Harare, Zimbabwe
A battered peace holds on the streets and townships of Harare on poll day. After months of virulent political campaigning the streets have fallen silent; there are few cars on the road and the giant minibus station in the bustling Mbare township is empty.
Polling stations – giant, white, marquee-like tents – have been set up in some areas more than others. I counted eleven such stations, with short queues snaking in the midday sun, within a square mile of Mbare alone. Next door in Highfield, Harare’s east, I found one. A local journalist said that Zanu has been concentrating on areas where it can pick up votes. “They can intimidate people here; remember this area was hit hardest when the government went on their slum cleareance [“Operation Clear out the Trash”] two years ago,” he said, pointing to a litter-strewn field outside dilapidated low-rise apartment blocks.
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