via How do you get your wife from hospital? – The Zimbabwean 18 February 2015 by Jera
Most husbands collect their wives from the hospital by kombi, or – in the rural areas – wheelbarrow. But Mugabe commandeered a whole Air Zimbabwe plane to go and pick up Grace from the Far East, where she received medical attention for an unspecified illness.
High ranking government officials – grown men and women – lined up to meet her at the airport, as if it was the 1988 Papal visit. Who is paying for these flights and ministerial vehicle expenses? Everything about the Mugabes defies the country’s present circumstances.
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s compensation for bank account holders who lost millions of dollars (in USD terms) is $5 per account, regardless of the balance on the date of currency changeover. The presidential scholarship fund is penniless. The coffers of the Basic Education Assistance Model – BEAM – are also empty. Our roads look like Bagdad. These are some of the many areas in which a million dollars could be better utilised.
A wise man once said, ‘you cannot expect different results when you keep doing things the same way.’ Zimbabwe has been in crisis since 1999. Since then, for every candle added to Mugabe’s cake, the country has sunk deeper into economic quagmire. We should not expect to see employment, or improvement of service delivery, for as long as politicians are reckless with what little money is available.
Just once, we would like to see the president forgoing his birthday celebration, to show solidarity with the less privileged. We want to hear Grace saying ‘STOP IT! No party this year.’ Cancelling the birthday party will no doubt annoy the president’s well-fed cronies, who last year lined up to deliver extravagant gifts. Who can forget that golden throne presented to the President? This is another opportunity for them to outdo one another in the contest to see whose lips kiss Mugabe’s boot the longest and loudest.
Till next week, my pen is capped. Jerà. – Till next week, my pen is capped. Jerà
COMMENTS
the typist has done well indeed! A few years ago when she was tapping away at the keys on her Remington, fingers stained with ribbon ink and you told her she was going to be riding on a 767 all on her own and the country’s most senior politicians would be lining up to welcome her back, she would have told you to stop teasing her
The whole plane had to go and pick up Grace because she had just had two months of serious shopping. I am actually surprised that they didn’t send a cargo plane instead.
She is now busy throwing away all the old stuff and replacing with the newly acquired goods from overseas.
Remember she doesn’t pay any customs duty and so she can afford to load the whole plane with goods and hence the need for that plane.
The two weeks she was left behind doing extra shopping would have been the most satisfying for her. The economies of those countries would have been boosted big time whilst ours twaddles.