Who is to know which route the MDC will use to fight the election result? They may chose to go the Israeli firm route, the “water X” ballot paper route, both of the aforementioned or via a completely different channel. Which ever way they chose to go, they will need evidence if they are going to convince the powers that be that of the need for fresh elections.

    Finding that evidence, convincing the AU, SADC and whoever else needs to be convinced and getting to the point of fresh elections represents quite a challenge for MDC! Question is, do they have what it takes to make it happen?

    Whatever the case may be, the votes are in and as it stands, President Mugabe is victorious and is set to sit his seventh term in office.