[Some of the group of fascist youth who…]

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Some of the group of fascist youth who took part in the National Front demonstratic that marched under massive police protection through Brixton last weekend.

As we go to press, reports are predicting that ZANU(PF) leader Robert Mugabe will emerge from the Rhodesian elections with the largest number of seats in the new 100-seat Assembly.

If this is true, it will be a remarkable outcome from an election in which the whole weight of capitalist propaganda has been thrown into a concerted effort to discredit Mugabe as a violent "Marxist" extremist and establish the "respectability" of Nkomo and the gangsterish Muzorewa.

Provocations

Muzorewa's Rhodesian state security forces elaborate campaign of bombings and provocations to frame Mugabe and ZANU(PF).

And armed members of Muzorewa's "auxiliaries" were allowed a free hand to terrorise and intimidate political opponents, while guerrilla forces loyal to Mugabe and Nkomo were herded into assembly points and thus effectively neutralised.

Such was the evident bias of Governor Soames and the witchhunt against Mugabe that there seemed little doubt that, if the imperialists had felt able, they would have gone further and rigged the bailot itself to produce a victory for their chosen. alliance of Muzorewa and Nkomo. Yet so sweeping is Mugabe's support that this option appears to have been discarded.

But moves by Mugabe in the last few days underline the fact that, though perhaps not as reliable as the imperialists would wish, he has. no ir tention of mobilising the black masses of Zimbabwe in the kind of struggles necessary to secure their basic demands.

Even before the count got underway, Mugabe was pro. claiming his wish, if elected, to retain Lt. General Peter Walls as supreme military commander.

And he has spent the last several weeks denying any "Marxist" persuasion, and refuting claims that he proposes a programme of nationalisations.

So while South African capitalist leaders implement a call-up of their Citizen Force and "leak" warnings of a possible invasion of Zimbabwe, therefore, it appears increasingly likely that Mugabe's commitment to stabilising a capitalist regime will make such an invasion unnecessary.

The imperialists and their allies may grin and rub their hands with relief at these developments: but Mugabe will not find it so easy to impress his mass of supporters, who have plainly voted for him hoping that he will press through an extreme, Marxist programme.

With crisis-wracked imperialist firms aching to move in and exploit the vast resources and untapped labour force in Zimbabwe, Mugabe's 'honeymoon" period with his followers will not be unduly prolonged.

As he emerges exposed in their eyes as an agent of capitalist exploitation he could well need to call quite soon on the services of General Walls to save his skin.