Zanu PF: On the roll Or is it?

THE 2005 Parliamentary election is just around the corner. Given the breathtaking pace of events in Zimbabwe lately, a year from now is nothing. And Zanu PF clearly appears to be on the roll.

The rains have been pounding raising the prospect of a fairly good harvest. Inflation has come down - somewhat. Basic food stuffs are back on supermarket shelves, though prohibitively expensive. The once long restive queues for bread, maize meal, sugar, cooking oil, fuel and many other basic items have disappeared.

The fight against corruption - though selective - appears to be gathering momentum. President Mugabe and the ruling party have upped the rhetoric. All this is creating the impression that Zanu PF is serious about wanting to turn around the fortunes of the economy.

Needless to say, we Zimbabweans are a gullible lot. Only yesterday, the feeling in the country and within Zanu PF itself was that a solution to the Zimbabwe crisis could not be found with Mugabe "in control". Even his senior lieutenants saw Mugabe then as a liability. Now things appear to have changed somewhat. The ruling party as a whole seems to be comfortable and firmly ensconced in their positions.

From the perspective of President Mugabe and Zanu PF, the West has been "defeated'. Certainly there is fatigue in the West about the Zimbabwe crisis. And with the country out of the Commonwealth, there is no more leverage that can be exercised by the international community over Zimbabwe. The Mugabes and Mudenges of this world now feel that they are off the hook, so to speak, and they no longer feel any pressure from anywhere. What a tragedy!

Tragedy - yes - because Zimbabweans know that something is still rotten at the core. And they are powerless to do anything about it. The Western countries have expressed their displeasure and revulsion at what is happening in Zimbabwe through the imposition of sanctions but to no avail. Sanctions have not made an iota of a difference although symbolically it was a good thing to do.

The former colonial power Britain overplayed its hand by taking a high profile stance which Mugabe exploited and portrayed as neo-colonialism or neo-imperialism.

The anti-colonialist, anti-imperialist rhetoric by Mugabe and his lieutenants, though totally irrelevant to the need to cure Zimbabwe of its political and economic malaise, resonated with the majority of African leaders on the continent.

The whole business of land reform was to justify Mugabe's continued hold on power and this was completely lost on the African leaders. Not too difficult to understand on a continent searching for equality and dignity after a century or so of colonial domination and slavery. But all the same - by the failure to put the correct perspective on why things were happening the way they did in this country, Zimbabweans were badly let down.

The only country with the power to do something about the Zimbabwe crisis in a meaningful and significant way - South Africa - favoured "quiet diplomacy" and as we all know to our cost, the policy has so far failed. South Africa has always had significant clout on this country and depending on whether to use it or otherwise, the solution can change fairly quickly.

We admire the courage and determination of the MDC leadership and the way they took on Zanu PF head-on despite the unevenness of the playing field. But the opposition appears to have run out of steam and the will to go on.

When the MDC was formed in October 1999 there was a feeling in the air that change was around the corner. And it nearly came when the ruling Zanu PF was nearly trounced in the 2000 parliamentary election. It was indeed a wake-up call for the ruling party and it was then that they vowed not to be caught with their pants down again.

The ruling party set about perfecting the art of intimidation, harassment of opponents and the independent media, arrests and political violence culminating in the rigging of the 2002 presidential poll. And since then nothing has been done to level the playing field to ensure a transparent, free and fair election whether it be by-elections or national polls.

And all signs indicate that there is no chance in hell that Zanu PF is going to do anything about levelling the political playing field. Clearly, therefore, MDC faces a dilemma: to participate or not to participate in the forthcoming 2005 parliamentary elections. This is the crux of the matter. And it is a real dilemma for the Movement for Democratic Change.

And no remedy will be found for the intransigence of Zanu PF in not wanting to overhaul the current political and electoral environment. Why? To vote themselves out of power? No. Not in a thousand years - we can hear them say.

They know just like the rest of us that they can never win a free and fair poll despite the rains, the inflation coming down, the anti-graft campaign and any other political gimmicks which might be up their sleeves.

Zanu PF might be on the roll because of all these appearances. But people know deep down that the sort of things they used to take for granted are no longer there. Zimbabwe has dropped with a bang from the high point it used to be to the lowest of the low. People know that. They know that despite the efforts by President Mugabe and the ruling party, the crisis as yet shows no signs of abetting. But the government will continue to sit on the lid for quite some time to come.

And President Mugabe makes no bones about his determination to stay on despite his age. In the context of Africa, it is not easy for first Presidents to relinquish power voluntarily. So we are stuck with President Mugabe and Zanu PF for quite some time to come.

Perhaps, only the biological clock will eventually decide our fate. But that does not mean that we will have to do nothing until that happens.

The pressure for change must continue to be intensified.

I know, I don't know who knows
overthetop By Brian Latham

AS the longest most convoluted treason trial in the troubled central African nation drew to a close last week, defence lawyers said the leader of the More Drink Coming Party was innocent.

They said not only was he innocent, but the State's main witness was a notorious liar. Mr Ben Menace, said lawyers, was also clearly in it for the money - and a comfortable bed in a five star hotel.

Still, legal analysts who cannot be named because they do not want to be electrocuted were even less kind. "Mr Menace is clearly deranged and a menace to society," said Mr Nathaniel Mangwana, who added that he was not related to Professor Nathaniel Manheru whom he described as "yesterday's news."

A troubled judge will now take some time to decide whether the leader of the opposition plotted to assassinate the most equal of all comrades.

The case, which has dragged on for a year, has seen the troubled opposition

More Drink Coming leader sitting patiently in court trying valiantly to stay awake.

While earlier parts of the trial provided light amusement as the packed courtroom listened to Mr Menace repeat the phrase "I don't know" about 4,715 times, the latter stages have been punctuated only by snores.

Asked by defence lawyers how many times he had said, "I don't know", Mr

Menace replied, "I don't know."

And to add impact to his fantastical tale, Mr Menace described how the opposition leader had not just plotted to kill the most equal of all comrades, his party had also attempted to assassinate his pretty assistant by knocking her off her bicycle. Mr Menace insisted this was a vicious and heinous attack and there was no possibility his now lame assistant had simply fallen off her bicycle because she wasn't looking where she was going.

Meanwhile defence lawyers pointed out that Mr Menace had been described in the US press as dishonest after it was revealed that he had probably conned the leaders of the United States, Australia, Ghana and Zambia, as well as various

Eastern European banana republics.

Legal analysts pointed out that even for the troubled central African police state's famously incompetent police, Mr Menace was an strange choice for a primary witness given his troubled history.

"Rambo would have been a better choice," said Mr Nathaniel Mangwana. "At least he looks the part."

Grinning like a monkey, Mr Menace cut a curious figure as he peered over the top of the witness stand to repeat his mantra, "I don't know."

A leading psychologist who cannot be named because he doesn't want to be electrocuted either said, "Mr Menace doesn't look or sound like a typical assassin. He is short, fat and noisy. He looks more like a Middle Eastern shopkeeper or a purveyor of dirty postcards."

Actually Mr Menace is a purveyor of promises that never materialise, said defence lawyers. These promises often involve food for starving countries that receive little more than a 50 gram bag of rice bought at the local corner shop - rather expensive at several hundred thousand US dollars a packet.

Mr Menace, of course, denies any wrongdoing. He says he is an honest businessman, a Canadian citizen and a former spy for the Israeli government.

For it's part the Israeli government says as far as they're concerned, Mr Menace was a junior clerk and not a very good one.

Still, with much hanging on Mr Menace's humorous evidence, the troubled central African nation waits with baited breath to hear the outcome of the longest treason trial in history. If found guilty, the More Drink Coming Party leader could be hanged. And Mr Menace could be even richer still.

Salvation is just a call away, Cde Jean-Bertrand
Shavings from The Woodpecker

Uncle Bob, where are you? NOW that the sinking Herald resembles Zanu PF's Peoples' Voice (by the way, is it still on the street?) and only covers news to do with the Dear Leader or his ruling party, Woodpecker would like to take this opportunity to discuss an unfolding tragedy that is almost going on unnoticed by the whole world.

The tragedy we are talking about is Haiti, the first country to be led by a black administration after a gang of slaves rebelled against their French masters and established this Caribbean republic, 200 years ago.

When Haiti celebrated its 200th birthday last month, South African President Thabo Mbeki led an international coterie of leaders and black opinion makers to Port-au-Prince, albeit with reports that rebels trying to topple President Jean-Bertrand Aristide were just a few kilometres away.

It is safe to say that the only prominent African name missing from Aristide's invitation list could have been that of Uncle Bob, but then his supporters can argue that he was on deserved annual leave and doing whatever he does (the cruel ones say face lifts!) in the Far East.

But, I digress. The tragedy that is unfolding in Haiti is that barely a few weeks after the celebrations, Monsieur Aristide is a man under siege. He is holed up in his official residence in Port-au-Prince and the rebels, baying for his blood, are only some kilometres away.

A bit about Aristide. When the former Roman Catholic priest came into power in Haiti in 1990, he was considered a champion of the poor and had the blessing of key Western allies such as France and the US.

He was feted in the sophisticated capitals of this world as a man of peace, a man of the cloth and the leader who would, once and for all, establish Haiti - the poor man of the Americas - on its rightful path to development and democracy.

Haiti had over the years degenerated into a murderous cesspool run by the notorious Duvalier family - François "Papa" Doc and after him, his son Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" - and it was felt by progressive black people all over the world that the defrocked priest was the best person to take the country out of the dark ages of voodoo and extra judicial killings.

Special interests

All was well until Aristide began to annoy the so-called "special interests" groups in the US and France by not rewarding them for supporting his administration. His rule was then compared to that of the murderous Duvalier family and calls for his departure became incessant.

So his critics were really angry when he ran for a second term in 2000 - after he was barred from contesting the 1995 poll by the constitution - and his Lavalas Party romped home in the style popularised by Uncle Bob.

And, as in Zimbabwe, the opposition cried foul. They accused the ex-Roman Catholic priest of all sorts of unsavoury electoral dexterities.

Since 2000, the opposition in Haiti - hear this, including the Roman Catholic Church! - has ganged up against Aristide and say he must resign before his term ends in 2006. France and the US have warned Aristide that they can only send peace-keeping forces to his troubled island nation if he quits office.

The tragedy of it all is that all the Mbekis of this world, who only a few weeks ago enjoyed Aristide's hospitality and graced his independence celebrations, have become as quiet as the occupants of long deserted graveyards.

What is Africa, Asia and the Caribbean doing?

They are begging the US to lead a peace-keeping force in Haiti through the United Nations, which everyone critical enough knows is just an appendage of Washington.

Where has the brotherhood bond gone, you may ask. Tattered and torn because as usual, we Africans and our friends in the developing world only talk and never act.

When the crunch comes, we all run to Big Brother and beg for him to intervene.

Pity Aristide did not invite Uncle Bob to his birthday bash.

Who knows, the Dear Leader might have been tempted to send our finest boys in the ever dependable Zimbabwe National Army to Port-au-Prince and save the former Roman Catholic priest's bacon.

It might still not be too late for him though, the late Congolese leader Laurent Kabila begged Uncle Bob and his bacon was saved within 48 hours.

Grooving

THIS letter was send to Woodpecker last week. Besides taking away the name of sender, we did not remove a comma or a question mark. We are running it verbatim:

Dear Woodpecker,

I am glad you blew the cover of Mbulawa "In the Groove" Moyo. No wonder we see all that trash in newspapers. His way of treating women is warped.

I remember the same guy when he was a senior editor on The Chronicle that he had to be taken for a disciplinary hearing because, after taking a few beers at a reception, he tried to force himself on a cadet reporter who vehemently reminded him every woman has a right to decide who she jumps into bed with.

I remember very well that the fellow had given her a lift from a reception and decided to have a go at her. She screamed and fought him and arrived in newsroom with torn clothes. That earned "In the Groove" a demotion.

He belongs to that old school of thought that when a woman says no she actually means yes.

Well, well, well

An open letter to President Mugabe

Dear Mr President, I write this letter not out of disrespect for the contribution you have made to the liberation of Zimbabwe. I write this letter as a product of your past efforts and the sacrifices that you made as a person. I am a true product of the education policies that your government instituted in the early 80s.

I got an opportunity to go to university because we as blacks were funded by your government. I was trained in an environment that hardly had any blacks because your government ensured that black people such as myself, got the opportunities that the colonial government would not allow us. For that I am grateful for your sacrifice and respect you for that.

However I am angry at you. I am angry as would any son at his father who neglects his needs and refuses to acknowledge that sons do grow up and have to lead their own lives. That sons do not necessarily become what their fathers want them to become. That sons do not necessarily have to agree with their fathers and even if they do disagree, it does not mean that they cease to love them. I am not your enemy I am your son who has his own ideas, surely that should make you proud of me?

Mr President, I think you are refusing to accept that although we are products of your creation, we have the right to be who we want to be and to differ with you on many issues. That does not mean that we are your enemies or that we hate you. In your time you stood for what you thought was right and it was right that blacks be treated as equals among nations; that blacks must have the right to self determination and the pursuit of a happy life. That very principle you sacrificed your life and career for is what we also wish to attain at the same expense that you did. To you, I guess that's nothing new.

The economic system that you have presided over Mr President leaves much to be desired. You have actually created even worse economic conditions than those that existed when you took over power form the colonialists. Children are going hungry, AIDS is killing most of us, social services have crumbled, each day is a struggle to survive even if oneworks. Unemployment is increasing and above all hope for a better future has all but evaporated. Things have fallen apart Mr President.

Who do we blame for this or should you as the leader take responsibility for it? I remember my father who sought to better my life through his sacrifices and as a leader he taught me one thing, that the duty of leadership is to take all the blame and share all the successes. Yet I see that you blame everyone Mr President. That I do not understand. You have grown up men who you work with, who you have given tasks to do and their results show for themselves and yet you never blame them and continue to have them around you. Surely you are as good as those that are around you Mr President. I maybe wrong but don't you think that something is wrong?

Maybe there is something that I do not know but I am most angry at you when you refuse to say that you are wrong; we all get it wrong sometimes but we learn from our mistakes. When you call us your enemies and yet we are all sons of the same African soil that nourished our forefathers. Does this sentiment not reflect on you rather than on us?

You see Mr. President, every system is designed to create the results that you get. All the corruption and hyperinflation, all the suffering we see today are mere results of a system that does not work any longer. We have all played a part in creating this system, yes both you and me. Some of us through inaction and fear to challenge you and some of us through taking advantage of it.

You see Mr President we all aspire to have a better quality of life but some of us are greedier than others. Some of your children have been so greedy that they have become selfish in ambition and uncaring in conduct. They have become what they have become because the system has allowed them to do so.

The value system of Zimbabweans in general has deteriorated but in reaction to the system you have helped create Mr President. They no longer live by purpose as our forefathers did in the past but by graft and self enrichment. Theirs is to make as much money at any cost because it is only through that that they can self actualize. They worship money Mr. President because that is the only value that they measure themselves by. Personally I pity them and I am sure that you do too. However, we must change this system Mr President or it will consume us and all we stand for.

I have lost respect for most of the men you have around you Mr President, they are living off the fat of the land and protecting their interests. They are men of no character who boast in your absence of their power and riches and yet would not dare to even be honest to themselves and worse to you. I would hate to have friends like that or men like that around me!

Please let me remind you again Mr President that I do not hate you and yet my love for you continues to diminish each day when I see that you do not see what I see. You see Mr President, this land is our land and surely we are its heirs who must pass it on to the next generation knowing that we have done our best to create a better future.

Surely not one of us has sole rights to it surely none of us can claim that others cannot contribute as our colonial masters did? Wasn't that the very reason you decided to fight them? And yet all I hear from you Mr President is that none else can ever lead our land, that no one else is competent enough to do so? Well I really do not believe you because I can certainly do a better job of it. You see I have now grown up and learnt a lot and I am sure that is what you intended for me? Doesn't that make you so proud of me?

I see you even do not want us to debate these issues freely through the airwaves or through meetings. Laws have been put into place that make it illegal for us to gather, as you gathered in the past to debate and share new ideas. How then can we create a better Zimbabwe if we cannot freely share our dreams and ideas. Isn't that what you fought for all your life? I ask these questions because I am no longer sure where you stand on them and do not mean any disrespect.

I think Mr. President it is the natural order of things that we as human beings aspire not only to better ourselves but to live a better quality life. Our economic system has failed us Mr President. Some of us are in foreign lands not because of choice nor because we are a lesser people than those around you. We merely insist that our lives be meaningful and that we are free in our minds and activities to become whom we want to be without interference and the determination of our aspirations by others. Is that not what you have always stood for?

I truly believe that within us including yourself Mr President, is a greater purpose to leave behind better circumstances than those that existed when we came to this world. Please let me state that I cannot boast to be a better man than you and those around you but one thing I know, that you and your ministers have failed us. We had so much hope and used to stand tall assuming that you loved us wanted the best for us?. Yes you have failed to create a home for us. A home filled with love and support of our aspirations.

Do I have a solution Mr President? Yes I have some suggestions but again I am sure at times you and those around you also think of them. I only wish we could talk often Mr. President and even listen to each other. You see none of us have all the solutions we just have ideas of how things may work out.

Please, I suggest firstly that you free us from your personal aspirations. You see Mr President, your aspirations are not necessarily the same as ours for we live in different times with diverse hopes and capabilities. This does not mean that we are your enemies or that we disrespect your aspirations, no it does not. It just means that we think that we have a different vision for Zimbabwe than what we see today. We are cut from the same cloth and yet are different. Isn't that wonderful?

Unfortunately I have run out of time but I have much to say to you. I will write to you again soon for there is much I think we can talk about.

Do have a wonderful week and please do remember that I value your past and what you have done for us but maybe its time that some of us begin to contribute to building a new Zimbabwe. I am sure you would be proud of that?

Until I write to you again.

Vince Musewe

Son of the Soil

Mugabe's new decree should be applauded
sundayopinion By Denford Magora

SOME time back, the Asian country of Taiwan found itself in a liquidity crisis and put measures in place to arrest the decline and right their economy.

Various measures were taken, but only one shone above all others and showed the Taiwanese people to be among the most committed citizens in the universe: I refer to the fact that the Taiwanese came out in droves and deposited their gold rings and even gold necklaces to the treasury.

Television pictures of doddering old women handing over their jewellery to save their nation were beamed across the world and within six months, the Taiwanese crisis had evaporated.

This is something that would never happen in Zimbabwe because Zimbabweans by nature are greedy, selfish and have no sense of patriotism even in the loosest sense of the word.

That is why I absolutely disagree with your front page commentary in the February 15 edition of The Standard alleging that the new Statutory Instrument referring to corrupt individuals makes Zimbabwe a Police State. Your editorial presumes a normal operating environment and would certainly have not been out of place in countries like Japan and US and Taiwan where citizens know the true value of genuine patriotism.

In Zimbabwe, however, we have a totally different mindset, where people who can get away with making their fellow Zimbabweans suffer do not think twice about doing so.

Under these circumstances, drastic measures are called for and I applaud this legislation. At least President Robert Mugabe is doing something about the rot that was setting in. For that, he should be supported, while not forgetting the bigger picture of the political environment that we find ourselves in.

It is true that the failure by Zimbabweans to behave like citizens of other countries can be linked directly to the fact that they saw Zanu PF and government officials getting away with breaking the law and corruption. These people were never arrested and they grew fat on the proceeds of the country's economic sewage. Why then should a private citizen, prejudice himself so that Zanu PF and government cronies can enrich themselves illegally at his expense.

There was only one way to answer these fears: by resolutely demonstrating that these activities did not have the blessing of Mugabe himself. This was a stand Mugabe had to take because of the skewed social environment of his country. If he himself is not corrupt, letting his corrupt comrades get away with bail and acquittal on technicalities would be suicidal for him.

It must be pointed out that the instrument is crucial because over a period of 23 years, we built up a system very much like that of Adolf Hitler's Germany. In Hitler's Germany, Adolf himself never made his policies clear, which led the population, the civil service and even those within the Nazi party to "work towards the Fuhrer".

This meant combing through Hitler's public speeches and then aligning national policy on everything to what people assumed his position was. So the Gestapo, although they never got direct orders to that effect, knew that tormenting Jews would receive Hitler's blessing.

In Zimbabwe, the situation had evolved to a position where individuals who were publicly seen to be Mugabe favourites and ZANU PF stalwarts would be feared by the police and could answer any charges by whipping out their liberation war credentials or waving their closeness to Zanu PF about like a talisman.

This instrument that you decry puts all these people on notice and shows the police that they should not be intimidated simply because someone is a heavyweight in Zanu PF. This, by any standards, is called the restoration of faith in the uprightness and purity of purpose of Mugabe himself, whose rumoured Swiss Bank fortune and Hotel ownership in London is proving as difficult to find as Saddam Hussein's Weapons of Mass Destruction.

It is surprising that your paper would denounce this move, especially considering the suffering that we have all endured in part due to the greed of a few individuals who thought that their allegiance to Zanu PF would paralyse Mugabe into ignoring their nefarious sabotage of the hopes of millions.

At the stroke of a pen, Mugabe has answered the concerns of the majority of the population who, even as I write, believe that "those with money can get away with anything, it is only the poor people who get justice".

This thinking is deep-seated in the psyche of Zimbabwe: Rich people can afford to hire expensive lawyers who can get them bail and acquittals on technicalities and the poor ones have to suffer.

Then, of course, there was the common thinking, even amongst policemen at some stage, that Zanu PF politicians were above the law.

This instrument restores faith in the execution of justice. For that, and that alone, it should be embraced by all Zimbabweans who have nothing to hide.

The way I see it, Mugabe has put his party on notice that the state of the economy is the single biggest threat to his party's continued existence. Anyone contributing to this rotten state of the economy, therefore, is attacking the party itself. The results can only be to the benefit of Zimbabweans.

All this, however, should not stop the people of Zimbabwe, both within and outside of Zanu PF, demanding their other rights, which the President and his party will have to address at some point.

If you have nothing to hide, you should not be fearing this statutory instrument; simple as that.

Busy time for Messenger of Court
By Caiphas Chimhete

THE old woman, probably in her 70s, walked with considerable difficulty to the nearest city council offices to plead for a little more time.

All her belongings, most of them showing age as herself, were heaped outside what used to be her residence for the past 50 years. Now, she has nowhere to go and no one to turn to.

An official from the messenger of court, who had come to evict Ambuya Rufati from her Dzivarasekwa house in Harare, instructed two of her grandchildren to keep an eye on the property as a crowd had already swelled to witness the eviction.

At the same time the locksmith, who had accompanied the official, replaced the padlocks with his own to ensure that the old widow would not have access to the five-roomed house.

"I feel sorry for her and her grandchildren but I am just doing my job. Generally people are struggling to survive in locations like these. The state of her property says a lot," confessed the official, pointing to the heap of dirty blankets and tattered clothes.

All she had was a flea-bitten bed, old utensils, an aged push trolley and a few clothes.

At Dzivarasekwa council offices, Ambuya Rufati, was told that the sub office had no powers to put her back into the house unless she paid about $96 000 she owed the council in unpaid rates.

However, the debt would amount to several hundreds of thousands, when other charges are effected since the first notice was served on her way back in 2001.

"Ko vanoti ndinoenda kupi nevana ivava, dai ndanga ndiri ndoga zvirinani (Where do they think I will go with these children? It would have been better if I was alone,) said Ambuya Rufati as she brushes tears from her wrinkled cheeks.

Ambuya Rufati is one of the thousands of people throughout the country who are being evicted from their houses for failing to honour debts. Social commentators say the deteriorating economic environment has resulted in a significant number of people failing to pay debts.

As the economy slumps so is the condition of the people, they said.

Presently, over 70 percent of the country's population lives below the poverty datum line and an equally huge percentage is out of employment. The employment base continues to shrink as companies close down while others are relocating to neighbouring countries diminishing any hopes of an immediate economic recovery.

Another defaulter, Richard Njanja was last week served with a notice of eviction from his house in Harare's Hatcliffe Extension after failing to pay a debt of about $360 000.

"Nulla bona. (No assets) Copy served on the defendant. He has a bed and a push tray only," read the papers sent to the city council.

Such is the predicament of scores of Zimbabweans, who have virtually been reduced to destitution by the country's economic meltdown.

The Messenger of Court for Harare region, Smart Moyo, confirmed last week that the number of people evicted for failing to pay debts including council rates and rentals had increased dramatically over the past few years.

Since the beginning of this year, his office has served about 300 people with notices of eviction to defaulters for failing to pay council rates. Houses and other properties are also being attached for failing to honour different types of debts, he said.

Moyo said no houses have been auctioned as yet this year but conceded that the number of defaulters was worrying.

Last year, a number of houses were sold after their owners defaulted but Moyo could not give a figure. "Generally, the number of evictions we carry out on a daily basis has increased. We have however not sold a single house but we have sent the details to the city council for further assessment," said Moyo whose department falls under the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.

Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) chairman, Mike Davies, said due to the recent 600 percent hike in rates, Harare would experience more defaults in rates payment this year.

"The economic situation is really bad so the council should be compassionate with the residents and give them more time," said Davies, who urged the city council to give discounts to pensioners and the less privileged.

He said under normal circumstances residents must pay rates to enable council to provide the essential services.

Last week, CHRA called on residents to object "to the punitive budget by withholding all payments based upon the new budget until such time as council acts responsibly and address our legitimate concerns."

Presently, CHRA is consulting its attorney to map out a legal challenge to this year's budget.

Harare City Council public relations manager, Leslie Gwindi, said he could not comment because he was attending meetings.

Most of the people who face evictions include pensioners, orphans and the unemployed. With the soaring cost of living, the money the pensioners receive is not enough to cater for their needs such as food and clothing. Some pensioners get as little a $5 000 a month barely enough for one's breakfast.

Backdoor hair salons flourish
By Nyasha Bhosha

IT'S a Saturday afternoon in Harare: torn towels can be seen hanging from the hedge while they dry and a trail of buckets of water lead to a small cabin behind a house in Western Triangle, in Harare's sprawling Highfield high density suburb.

"Thanks Auntie Sue," says one woman, obviously feeling good with her new look as she examines herself from a a piece of broken mirror glass.

Several women are seated on a bench while others lounge on stools. Two teenagers are standing inside the cabin with one holding an electric hair blower, while the other removes curl-rollers from a client's head.

A stout lady dressed in tight fitting jean trousers and a black top, with heavy make-up on her face, is plaiting a young woman just outside the cabin, which is too small to accommodate more than four people. She shouts to the teenagers to "hurry up" so as not to keep the rest of the ladies waiting for too long.

She is Auntie Sue.

Sue runs a small cabin salon at the back of her home, where most women from the neighbourhood go to get their hair done these days.

Her's is just one of scores of back door hair salons that are flourishing in Harare's high-density suburbs due to the exorbitant amounts being charged by the up-market salons in the city centre.

These days a hair "re-touch" with the popular Dark and Lovely products costs $45 000 to $50 000 in the upmarket salons, while the backdoor salons will do the same job for half the price, although it often means them diluting some of the chemicals to meet the cost.

While the retouches seem to be expensive, the price of synthetic hairs has also ballooned with the cheapest now going for $30 000 (boy-cuts, razor-cuts and page boys) while the 100% weaves cost between $80 000 to $100 000.

A recent random survey by The Standard found out that most women in Harare were now opting for the backyard salons. Several women said they would rather put their money to better use than waste it on expensive hair-dos.

"These days it does not matter where you get your hair-do, I can't waste $50 000 just for a hair-do Š there are better things I can do with the money, at least feed my family," said Emily George.

"A lady who stays in our neighbourhood does some quite good hair plaits and I can't be parting with $80 000 when someone is offering the same hairstyles for as little as $15 000 or $20 000," said Martha Dambaza from Highfield.

Many said getting hair done by professionals depended on how much one earns adding that most women who went for expensive hair-dos were getting the money mostly from their boyfriends and not husbands.

"You can imagine $100 000 every month for a hair-do, unenge uchimbotambira marii? (How much will you be earning). Most people these days are not earning much, a husband and a wife have more pressing needs than a simple hair-do," said Mai Dambo of Hatcliffe.

Some men shared the same sentiments saying they would rather go and drink beer than waste money on their wives' or girlfriends' hair-dos, while some said they were ready to part with as much as $150 000 for their wives to look good.

"Hatidye musoro mumba (We don't eat hair styles)," said Joseph, a commuter ominbus driver.

Said one up-market salon owner: "Our prices are justified, we are looking at genuine chemicals which we import, rentals of buildings and above all, these prices come along with excellent service."

However, it is at the backyard salons that women risk losing or damaging their hair.

In order for the services to be cheaper, backyard salon operators use substandard chemicals that are not recommended while some mix wrong chemicals altogether.

Most salons in town said business was flourishing, arguing that their clients would not risk losing their hair for a cheap hair-do and preferred their heads to be handled by professionals.

"Ladies need to look good and this can only be done professionally, you can't risk losing hair for the rest of your life just for a cheap hair do," said a young striking lady at one of the up-market salons in the capital city.

Moyo lectures Namibians on propaganda
By Henry Makiwa

THE government's top propaganda exponent, the junior Minister of Information and Publicity in the President's Office, Jonathan Moyo, has been educating Namibian authorities on how to create a sycophantic government Press that supports land reform at all costs, it has been established.

Moyo was in Namibia last week accompanied by a delegation of senior lieutenants in charge of the State-controlled media, including Herald editor Pikirayi Dekekete and the head of ZTV's Newsnet, Chris Chivinge.

According to sources, Moyo met his Namibian counterpart, Nangolo Mbumba, first, before holding discussions with Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab and officials from the Namibian agriculture ministry on Thursday.

Although Moyo had said talks between the two parties would focus on sharing experiences in the media, on arrival at Hosea Kutako International Airport in Windhoek, sources said President Robert Mugabe's chief propagandist urged the Namibian government to consider "bolstering their media" if the country's on-going land reforms were to succeed.

"Moyo was trying to sell notes to Namibian authorities here that they need to strengthen their media if they are going to speed up their land reforms and seize some farms from the white commercial farmers here in the manner the Zimbabweans did," a highly-placed Namibian source told The Standard from Windhoek.

"Moyo said the Zimbabweans want to forge co-operation with Namibia's media and probably set up a bilateral media agency that will ward off critical reports from the independent Press ... he gave special emphasis on the South African independent media which he accused of tarnishing the image of southern African nations to the Western world."

According to Press reports, Moyo addressed journalists soon after arrival in Windhoek, saying: "We have faced challenges together but there are certain things in our societies that are important to our people and we are going to look at how we can communicate information between our people," Moyo was quoted as saying in The Namibian newspaper.

Moyo added that the two countries had the responsibility of shaping policies and legislation and that their discussions would also examine how that could be done.