• Mugabe grabs plane for Far East holiday
• Church raises $30m for Mugabe
• Battle for control of Kondozi turns ugly
• Doctors win the battle but ...
• Muchena, Mahofa compete for hearts
• Tremors intensify in financial sector
• 29 bank accounts located in UK
• MDC supporter dies after attack
• Committee appointed to clean up land reform mess
• 4 years on, land reform still marred by chaos
• MDC pledges land reform audit
• Nkomo concedes failure of land reform
• State’s disregard of law a cocktail for disaster
• New laws cannot rescue land programme
• It can’t be done on our own
• Zvinavashe goes ‘political’
• Banks face new $10b hurdle
• Zim banks placed on rating watch
• Online firm provides easy access to medication for Zim
• Made invasion exposes beast in Zanu PF govt
• There's one battle Chiwenga can't win
• Rid Mutare West of Mushowe
• Mugabe worse than Smith
• Catch 22
• Hondo Yeminda plot lost, Zim to starve
• Tale of a society in self-denial

The aircraft, an Air Zimbabwe cash cow, plies the Harare-London route and
generates about $3 billion a week for the troubled national carrier.

High-level sources said Mugabe left the country early last week on an Air
Zimbabwe plane to Johannesburg on his way to Malaysia for both a holiday and
business.

He left the Air Zimbabwe plane in Johannesburg and proceeded on a commercial
flight to Kuala Lumpur. After vacationing for a few days in Malaysia,
Mugabe, who is travelling with his family, met the country's new Prime
Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for a 30-minute courtesy call on Tuesday.

The two leaders discussed trade and investment issues. Badawi recently
succeeded Mugabe's close ally, Mahathir Mohamad.

Mugabe on Wednesday also met Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri for
talks that centred on enhancing economic and trade cooperation between the
two countries.

Indonesian Foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda said his country could soon send
a delegation to Zimbabwe to discuss trade and investment issues.

During the meeting, Megawati invited Mugabe to attend the 50th anniversary
of the histo-ric Asia/Africa Conference next year. Mugabe said Zimbabwe has
decided to open an embassy in Jakarta by the end of this year.

Observers in Jakarta said statements by both Wirajuda and Megawati appeared
carefully measured to avoid any blanket endorsement of Mugabe.

Sources said Mugabe on Monday called Air Zimbabwe while still in Malaysia to
send the 767-200, which had to be dispatched immediately to take him to
Jakarta.

"He called on Monday and demanded the plane and it was sent to Malaysia
immediately," a source said. "The plane left with a number of big containers
in it apparently to carry his goods and was due to be away for five days. A
lot of passengers travelling between Harare and London who use that plane
were left stranded."

Mugabe is expected back home today or tomorrow from Singapore where he made
his last stop during his trip to the now preferred Far East holiday
destinations. Over the past three years Mugabe has taken his holidays in the
Far East following the closure to him of European destinations.

Early last year the First Couple went to Singapore and brought back large
quantities of personal goods.

Although he returns to work in early February, Mugabe was understood to be
coming home early because his children are due back at school next week.

Mugabe's habit of commandeering Air Zimbabwe planes for his personal use has
been costing the beleaguered national airline billions of dollars in lost
revenue.

"Air Zimbabwe will lose more than $3 billion during the five days that he
has the plane because this time around we had many passengers travelling to
London," a source at the national airline said.

Pastor Tom Deuschle, the head of the church, however said the gift was in
accordance with the scriptures and should not be interpreted in any way as
an endorsement of everything Mugabe is doing.

"It wasn't a Christmas present. It was a collection for a gift to the
president. It amounted to close to $30 million. The scriptures say that we
should honour our leaders," said Deuschle

A congregant present when the collection was taken said a number of people
were deeply disturbed over this.

He said a passage in the Bible was quoted to justify the collection.

Deuschle acknowledged the displeasure of some members over the gift, which
he said the church only decided upon in line with scriptures.

"There has been some criticism of giving a gift to this man because some
people are saying that he has caused all sorts of havoc in the country," he
said.

"But we are honouring the office of the president and he is the incumbent.
It doesn't mean that we entirely agree with what he has done. It's not an
endorsement of him."

Deuschle said that whilst there was a lot of controversy regarding Mugabe's
leadership, the Bible also teaches Christ's followers to bring grace unto
others.

"The Bible says bless those who despise you. Even if we believe the
president is despising us, we as Christians have to bless him. Our church is
apolitical, we don't belong to Zanu PF or the MDC but we seek to bring grace
to all people," he said.

Mugabe has been blamed for the country's plunge into economic chaos as he
obstinately clings to power.

The church in Zimbabwe as well as in the region has directed a barrage of
criticism at Mugabe.

Reports by the Peace for Solidarity Trust, a group of clergy based in South
Africa released last year, described Mugabe's regime as a "rogue" state.

Highly-placed sources at the farm told the Zimbabwe Independent there was a
shooting incident at Kondozi farm on Tuesday as Arda staff tried to evict
workers.

"More than three shots were fired as an 11-member-gang of Zanu PF youths led
by an Arda employee, only identified as Zuze, fought running battles with
Kondozi workers," officials at Kondozi said.

Sources said Zuze was armed during the invasion and is understood to have
fired the shots.

Kondozi farm owner Edwin Masimba Moyo confirmed the incident.

"A group of 11 people, comprising Arda employees and unemployed youths,
attempted to forcibly grab office keys from our management team," Moyo said.

"Sensing danger, the management sounded an alarm to which all our workers
responded resulting in a scuffle with the invading group. Zuze fired at our
workers. Three of our workers were injured in the process," he said.

He said the case has been reported to Mutare police.

Moyo said he was not contesting the acquisition of the farm but wants
permission to remove his equipment.

"Even in my High Court case, my argument was never about the land but how I
should remove my equipment.

"Arda, acting on instructions from Made, is stopping us from taking our
equipment and for as long as they are standing in my way the battle is still
on," he said.

Moyo said he wanted to give the equipment to the out-growers so that they
can continue supplying products for the export project.

This week government in a story carried by the Herald quoting an
unidentified government source, labelled Moyo an Uncle Tom who was a front
for Piet de Klerk from whom he is leasing the farm.

Moyo this week said he is the major shareholder in the project with a 52%
stake while de Klerk and Adrian Zeederberg own 24% apiece.

On-call allowances have been increased by 400% from a monthly $450 000.
Other allowances including transport, housing and medical aid have been
increased by about the same margin. The doctors now also enjoy a new risk
allowance.

The on-call allowances which were taxed at the rate of 45% will now be
levied at a concessionary rate of 40%. A special tax bracket for this
allowance of 40% has been arranged. Zimbabwe's tax, one of the highest in
the world, is 45%. The Public Service Commission is also finalising the risk
allowance for the doctors.

The deal saw doctors who had embarked on a three-month industrial action
calling off the strike on Wednesday. Sources in the PSC told the Independent
that they feared their deal with the doctors would invite the wrath of other
civil servants who are demanding a 600% salary hike.

"Doctors are part of the civil service and their salary requirements are not
treated separately," said the source.

"There were genuine fears that if the monthly salaries of doctors were to
skyrocket, this would inflate the public service salary structure. The only
solution was to hike the allowances which differ from one sector to
another," he said.

The compromise deal is also a stop-gap measure until the newly-proposed
Health Services Commission is established. The move will see the health
profession severing ties with the PSC.

Health minister David Parirenyatwa said he couldn't give the exact date when
it will come into effect.

"You cannot have a date on such a thing can you?" said Parirenyatwa.

"What we know is that it has passed through cabinet and we are working
through other channels," he said.

Sources said Muchena addressed a meeting at Nyamakosi Village in her
constituency last month at which she threatened to stop donor agency World
Vision from distributing food aid in the area. People had stopped
participating in Zanu PF activities and had defected to the donors, Muchena
is reported as having said.

Muchena, who is also the Minister of Science and Technology, yesterday
denied making the threat and said there were people putting words into her
mouth.

"That is not my language. I am having problems with people who are putting
words into my mouth," said Muchena. "Definitely not me. I can't respond to
those who are saying that I am not doing anything for my constituency, let
them tell you. But I am doing my work just like I have done in the past nine
years."

This paper witnessed Mahofa trying to hijack a meeting between villagers and
Care International at Mutanga Business Centre in Gutu South and convert it
into a rally just before Christmas. The embattled Zanu PF MP arrived at the
business centre with an entourage of supporters and tried to take over from
the donor agency's officials who were preparing to distribute food relief to
the villagers.

"I am not happy with the approach you have towards party meetings and
activities," said Mahofa. "It appears your hearts have been taken away by
these donors. We will stop them if they make you forget where you are coming
from or going," said Mahofa.

However, the villagers dispersed in all directions as soon as Mahofa took
over the meeting, with some hurling abuse at her. Efforts by Mahofa's
helpers to stop the crowd from moving off were unsuccessful.

ENG Capital Asset Management all but collapsed last week after it failed to
pay investors over $100 billion. The firm's directors who are now on remand
had allegedly invested investors' funds in specu-lative and personal
properties that included posh cars and mansions.

Century Discount House, appa-rently defrauded of $22 billion by ENG, also
sunk in the process. Although the closure of Century Discount House did not
affect Century Bank, sources said the bank could be hit by the spreading ENG
contagion because the asset management firm had 30% equity in it.

It is understood ENG last year bought 350 million shares at an average price
of $15 a share in Century Bank for $5,3 billion. This could expose the bank
as credi-tors jostle to seize ENG assets to recover their money. First
Mutual Life is exposed to the tune of $30 billion.

Retail shops sent alarm bells ringing this week by rejecting cheques from
banks seen as in trouble. Electronic and furniture retail giant, TV Sales &
Hire, was rejecting cheques from Trust Bank, Time Bank, Metropolitan Bank,
First Bank, Century Bank, and all discount houses.

Leading cellular telephony firm, Econet Wireless, has also blacklisted
Trust, Time, Metropolitan, and Century banks. Sources said many other shops
and companies have taken similar measures.

It is understood Agribank (now Land Bank) is trembling and an emergency
taskforce chaired by Air Vice-Marshal Henry Muchena has been seconded to
rescue it. The bank, which has not released financial results for two years
despite requirements of the Banking Act, was last year reported to be
technically insolvent.

RBZ officials, backed by state intelligence officers, this week descended on
banks inspecting their assets, in particular cars, as part of the clampdown
on illegal speculative gains. They are next week expected to raid houses of
bank directors in search of information, as well as things like hoarded
foreign currency.

RBZ governor Gideon Gono warned last month of a crackdown against banks.

"On-site and off-site examina-tions will be intensified, and ad-herence to
international best pra-ctice and responsible behaviour required of all
financial institutions," he said. "The curtain has been drawn against the
era for the proliferation of weak, poorly managed financial institutions
dependent on cheap and unlimited central bank credit."

Some banks were now despe-rately anxious to protect them-selves from the
unfolding banking crisis, which could have far-reaching consequences in the
financial system as its ripple effects wave through institutions like
insurance companies and pension funds that have invested in stock and money
market speculation.

"NMB has closed Interfin's major account to protect itself from possible
contagion," a source said. "Interfin moved its account to Trust before
running away to Stanbic. That shows the level of panic and jittery reactions
in the banking sector."

Several banks are restless because they have been hit by a terrible runas
investors and depositors with-draw their money amid growing speculation a
number of banks could go under. Trust Bank has already lost 30% of its
deposits.

"Some banks are losing at least $300 million a day as the run intensifies,"
a source said. "This has left them exposed big time."

A senior EU official this week said other assets worth US$50 000 ($225
million at the parallel market rate of US$1:$4 500) had been frozen in
Ireland

The revelation on the frozen accounts comes amid reports that the EU will
tighten travel bans on Mugabe and his cronies at its review of the sanctions
regime next month.

Mugabe at the imposition of the targeted sanctions said there were no such
assets in Europe. He said if any assets were found the governments were free
to donate them to charity. EU officials said not all member states had
reported progress in freezing accounts under Regulation (EC) No 310/2002.

"The disclosure of the names of individuals to whom frozen assets belong is,
as you will understand, not possible in view of rules on data protection and
professional secrecy," the official said.

The EU Council will review the sanctions on February 20 and has said in a
statement that nothing had improved in Mugabe's leadership to warrant a
lifting of the restrictions. Member countries of the EU have complained over
loopholes in the travel bans on Mugabe and his cabinet ministers, service
chiefs as well as business people deemed by the economic bloc to be
responsible for the violation of human rights and perpetuation of tyranny in
Zimbabwe.

"Lifting of the sanctions is almost out of the question. Nothing at all
warrants such a decision," said the EU Council official in response to
questions from the Zimbabwe Independent. "The council is likely to
deliberate on ways through which member countries could strictly uphold
travel bans. The other embargoes on trade in arms are set to be extended."

There were also violent attacks by suspected Zanu PF officials in Gweru
Rural where a headman in the constituency is still missing after being
abducted on Monday

The deceased in the Sunday attack, Alexander Chigiga, died after an assault
by a group allegedly led by Milton Kangi whilst his injured wife and son
were admitted to a hospital in Bindura.

Several MDC supporters' homes were raided at night and a number of victims
sustained serious injuries.

Ruben Manyika, one of the victims, who sustained serious head injuries,
yesterday narrated his ordeal: "The Zanu PF supporters, led by Kangi are
saying that they were given instructions by their leaders to drive MDC
supporters out of Shamva. Night raids on homes of suspected opposition
supporters have become common."

The violence in Gweru Rural started after MDC MP Renson Gasela began to hold
report-back meetings.

Headman Shadreck Sikombingo was still missing yesterday after he was
abducted by a group of 27 suspected war veterans and Zanu PF youths in Lower
Gweru on Monday.

According to the headman's family members, Sikombingo had been warned by
Zanu PF officials in Lower Gweru the previous week that he would be "dealt
with".

The abduction was reported to the police. A policeman at Gweru Police
Station who refused to identify himself on Wednesday said that
investigations were continuing but declined to give further details.

The headman's abduction followed the police's last-minute cancellation of
Gasela's report-back meeting in Sikombingo's area.

Gasela this week said there had been overwhelming attendance at his meetings
in the constituency to which Zanu PF has reacted by harassing MDC
supporters.

An MDC councillor in Zvishavane, Simon Dick, and his sister-in-law escaped
death by a whisker last week after a house in which they were sleeping
caught fire following a petrol bomb attack by suspected Zanu PF supporters.

The house and property worth over $70 million were completely destroyed in
the attack just after midnight. An unexploded petrol bomb was later
discovered underneath Dick's vehicle.

These incidents followed an attempt on former Gweru mayor, Patrick Kombayi's
life on December 27 when a hand grenade was thrown at his car, completely
destroying it. Kombayi said the assailants were suspected Zanu PF supporters
as well as intelligence operatives.

Zanu PF supporters have resumed illegal roadblocks as well as patrols in
Gweru Rural constituency for the purpose of identifying opposition
supporters who are then taken to torture bases.

MDC spokesman Paul Themba Nyathi said the reemergence of violence in the
three incidents "demonstrates beyond doubt that despite claims by Zanu PF
and the Mugabe regime that there is peace in Zimbabwe, lawlessness still
prevails as the law-enforcing agents have become part of the instruments for
lawlessness and violence.

"The MDC calls on the Sadc countries to remind Mugabe that suppressing
opposition political parties is a gross violation of human rights principles
and has no place in a democratic Africa," he said.

Willard Chiwewe, former Foreign Affairs permanent secretary who is now
Senior Secretary in the President's Office, heads the task force. He
confirmed that he was heading the team on Wednesday but said that its term
of office might surpass the three-month period.

"Tinopedza, kanatapedza (We will end when we finish the task). We are
committed to this and we are working on a permanent institution to address
the problems that have affected the land distribution," said Chiwewe

"What we want to have is a permanent institution that would be looking at
the land reform programme, just like what was recommended in the Utete
report," he said.

The task force also has an "inspectorate" that is expected to deal with
senior officials who might decide not to co-operate with the team, including
those who grabbed more than one farm.

The inspectorate is led by deputy police commissioner Godwin Matanga and
assisted by Air Vice-Marshal Henry Muchena. Chiwewe also confirmed that
Matanga was heading the inspectorate.

Among its various tasks is that of investigating the chaotic handling of the
land reform programme and to come up with recommendations that would see the
creation of a permanent office which deals with the issues of land reform.

At a national level, the team comprises Sophia Tsvakwi and Ringson Chitsiko,
directors in the Department of Agriculture, Mathamsanqa Dube, the principal
of Joshua Nkomo technical college, Daniel Moyo, the regional director for
Education in Matabeleland North, and Vitalis Chadenga, director of National
Parks.

But the inherent policy contradictions and blunders have clearly
demonstrated that amendments to the Land Acquisition Act, the appointment of
a succession of committees of inquiry or taskforces, and even the purging of
the judiciary have done nothing to improve production. Farming activity
requires proper financing and planning which have been conspicuously absent
over the past four years.

Last weekend, Special Affairs minister John Nkomo in an interview with the
BBC, made a stunning admission that the land reform exercise had failed in
some places.

"In some cases, the percentage of people who took up the farms that they
were allocated has not been encouraging," Nkomo said in the interview.

"In some cases, only 40% of people who were allocated land have taken it
up," he said.

Nkomo blamed this on lack of finance, saying farmers who wanted to take the
land had difficulties obtaining bank loans.

Nkomo, who is leading the government's Land Review taskforce, was this week
quoted in the government media as saying there was confusion on the ground
caused by the listing and delisting of farms.

Sources in the Lands and Agriculture ministry this week said at least 500
farms had been left fallow this season as wrangles over ownership raged.

Agricultural experts have said despite numerous promises that government
would support new farmers with inputs and tillage, this has been a
monumental failure in the past three farming seasons. The current season,
despite promises of near normal rainfall, is set to be the worst ever due to
a combination of chaos on the ground, poor planning and meager financing.

Government measures to redress the situation through amendments to the
principal Act since 2000 have not managed to improve production.

From the inception of the fast-track land reform, white commercial farmers
clinging on to the land were considered to be the primary obstacles to the
success of the exercise.

In 2000, the government through a presidential decree began to compulsorily
acquire farms. The decree was then confirmed by the passing of the Land
Acquisition (Amendment) Bill in November 2000.

In September 2002, another amendment to facilitate the forcible eviction of
defiant farmers was passed. Farmers had resisted eviction on the grounds
that lending banks, which held their bonds, had not been informed of pending
eviction, as required by law.

This meant the government had to notify the banks of farmers affected in
this way, then reissue eviction notices. The amendment removed this
impediment resulting in mass evictions towards the end of 2002 and beginning
of last year.

Two months ago the government gazetted another amendment to the Land Act
which seeks to give government powers to acquire at least 11 million
hectares of land. The Bill, if enacted into law, will empower the government
to compulsorily acquire plantations and farms engaged in large-scale
production of tea, coffee, timber, citrus fruit and sugar cane. The amending
legislation will also empower the government to acquire land which has
Export Processing Zone (EPZ) status or agro-businesses with Zimbabwe
Investment Centre certificates

Another presidential decree two weeks ago was promulgated to give government
powers to compulsorily acquire farming equipment held in warehouses by
dispossessed farmers.

This, the government believed, would solve the problems of the shortage of
tillage implements and other on-farm infrastructure.

The amendments accelerated the acquisition of the land but this has
corresponded with a sharp decline in grain and cereal production. The
tinkering with the legislation has failed to address the fundamental issue
of security of tenure, which is crucial to securing funding.

Last year, the government appointed the Utete Land Review Committee to sort
out the mess that had been created by the re-organisation on the farms. Its
report, whose recommendations President Mugabe said government would
implement, was deemed to be the panacea to the problems on the land.

However, some of its seemingly sensible suggestions contrast sharply with
the proposed amendment to the Land Act. The Utete report says land under
exotic forests should not be resettled.

"The proposal to divide some of the plantation forests into small farms of
about 250-hectares to be allocated to individuals will almost certainly
prove unviable," the Utete report said.

"Given the high level of vertical integration, the long gestation period and
the contribution to the national economy of the exotic plantation forestry
industry, it is recommended that land in this category be maintained in the
current state without any fragmentation."

The amendment, analysts say, will further scare away investors in the
capital intensive agro-processing industry and the agro-forestry sectors.

Exotic forests in the Eastern Highlands and conservancies and national parks
in the south-eastern Lowveld have been occupied by crop farmers. The
government has not removed the illegal settlers who have caused fires in
forests and decimated wildlife.

Last week, the Independent reported that the Agriculture and Rural
Development Authority was acquiring a sophisticated horticultural farm with
EPZ status in Odzi.

The Land Bill finally disposes of Mugabe's diplomatic gambit that Zimbabwe
was implementing the one-farm-one-farmer policy and that no farmer would be
left without land.

The government seeks to amend the law so that it can acquire a farm even if
it is the only piece of land belonging to the owner. In its findings, the
Utete review committee said government was upholding the one-man-one-farm
policy - a fallacy.

"In the case of a single-owned farm being acquired due to it being
contiguous to a communal area, government undertook to provide the affected
farmer with another elsewhere around the country," the Utete committee said.

As Nkomo's team continues with its tour around the country, revelations of
more confusion and policy contradictions are likely to greet them.

The opposition has compiled a draft plan through which it will address the
myriad crises crippling the country. Titled From crisis to democratic
human-centred development, the document emphasises the urgency of
implementing corrective measures on the land issue.

"The MDC will establish, by an Act of parliament, an impartial, independent
and well-sourced professional agency, known as the Land Commission.

"This will be vested with the powers and authority to fulfil its role of
formulating, planning and coordinating an all-inclusive and well-crafted
resettlement programme and agrarian reform programme, with a limited life
span," the draft plan says.

A draft Bill has already been compiled, the MDC said.

"The Land Commission Bill has been drafted and its terms will be subject to
stakeholder scrutiny before being submitted to parliament."

An independent land audit to establish the ownership of land resulting from
the chaotic programme being implemented by the Zanu PF leadership is
envisaged by the MDC to be a major stepping stone in its quest to create
sanity on the land issue.

"The commission's first major task shall be to establish the physical and
legal status of all land holdings by carrying out an independent land audit.

The physical component of the land audit will include information such as
the farm's location, name, size, legal status, as well as on-farm data,
details of Model A1 and A2 occupation, occupiers and where they came from.

"The legal component will consist of an analysis of the constitutionality
and legality of measures taken, as well as ground realities, to clarify the
legal status of farmers, settlers, and the land they occupy," the party
said.

The opposition seeks to transform agriculture in the rural sector to ensure
commitment by rural landholders. The MDC proposes in its draft the
establishment of security of tenure.

"Farm investment and productivity is to be encouraged by improving the
security of tenure for all Zimbabwean farmers. This will be achieved by
maintain-ing freehold tenure where it exists, and offering resettlement and
small-scale farmers long-term leases with options for title," the MDC said.

"In some cases, the percentage of people who took up the farms that they
were allocated has not been encouraging," Nkomo said in a BBC interview at
the weekend.

"In some cases, only 40% of people who were allocated land have taken it
up," he said.

Nkomo blamed lack of finance, saying farmers who wanted to take the land had
difficulties obtaining bank loans, but the Mugabe regime's critics had
foreseen such difficulties.The poor peasant farmers who were meant to
benefit from land seizures did not have the money to buy seed, fertilisers
or farming implements, let alone redevelop the farmland to make it
productive. And without the title deeds, which are still held by their white
owners, black farmers cannot obtain bank loans.

Renson Gasela, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change's Agriculture
spokesman, said his party had always said the programme was chaotic.

"They gave land to people who are not farmers, who are soldiers and police
and civil servants. These people are working in towns. They are not
interested in the land. They got the land for speculation purposes, so that
they can sell it later."

Gasela said Mugabe has admitted that there were problems, but they have
always glossed over them or indicated that they were teething troubles.

"If John Nkomo has said this, then this is the first time there has been
such a frank admission," he said.

A spokesman for Justice for Agriculture, a commercial farmers' pressure
group, said the failure to make use of Zimbabwe's farmland could well worsen
food shortages, the spokesman said.

"We've flown around the country and seen there's nothing being grown," he
said. "The maize crop is down, the wheat is down. A lot of people have
started to prepare their land, but it's too late to get any reasonable crop.
What we saw last season is going to be nothing compared to what we're going
to see. The food shortages will be horrendous.

"They keep blaming what's happening on drought, but the drought in the past
couple of years has been in specific areas, and the main grain-growing areas
haven't had any drought."

Nkomo's embarrassing admission comes after Mugabe's government announced on
New Year's Eve that it had recovered half a million acres of farmland from
Zanu PF loyalists who had seized two or more white-owned farms.

However, the Justice for Agriculture spokesman said it had seen no sign that
those involved in multiple land grabs had abandoned any of the land.

"One minister is now on his third farm," the spokesman said. "They go on to
the farm when it is ready to produce, kick the owner off and take the
crops."

The writer of the Nathaniel Manheru column, which reflects the views of
full-time apologists in the Office of the President, appears miffed that
Australia should be concerned about the murder of one of its citizens,
Phillip Laing (called Phillip Langa in the Sunday Mail), in the Eastern
Highlands. For a country “notorious for violent crime, kicking dust over a
forlorn death is a protest too much”, the official spokesman fulminated
referring to Australia’s past.

It all looks “straightforwardly criminal” to Manheru. Yet Australia has the
“temerity” to warn its citizens against crimes related to Zimbabwe’s
economic decline.

“Are we dealing with the criminal murder of Laing or the opportunity which
this tragic incident provides for venting pent-up anger and attitude of this
racist government?” Manheru wants to know.

At last, a confession that this government is racist! But Manheru wants us
to believe that crime-related deaths are the product of Australian
sanctions.

The fact is that Australian sanctions are mere pinpricks. The collapse of
law and order is not the work of the authorities in Canberra. Nor are the
lawless gangs who terrorise commercial farms, man roadblocks at election
time and assault opposition supporters. Who has been orchestrating farm
invasions in Chimanimani in defiance of court orders? Who are the
state-employed killers of Talent Mabika and Tichaona Chiminya who continue
to operate with impunity against law-abiding citizens?

Zimbabwe today is notorious for violent, politically motivated crime. And
this is the direct product of the arming of militias and the selective
application of the law. To pretend that foreign governments are responsible
for the violent seizure of farms protected by court orders and
country-to-country agreements is fatuous. The criminality Manheru refers to
is the criminality of a regime that steals land and farm equipment, that
defies court orders and abuses the media to preach a gospel of hate and
deception.

The Australian government is absolutely right to warn its citizens of the
criminals who are emerging from behind the smokescreen of land reform. We
know who they are. And one day soon they will be made to account for their
crimes against the people of this country.

You can tell how desperate Mugabe’s office boys are when they attack
Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Here is a churchman renowned for his human decency
and shining integrity. But according to Manheru he is “useable”. Anybody who
abides by principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law is being
“used” by Zimbabwe’s enemies, this childish writer suggests. It’s all a
conspiracy against land reform!

“The holy men across the Limpopo are disappointed Mugabe is Catholic, not
Moslem,” Manheru suggests, so they can deal with him like Saddam Hussein.

In fact they are disgusted he calls himself Catholic. They are appalled he
calls himself Christian. What Christian knowingly inflicts pain and
suffering on the people in his care? Perhaps the garrulous Manheru can
answer that.

The Sunday Mail carried a front-page picture last weekend showing children
attending a Christmas party in Mbare with political slogans written on their
faces.

Is this not a clear case of child abuse? Who organised this party because it
looks suspiciously like a Zanu PF party? Were public funds used?

“I love Zanu PF” and “Sendekera Mwana Wevhu” were among the slogans daubed
on the kids. None of them was at an age where they could decide for
themselves whether they wanted to be exploited in this way. But it is a sign
of the times that, like child soldiers in Liberia and Uganda, Zanu PF has
descended to this level of recruitment in its battle against the people of
Harare who have made it clear they don’t want that rotten party here.

By the way, we haven’t heard a squeak of protest from any organisation
claiming to have the interests of children on its agenda! “Sendekera Mu’Born
Free”, the Sunday Mail dutifully told us. Free to be abused by the look of
it!

Another child, who we were told was a National Youth Service member, was
shown in the Herald holding up a placard extolling Zvinavashe’s achievements
at a farewell reception for him.

The general was “very innocent and tactiful (sic)”, the placard said.

Evidently English is not one of the subjects the Green Bombers are taking at
their Border Gezi Camp.

Fox stood for “Freedom Organiser Xider”, we were told. “Xider” must be a
code of some sort understood only by the initiated. Or it could refer to the
General’s batteries.

Gava meant “God’s Arrangements for Vitalis’ Achievements”, according to
another placard.

That was as far as the Bombers’ wisdom went. Probably about as far as
Zvinavashe’s!

Could we appeal to all those making abusive calls to this newspaper about
how unpatriotic the doctors are and how unfair we are in reporting threats
against them to please identify themselves. We had one irate lady last
Friday asking why we were working for the  “Breetish” in reporting on the
health crisis!

She didn’t say who she was working for but we have some idea!

State commentators on our current economic malaise are becoming increasingly
inventive in finding explanations for the crisis. Here is Caesar Zvayi in
the Herald: “A certain group of people masquerading as democrats arrived on
the scene and systematically began destroying the macro and micro-economic
fundamentals through collusion with white industrialists and commercial
farmers as well as through orgies of sabotage disguised as mass actions.”

Were these the same mass actions that the government described as flops?

Wait, there’s more: “As if that was not enough damage, they cavorted across
the globe lobbying for economic sanctions in the vain hope that the
resultant socio-economic hardships would foster resentment against the
government.”

The hope was not entirely in vain it would seem.

“They have been successful to an extent as a lot of urbanites continue
voting with their stomachs rather than brains.”

But, says Zvayi, who cannot be accused of writing with his brains, “we now
know the breed of cat that ate the canary” .

Really? Perhaps Zvayi could tell us what it is. There are a number of fat
cats where he comes from and they are of a single breed. And dozens of
parrots, if not canaries!

Having “liberated ourselves from the Queen and her dominions”, Zvayi wishes
all patriotic Zimbabweans “a better Christmas this year”.

Is this the best the Herald can do? Please bring back Olley Maruma and David
Martin. At least they sounded intelligent. And we would have much more fun
taking them on. Last time we heard, Martin was in self-exile in the Vumba!

In the process, the central bank has also revised all licensing requirements
for financial institutions.

The new requirement surpasses the profit margins posted by most commercial
banks in 2002, and this development might force a number of financial
institutions unable to raise the requirements to merge.

The latest revision of application fees will also result in merchant banks
and finance houses paying $7,5 billion for a licence, up from $300 million.

Building societies who previously had their capital requirements determined
by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development through the Registrar of
Financial Institutions will now have to part with $7,5 billion.

Discount houses are now required to pay $5 billion, up from $200 million.

A circular to that effect has already been sent to banks about the
structures from the RBZ's Supervision and Surveillance Department.

"We write with reference to the Monetary Policy announced by the governor Dr
Gideon Gono on December 18 2003," Stephen Gwasira head of banking and
supervision, wrote on Friday last week.

"In connection, we advise that the new capital requirements are as follows:
commercial banks - $10 billion, merchant bank - $7,5 billion, finance
house - $7,5 billion, building societies - $7,5 billion, and discount
house - $5 billion.

"All banking institutions will be expected to be in compliance with the
stipulated requirements by September 30 2004. The relevant statutory
amendments will be made in due course."

On Monday, the RBZ said it was reviewing the operations of local banks which
are already reeling from a run on deposits.

Last month during his monetary policy announcement Gono said he would limit
the RBZ's liquidity support to banks as part of efforts to reduce inflation.

He said inflation, currently at 619,5%, would be reduced to single digit
levels by the end of his tenure in 2008.

The RBZ said asset management companies are now required to part with $500
million as part of registration fees.

The regulations that asset management companies should be registered so as
not to have any financial exposure to the banking sector has so far claimed
Century Discount House, a subsidiary of ENG Capital Finance, whose directors
were this week hauled before the courts over fraud.

A number of financial institutions have been hit by a spate of panic
withdrawals by investors and depositors, as fears mounted during the course
of the week that the concerned firms might eventually close.

An analyst this week said a number of institutions might fail to raise the
required capital.

"This development might actually result in a number of mergers coming on
board from the financial sector as a number of banks might not be able to
raise that money," said one analyst.

"In fact, we know that despite the regulatory requirements that banks
publish their results for the public to see, some of the banks have not been
doing that for some time now."

GCR director Dave King told businessdigest that the financial market
currently has an estimated $180 billion liquidity shortage to contend with
and certain banks were apparently struggling to maintain adequate liquidity
levels.

So far Trust Financial Holdings Ltd and First Mutual Ltd have confirmed that
they have been affected by the ongoing liquidity crisis that has witnessed
the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) conducting spot checks on all financial
institutions.

The RBZ has already shut down ENG Financial Services and Century Discount
House.

King said by December 31, 2003, overnight rates had increased to more than
750%, from a position of approximately 100% three months ago. RBZ governor
Gideon Gono indicated in his recent Monetary Policy Statement that the
central bank would not "automatically" support banks experiencing liquidity
problems in future.

King said the aforementioned had created a high level of uncertainty in the
market and a position where some retailers could be unwilling to accept
cheques from certain Zimbabwean banks.

He said as a result of these factors GCR would be closely monitoring and
reviewing statistics on all its rated banks so as to better analyse the
impact that the current liquidity squeeze is having on the individual
participants in the Zimbabwean banking industry.

King said whenever a systemic liquidity crunch looms in a country, it is
standard practice for GCR to call on all its rated banks to immediately
provide latest management accounts and liquidity data.

"The objective is to be in a position to provide depositors with a factual
basis on which to make decisions within the shortest possible time-frame,
failing which a rating may have to be withdrawn until such time as the
requisite information has been forthcoming and analysed," he said.

Gono said he would not leave any stone unturned in his endeavour to clear
the financial services sector of "criminals" bent on enriching themselves
using unorthodox means.

Pona Distributors only provide drugs to patients living in Zimbabwe.

Individuals cannot buy any of the medical drugs for themselves or someone
living outside Zimbabwe.

One needs to acquire a prescription and a code number from one of their
contracted licenced private doctors in Zimbabwe.

These include Dr Solomon Mutetwa, Dr Elope Sibanda, Dr John Pfumojena, Dr
Pheneas Makurira, Dr S M Chiora and Dr Conway Zengeza.

All order processing and payment is done using this code number through
their http://www.ponadistributors.com website.

Patients who have a foreign currency account in Zimbabwe, can log on to
their website to order and pay for the medication, using either Visa or
MasterCard.

Patients who have a relative or friend living and working in a country where
their currency can easily be converted to US dollars can also log onto the
website to order and pay for their required medication.

The directors at Pona have emphasised their respect for doctor-patient
confidentiality and have indicated that they have no desire in knowing
specific names.

Their sole aim is to make effective medical drugs readily available to
individuals requiring them.

An official said Pona had already shipped a substantial amount of medical
drugs to contracted medical doctors in Zimbabwe thus ensuring that the drugs
are available as and when needed.

Of interest to you is the assertion by deputy minister Christopher Mushowe
that he "doesn't know what Kondozi is".

About six months ago the deputy minister took occupation of the home of one
of the de Klerk family (managers and shareholders of Kondozi and at the time
resident on the farm) by driving out the lawful occupants after giving them
48 hours notice to vacate their home. The house is on Kondozi Estate as the
deputy minister well knows.

Mushowe took the de Klerk's house after deciding he wanted another house,
being dissatisfied with the farm and homestead he had already been given on
Nyamazura Estates (owned by Arda) in the Odzi district.

This is just one more example of the dishonesty and lawlessness of members
of this government.

I live in the district and your reporters can confirm the accuracy of this
information.

Resident,

Mutare.

Paul Tingay,

Borrowdale.

These people need to be stopped because they are destroying our lives. Where
will we get jobs if Arda takes over because everybody knows they have failed
in their business?

If Mushowe wants to destroy his constituency like other areas in Zimbabwe
then Zanu PF must give us a new MP who will build up Mutare West and give us
hope.

Let us stop the nonsense in 2004 and build on the good things and rid
ourselves of rubbish like Mushowe, Made and Arda CEO Joseph Matovanyika.

Forward to a better 2004 and a return to national pride.

Shungu dze Upenyu,

Mutare West.

The way they believe they can solve the problems is by imposing a double tax
on our poor people living abroad who are holding two or three jobs a day to
support their families doing menial jobs. I have even heard these ministers
say those working abroad are like export commodities. Does that not ring a
bell? Didn't our own chiefs trade their own people long ago as slaves while
they received whisky and cloth in return?

Our chefs need to go in a small corner to meditate and examine their minds
instead of carrying on like lunatics. Another striking thing is that
Zimbabwean men are like reptiles or creatures with no back-bones. In the
meantime, their women are working overseas, doing cross-borders trips to put
food on the family table and clothes on their backs.

Shame on you men. When our women like shining stars demonstrate in Bulawayo,
you men in the army and police come and beat them up. You only get tough
when dealing with women. You are too weak to stand up to the Mugabe regime.

Disgusted,

Harare.

In May 2002 the High Court ordered Mudede to renew her Zimbabwe passport.
Instead he appealed against the High Court ruling to the Supreme Court while
reluctantly issuing a temporary passport of one year's duration in which he
pre-empted any judgement by the Supreme Court by declaring that Judith was a
permanent resident of Zimbabwe, thus not a citizen.

In February 2003, in what she describes as "an agonisingly confused and
confusing judgement", the Supreme Court declared that Judith was a citizen
of both New Zealand and Zimbabwe and concluded: "For the avoidance of doubt,
the respondent has two days from the handing down of this judgement within
which to renounce her New Zealand citizenship in accordance with the New
Zealand Citizenship Act.

"In the event of her failure to do so, she will lose her Zimbabwean
citizenship by operation of the law."

Despite the unreasonable expectation that this matter could be resolved
within two days, Judith duly applied to the New Zealand authorities as
required.

But then another hurdle presented itself. The New Zealand government
responded by saying that her application for renunciation could not be
processed as she had never laid claim to New Zealand citizenship. In other
words, they could not help her renounce what she did not have.

Her temporary passport expired in July 2003 and she was stranded in Bulawayo
with no citizenship and no travel documents.

Her lawyers took the matter up with the Minister of Home Affairs, the Deputy
Minister, and Permanent Secretary on the grounds that obviously the Supreme
Court had erred in finding that she was a citizen of New Zealand. They were
made aware of the New Zealand government's response.

Her lawyers were then given the impression that there had been a conference
of Home Affairs officials on this matter and that Mudede had been instructed
by his superiors to recognise her citizenship of Zimbabwe and to issue a
passport to her forthwith.

But this was not to be. Instead, Mudede's lawyer wrote to Judith's lawyers
to state that as far as they were concerned the matter of her citizenship
ended at the Supreme Court and any problems arising thereafter were not
their concern.

So despite the fact that she had been caught in a bureaucratic morass, a
classic Catch 22 situation, Judith was obliged to live with the
consequences.

In the end the New Zealand authorities came to the rescue by issuing her
with a New Zealand passport.

But what we have here is a manifest injustice to a citizen. The Supreme
Court clearly misdirected itself in declaring Judith to be a New Zealand
citizen when she was not. The lightning speed with which she was required to
act was entirely unreasonable and, it might be added, in marked contrast to
the snail's pace operations of the Supreme Court. One may be forgiven for
thinking the time-span allotted was designed to prevent her from fulfilling
the ruling.

In pointing out that they could not help her renounce a citizenship she
never possessed the New Zealand authorities identified the obvious
shortcoming in Zimbabwe's legislation and, indeed, in the judicial ruling.

Many other embassies and high commissions in Harare adopted a similar view
thus casting former Zimbabwean citizens into a legal no man's land where
they became stateless.

This was clearly the intention. As a result over a million people lost their
citizenship and thus their right to vote in the 2002 presidential poll. It
was clearly the duty of the judicial/administrative system to correct its
error, once it became apparent, and grant Judith the citizenship to which
she was entitled by birth.

Her birthright had been stolen from her by the state. Her father, by the
way, was placed on a list of people expressly not allowed to vote despite
the fact that he had been a Zimbabwean Senator as well as a former prime
minister with a record of support for majority rule.

There is an unhealthy perception taking root in this country that the
Supreme Court sees its duty as upholding the decisions of the executive
rather than extending to individuals the relief to which they are entitled
by constitutional right.

If that view persists the very foundation of a law-based society will be
undermined because confidence in the judiciary will erode.

Judith Todd's case is symptomatic of the failure of the justice system to
protect individuals from a predatory state intent on depriving them of their
rights. That is the sorry reality today.

We have in this country a fine record of senior judges unimpressed by the
pretensions of the state and prepared to do their duty by affirming the
rights of applicants appearing before them. JR Dendy Young (later Chief
Justice of Botswana), Enoch Dumbutshena, and Anthony Gubbay come to mind.

On the other hand there have been those who saw their duty as adopting the
perspectives of the government of the day. Chief Justice Hector McDonald
falls squarely unto that category given his record of helpful rulings in the
1970s.

I have no doubt in my mind that posterity will respect judges who are
unafraid of executive power and exercise their authority on behalf of
powerless individuals who insist upon the upholding of their rights. That is
their duty and we expect nothing less from them.

Meanwhile, one of the first tasks of a democratic government must be to
restore citizenship to all those who have been so unjustifiably deprived of
it for manifestly partisan purposes.

As we close yet another annual chapter of this Hondo Yeminda madness, why
not look at some of the highlights that further confirmed the suicidal
nature of this whole business.

The major one of course was the continued departure from the original
mission statement of the exercise, from ivhu kuvanhu to ivhu kuvakuru as the
politically connected bigwigs continued to grab the most fertile pieces of
land for themselves, their wives, children, and girlfriends, you name it,
naturally at the expense of the ordinary sons and daughters of the soil.

Diversion of agricultural inputs like machinery, fuel, seed and fertilisers
to their multiple farms was their daily bread yet they hypocritically
continued to parrot their dedication towards giving land back to its
original owners, the majority!

Despite two land audits unearthing the multiple ownership scandals, lack of
political will on the part of mudhara to put a stop to this unethical
malpractice meant that these big chefs and axe-combatants (notorious for
massive deforestation on the new farms) got away with theft, scot-free! The
young-old man instead chose to devote most of his time to lambasting the
Blairs, Bushes, McKinnons and the Tsvangsons of this world with his endless
calumnies while his lieutenants were busy stealing the people's land.

Sons and daughters of this land continued to get hungrier and hungrier, food
continued to get scarcer and scarcer and yet they continued telling us to
celebrate the gains and benefits of the land reform programme.

What gains, what benefits? How does the ordinary Zimbabwean benefit from
massive yield declines in tobacco, cotton and horticultural crops, which
constituted our predominant agricultural export products? What about the
escalation of prices of basic food commodities, virtual dependency on donor
aid and the massive impoverishment of the majority?

What's there to celebrate?

Massive harvests of maize, wheat and horticultural products were witnessed
in the past agricultural year, unfortunately mainly on television and radio.
Farming programmes were basically showing harvests and lush-green crops from
seasons of our yesteryears and still go on to claim that they were Hondo
Yeminda benefits! Hamunyare! More yields were seen popping out of the
circus-style jingles on television that must have been meant to be
advertising productivity, but sadly advertised more of human reproductivity
with sexually lurid dances leaving only a little about human sexual
behaviour to the imagination.

Of course we won't even mention how expensive the production and airing of
these jingles were, yet sons and daughters of the soil were scrounging for
inputs way into the new season.

Rhetoric continued to be the order of the day, with the big chefs
encouraging the people kuti varambe vakashinga, yet they were busy eating
the latter's share of the national cake. Some even went as far as throwing
away their tails and mentioning how organisations like Care International,
World Vision etc were agencies of imperialism because they were buying
people with food aid!

How diabolic to say that. How could they want to jeopardise the provision of
what has become a lifeline for most Zimbabweans? Do they even care? After
all, they don't have words like hunger and deprivation in their
dictionaries, only words like appetite and kuguta!

They have failed to feed us, yet they continue to bite the hands helping
their own electorates. Speaks of hypocrisy doesn't it?

Absence of clear and measurable land policies meant land continued to be
underutilised and lying fallow, yet it's the very same land that is supposed
to be feeding us. Insufficient incentives on local markets meant the few who
were producing commercially chose to produce for the export markets, a good
example being in the seed production sector, among other sectors.

Call them unpatriotic, but patriotism haigutse! Patriotic convictions can
not fill your tummy. Shuwa shuwa unless there is a massive turn-around
strategy in our agricultural sector, we are headed for yet another hungry
year, and God knows how many of us will come out alive. Lord have mercy on
Zimbabwe!

-The author is a Harare-based agricultural researcher.

The official violence that has been unleashed by the government against the
people in the last few years is not at all a new phenomenon to this society.
Zimbabwe has certainly been fortunate to have escaped the nation-wide
post-independence civil strife we have witnessed in many other African
countries. But we have also been "peaceful" in a way that has been
misleading; by dint of having certain narrow parameters of acceptable
conduct. As long as things seem alright and we are not particularly inclined
to push the limits of those parameters of what is considered acceptable
behaviour, we are left alone and lull ourselves into thinking we are the
citizens of a free society.

We consider the violence that was employed to bring Ian Smith to the

negotiating table as an honourable aberration in our peacefulness, one
forced on us by the conditions of the time.

But in the process of this sort of clever justification of it we also lost
sight of the negative ways entrenching the idea of violence as the ultimate
solution to problems has affected us in the post-independence era. We so
focus on the atrocities of Smith's government and our response to them that
we downplay the licence to violence amongst ourselves that was spawned.

For instance, the rapes and beatings that have become an instrument of
control today were common in the liberation struggle as a form of internal
control, although it has always been considered blasphemous to discuss them.
For the rulers of today who instigated and took part in them in the process
of asserting dominance over their rivals, they are a quite legitimate form
of political campaign. They are genuinely puzzled when the methods we
allowed them to practise during the struggle under the guise of fighting
Smith are today called "human rights abuses".

Before, they could be broadly justified as part of the "collateral damage"
of the struggle. Today the rapes and other abuses committed by the Green
Bombers and other regime-aligned militia as forms of control can also be
justified by the need to use unorthodox means to fight off the imperialist
barbarians at the gate! The fact that we hurt ourselves more than the
purported enemy in the methods we use to fight that claimed foe is neither
here nor there. Those are pie in the sky philosophical luxuries we cannot
indulge in at this critical phase of the anti-imperialist struggle!

So whether one looks at the methods of physical, legal, propaganda or other
abuses of sections of the Zimbabwean public that are taking place today,
they are not new methods for the ruling regime at all. When the threat to it
has been minimal, it could afford to give an appearance of being an
expansive, democratic government. When feeling threatened, it has had no
hesitation to use "any means necessary", fair or foul, to ward off that
threat.

This has affected the society in ways far deeper and more significant than
the political. Is the on-the-job soldier, policeman or ruling party warlord
who is given tacit or active licence to rape, beat or kill people as part of
the ruling regime's tactics of control going to go home and be a normal
husband and father off-the-job? Is his on-the-job "political" behaviour not
going to be reflected in his off-the-job "personal" behaviour? Is this not
part of why we have such an epidemic of domestic violence, rape and other
forms of dysfunctionality in this "peaceful" society?

Are the many manifestations of depravity in the home, church, at work and
elsewhere not connected in many ways to the brutalisation we have become
accustomed to from our leaders? Are we not naive to divorce the political
brutalisation we experience from President Mugabe's regime to the rage,
helplessness, unhappiness and guilt that finds expression in violence at all
levels, greed and corruption and so many other social maladies of today's
ailing Zimbabwe?

Before Independence the methods of control by those in power today

included the aforementioned rapes and beatings, high profile assassinations
and so forth. The fascism we are witnessing in Zimbabwe today goes a long
way back if you really think about it. Today it has been bolstered by having
control over the instruments of propaganda, economic and military resources
and so forth. This is why genuine change will require more than just the
replacement of Mugabe and his government. It will require the interrogation
and overhaul of the whole set-up of our society. Economic renewal can only
be a result of this more fundamental kind of renewal, it cannot produce it.

In war-time propaganda, including outright falsehoods, is considered a part

of defeating one's enemy. It was employed by both sides during the
liberation struggle. The liberation movement had no trouble winning the
propaganda effort because most people the world over saw its aims as just
and supported it. Today the same people who successfully led the propaganda
effort then cannot seem to see that the current one is failing because they
have lost the overwhelming support they once enjoyed. To much of the
populace they control and the world beyond, they now look no different from
the oppressors they once fought and defeated.

Just as the Rhodesians' own propaganda to themselves helped to shield them
from the power of the foe they were fighting in a futile way, today's
propagandists undermine themselves by their lies more than they convince
anybody!

Part of the disastrous results are that we lie to ourselves about the
possibility of "bumper harvests" when we have over several years very
carefully ensured that they cannot possibly happen any time soon, quite
apart from the latest drought we are in at the moment. Year after year, as
we become poorer, hungrier, weaker and more dependent, we delude ourselves
with all sorts of magic wand economic initiatives, trying to escape the
harsh reality that there can be no economic renewal without a political and
ethical renewal that is simply inconceivable as long as the very principal
authors of our multi-faceted degeneration as a society are still in control.

The most tragic way we cheat ourselves as a society in crisis and decline is

by pretending that there can be any appreciable way to arrest and reverse
our fall as long as Mugabe, his regime and all the negative values that they
represent rule Zimbabwe. There can be no regeneration of a genuinely free,
peaceful and prosperous Zimbabwe until not just the head of the system, but
the system itself is overhauled. None of the desperately hopeful stop gaps
such as the latest clever budget by Herbert Murerwa, catchy new land jingle
by Jonathan Moyo, fancy new monetary statement by the latest claimed
national messiah Gideon Gono, the tossing of a few crumbs by the Chinese
government or any other friend of the month: not one of them will make any
of the required difference to restore a ruined Zimbabwe until we stop being
in denial about the fundamental nature of our problem.

We have been extremely reluctant to do so because it would require us to
personally and collectively make decisions which we are currently too
cowardly and irresponsible to do. We will continue to plunge rapidly until
we cease being a society in denial on so many fronts.

-Chido Makunike is a regular contributor based in Harare.