Both civil society organisations and and the democratic political opposition have been frenzied in their activities and activism during this past week and much of their organizing has been around the Mugabe regime’s attempt to force through a plan to extend his stay in office from 2008 to 2010.

Here’s a quick tally of some of the important actions and activities occurring during this past week:

On Tuesday, ZESN (Zimbabwe Elections Support Network), an independent umbrella group of more than 30 civil society organizations whose mission is to work towards asssuring transparent free and fair democratic elections in Zimbabwe, organized a public meeting at the Jameson Hotel to discuss the ruling party’s attempt to delay Presidential elections from 2008 to 2010. The ZESN chief, the medical doctor Reginald Matchaba-Hove, chaired the lively and sometimes raucous meeting. There was an overflow crowd of close to 1000 persons in attendance in the hotel’s largest meeting room and the temperature inside must have been close to 40 degrees. The guest speakers were the Professor Eldred Masunungure, who is also the President of the Mass Public Opinion Institute in Harare; Jonathan Moyo, former Minister of Communications (and principal author of repressive media legislation ) and now Independent Member of Parliament; Gabriel Chaibva, the information officer for the break-away “pro-senate” faction of the oppostion MDC party; and Tendai Biti, the Secretary General of the MDC.
On Wednesday Morning, ZESN organized another meeting to discuss the same issue, this time at the Bronte Hotel for civil society organizations. Another excellent and lively debate and discussion as well as a good turnout of perhaps 100 members of civil society organizations.
Also on Wednesday, the Save Zimbabwe Campaign organized another one of its lunch-time noise-making protests in Harare to manifest the population’s outrage at the continuing economic downward spiral.
On Thursday, the National Constitutional Assembly held a protest march to draw attention to the regime’s attempt to postpone presidential elections (and maintain Mugabe in power) until 2010.
On Thursday night, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human RIghts held a Public Meeting at the Book Cafe on Fife Avenue on the topic: “I can’t retire if my party is going to be in shambles,” Robert Mugabe, 14 December 2006. The speakers were Jacob Mafume of the Crisis Coalition, Lovemore Madhuku of NCA and the civil rights lawyer, Theresa Mugadza.
On Friday morning at the Rainbow Towers, the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe organized the launch of a self-regulatory media council for Zimbabwe to be called the Media Council of Zimbabwe. The keynote address was delivered by the executive secretary of the Tanzania media council, Anthony Ngaiza. Solidarity remarks were delivered by the Southern Africa Journalists Association, ZESN, NANGO, Crisis Coalition, Zimbabwe Human RIghts NGO Forum, Community Newspaper Association of ZImbabwe, Zimbabwe Editors’ Forum and the ZImbabwe Association of Editors. The down note of the meeting was an address delivered by Leo Mugabe, the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications (and nephew of the dictator). Mugabe, who had been surprisingly supportive of the initiative to form the independent media council up until the day of the meeting, delivered a speech laced with veiled threats to the organizers and advising against creating what he called “a parallel structure” to the regime’s MIC (Media Information Council). Following Mugabe’s speech the Tanzanian keynote speaker urged the particpants to forge ahead and not to be disuaded or discouraged by the government’s obstructionism.
Not bad for a week’s work by Zimbabwe’s democratic forces!