Even though their leadership failed to mobilize and call for protests, there are some brave souls in Zimbabwe’s youth who realize that fighting and dying for freedom is a more worthy cause for their lives than complacent slavery. Despite threats of death, a few hundred have taken to the streets to defy Mugabe’s fraudulent victory.

JOHANNESBURG, April 4 – Hundreds of supporters of Zimbabwe’s political opposition marched in Harare today to protest what they called the fraudulent victory of President Robert G. Mugabe’s ruling party in Thursday’s parliamentary elections.

There were conflicting reports on whether the police broke up the protest – a promise Mr. Mugabe made for dealing with demonstrations – or whether the marchers fled before they could be arrested. An official of the opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, said that the police arrested 5 to 10 protesters, a number that could not be confirmed.

The march was the largest of a handful of sporadic protests that have erupted since Mr. Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Unity-Political Front, or ZANU-PF, swept the legislative elections. The opposition, known by its initials M.D.C., claims the victory is invalid,

Spokesmen for the M.D.C. said in telephone interviews that today’s street march was organized by young members of the party and not officially sanctioned.

Nevertheless, “I am told the demonstrations will continue,” said William Bango, the spokesman for the M.D.C.’s president, Morgan Tsvangirai,cq in an interview this evening.

They are certainly braver than we can aspire to be, whether or not it is born of necessity. These youth demonstrators are out there on their own, without the support of their leadership.

On the other hand, Sokwanele thinks that the opposition is waiting until the streets have cleared of the military crackdown. He says that right now a protest couldn’t happen, but after the air is cleared the green light may go. I certainly hope that is true. I’m not predicting any outcomes for a reason, because it is completely unpredictable. I do, however, remain eternally optimistic that the overthrow of tyranny is always possible.