DURBAN March 19 Sapa SA OBSERVER: ZIM ELECTIONS NOT FREE AND FAIR Another member of the South African Observer Mission to Zimbabwe says the past weekend's presidential election in the southern African country was not free and fair. Methodist Bishop Purity Malinga on Tuesday echoed the sentiments of South Africa's Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) chairwoman Brigalia Bam that Zimbabwe election did not conform to international standards. Bam on Sunday said she believed Zimbabwe's election was not free and fair, adding they were not in line with international standards as well as those of her organisation. Malinga, who represented South African churches on 50-member mission, told journalists during breakfast at the Diakonia Council of Churches in Durban, that she was uncomfortable with the manner in which the team had been treated -- even before they left South Africa. "We were also advised to be vigilant in what we say in private and in public," Malinga said. Each member was handed a booklet containing guidelines on Zimbabwean election laws. "Personally I felt that one is going to be used here, but I nevertheless hoped the presence of outsiders in Zimbabwe would stop some illegal acts which may have been committed." The booklet was published by the Electoral Institute of South Africa, in Pretoria. Malinga said according to the guidelines in the booklet, the election had been legitimate. She believed that SAOM head, Dr Sam Motsuenyane had probably based his findings on the guidelines. In a preliminary, Motsuenyane declared the Zimbabwe poll "legitimate", adding they could, however, not be openly described as free and fair. Malinga, who was based in southern Matabeleland near Beitbridge, said the election were characterised by -- among others -- intimidation. "Even in the queues at polling centres there was a lot of fear and tension. The election was run by the police and the army who carried weapons. Under these circumstances nobody can feel free." She said international observers were treated with suspicion by the police. "At one station were not allowed in and told that we had nothing to do with the Zimbabwe issue. At another station we were ordered to stay at least 100 metres away. Even local observers could not enter these stations," she said. "Many people were also unable to vote because their names were not on the voters' role. They were turned away in twenties, thirties and fifties." SAOM on Monday stopped short of declaring the Zimbabwean presidential election free and fair, but the African National Congress majority on the committee declared the poll "credible". The majority report, endorsed only by the ANC, said the observer mission had noted that over three million Zimbabweans had cast their votes and this substantially represented the will of the people. The Inkatha Freedom Party, Democratic Alliance, New National Party, African Christian Democratic Party, the Pan Africanist Congress and the United Christian Democratic Party had disagreed with the ANC conclusion. The United Democratic Movement was still undecided. Other delegates in SAOM aligned themselves with the findings of the Southern African Development Community parliamentary forum that said the vote had not met SADC's norms and standards. The United States, Britain, local Zimbabwean observers, and the Commonwealth observer team also described the poll as not free and fair. Source : Sapa /cp/im Date : 19 Mar 2002 13:14