Yahoo News
by
Godfrey Marawanyika Mon Sep 8, 4:16 PM ET
HARARE (AFP) - Zimbabwe's
political rivals failed to secure agreement in
power-sharing talks on
Monday, but President Robert Mugabe and the
opposition hinted that the
deadlock could be broken soon.
Asked by reporters if he had reached a
deal with his rival Morgan
Tsvangirai, leader of the main opposition
Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC), Mugabe said: "Not yet."
"(But)
we are moving forward, we are not going back. It was a good meeting,"
he
added.
Tsvangirai, who left the meeting venue shortly after Mugabe's
departure, did
not speak to journalists.
His party's spokesman,
Nelson Chamisa, told reporters that "negotiations are
still in progress" and
expressed hope that the talks would be finalised on
Tuesday.
"We are
trying to find areas of consensus," he added.
"There are still some
serious differences, but we are trying to narrow those
(differences). We are
hoping to finalise the process tomorrow (Tuesday)."
South African
President Thabo Mbeki is mediating restarted talks at a Harare
hotel between
Mugabe and his political rivals -- Tsvangirai, and the head of
a smaller MDC
faction, Arthur Mutambara.
For his part, Mutambara told journalists that
six negotiators, two from each
of the three parties, were working on issues
outstanding while the three
leaders adjourned.
He did not give
details of what these issues were.
"The struggle continues unabated," he
said in response to a question if he
saw any hope in the talks.
Talks
stalled last month when the main MDC, the biggest party in parliament
following elections in March, balked at a proposal that would allow Mugabe
to retain control of the country's security ministries.
Mbeki's trip
came after Mugabe threatened last week to form his own cabinet
if Tsvangirai
delayed signing a document to pave the way for a power-sharing
deal.
Tsvangirai called Sunday for fresh elections, supervised by
international
observers, if problems in power-sharing talks
persisted.
"If there are continued problems over the presidency, then we
go for
national elections supervised by the international community," he
told
supporters at a rally marking nine years of growth for his Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC).
He also insisted that he would only sign a
deal that gives him "sufficient"
power.
"We would rather have no deal
than a bad deal," he said.
Speaking earlier at the same rally,
Tsvangirai's deputy Tendai Biti said the
talks had stalled over powers
invested in the president by the current
constitution.
"That's the
sticking point," he said. "It's the issue of the powers of the
president as
enshrined in this constitution that is (blocking) these
talks...."
Power-sharing discussions began after the rivals signed a
memorandum of
understanding on July 21 in Harare.
Mugabe won a June
27 run-off poll after Tsvangirai withdrew from the vote
despite finishing
ahead of the president in the March first round, citing
widespread election
violence against his supporters.
While the political crisis has dragged
on, Zimbabwe's economy has continued
its freefall with a bewilderingly
exponential inflation rate and major food
shortages.
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by Wayne
Mafaro Tuesday 09 September 2008
HARARE - Zimbabwe's rival
political leaders failed again to conclude a
power-sharing deal in talks on
Monday with the opposition MDC party saying
they were still "areas of
serious difference" with President Robert Mugabe's
ruling ZANU PF
party.
The latest round of talks is seen as the last chance for mediator
South
African President Thabo Mbeki - who arrived in Harare earlier on
Monday - to
rescue the negotiations from collapse after hitting deadlock
over how to
share power between MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and Mugabe in a
government
of national unity.
MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa was
downbeat when asked by reporters whether
talks were making progress. "It is
still work in progress. There are still
areas of serious difference," he
said, without saying exactly what were the
points of difference.
But
Mugabe appeared optimistic about dialogue describing yesterday's meeting
as
good and that negotiations - which continue on Tuesday - were moving
forward
and not backwards.
"It was a good meeting," Mugabe told reporters at
Harare's Rainbow Towers
hotel where talks are taking place. "We are moving
forward and not
backwards," added the veteran leader, who is accused by the
opposition of
delaying conclusion of talks because of his refusal to
relinquish his
wide-sweeping powers.
Mugabe, who told reporters that
no deal had been concluded yet despite talks
making progress, insists that
Tsvangirai should sign a draft power-sharing
deal that was endorsed by SADC
and which the Zimbabwean leader and Arthur
Mutambara, who heads a breakaway
faction of the MDC, have accepted.
Under the draft power-sharing deal
Mugabe would remain executive president
in charge of both state and
government while Tsvangirai would be prime
minister but without power to
hire or fire government ministers. He would
also not chair Cabinet meetings.
The MDC leader would also be required to
report regularly to
Mugabe.
Tsvangirai insists he should get the lion's share in any
power-sharing
government because he defeated Mugabe in the first round
presidential voting
on March 29 although he failed to secure the margin
required to takeover the
presidency.
The March vote is widely
regarded as more credible than a second round
run-off poll on June 27 won by
Mugabe who was the only candidate after
Tsvangirai pulled out because of
state-sponsored violence against his
supporters. Western nations and several
African countries have refused to
recognise the June poll.
Tsvangirai
told a rally of his MDC party in the central city of Gweru on
Sunday that he
would not sign any power-sharing deal that allows Mugabe to
retain his
current powers, adding that he would rather pull out of talks
than accept a
"bad deal".
The Zimbabwe talks had only a few weeks ago showed much
promise that a
political settlement was within easy reach but have in recent
weeks looked
irreversibly headed for collapse especially after Mugabe gave
Tsvangirai up
to last Thursday to sign the draft power-sharing deal or he
would form a
government without the opposition leader and his MDC
party.
Sources in Mugabe's government said at the weekend he only held
back on
announcing a new Cabinet to give chance to Mbeki's latest push on
Monday for
a breakthrough in the talks.
On the other hand, the MDC
rejected Mugabe's ultimatum to sign up the
power-sharing deal and said if he
appointed a new Cabinet that would be the
end of negotiations.
In
addition, senior officials of the MDC told ZimOnline privately that
Tsvangirai had in fact lost faith in the talks and was on a campaign to
bring key Africa states and major international powers to intensify
diplomatic pressure on Mugabe to relinquish power.
Analysts say only
a government of national unity could be able to tackle
Zimbabwe's
long-running crisis marked by political violence and a bitter
recession seen
in the world's highest inflation of more than 11 million
percent, 80 percent
unemployment, shortages of food and basic commodities.
Western donor
nations whose financial support is vital to any effort to
revive Zimbabwe's
crumbled economy have said they would back a unity
government only if its
executive head is Tsvangirai. - ZimOnline
September 8, 2008 HARARE (Reuters) - South African President Thabo Mbeki met with
Zimbabwe’s rival parties on Monday, amid growing doubts over his chances of
securing a power-sharing deal to end the political crisis. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on Sunday he would rather quit talks
than sign a bad deal and challenged President Robert Mugabe to hold a new
election. Mugabe had threatened to form a government alone if Tsvangirai did not
sign last week. The post-election talks are deadlocked over how to share executive power
between Mugabe and Tsvangirai, putting off any chance of rescuing Zimbabwe from
its economic collapse. Mbeki began talks with the parties in a Harare hotel on Monday evening but
officials said they did not know how long the meetings would last. Tsvangirai beat Mugabe in a March 29 election but fell short of enough votes
to avoid a June run-off, which was won by Mugabe unopposed after Tsvangirai
pulled out, citing violence and intimidation against his supporters. Mbeki has come under repeated fire for not being tough enough with
Mugabe. Other southern African leaders have taken a harder line against Mugabe, but
he has refused to budge, and Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
has made it clear it has little faith in Mbeki as a mediator. Tsvangirai told a rally on Sunday marking the party’s ninth anniversary that
he would not change his position in the power-sharing talks if pressured by
Mbeki. In a commentary in Monday’s edition of the government-run Herald newspaper,
its political and features editor Mabasa Sasa again accused Tsvangirai of
refusing to sign a final deal on orders from Western powers opposed to
Mugabe. “The short history of the opposition is littered with evidence of a cancerous
connection with Britain and other Western countries,” he said, urging Mugabe to
appoint a new cabinet to tackle Zimbabwe’s worsening economy. A breakaway faction of Zimbabwe’s opposition MDC said on Monday it will
remain independent and not work with Mugabe’s Zanu-PF if no power-sharing deal
was reached with Tsvangirai. The breakaway faction headed by Arthur Mutambara said in a statement that its
leadership had decided that any agreement would have to be a three-way deal
including Tsvangirai’s main opposition MDC. Mugabe’s victory in the election run-off was condemned around the world and
drew toughened sanctions from Western countries whose support is vital for
reviving Zimbabwe’s ruined economy. Tsvangirai told the rally an agreement was out of the question unless Mugabe,
in power since independence from Britain in 1980, was prepared to
compromise.
VOA
By Jonga Kandemiiri
Washington
08
September 2008
Hunger and malnutrition are claiming lives
in the Zimbabwean prison system.
Sources in the national prisons service
said 15 prisoners have succumbed to
food deprivation at the Chikurubi
Maximum and Harare Central prisons in the
capital.
These sources said
food rations in lockups around the country now consist of
one meal a day
composed of sadza - boiled maize meal - and vegetables. The
most severely
affected prisoners are those with illnesses related to
HIV/AIDS.
The
Zimbabwe Association for Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation of
Offenders
said that more than 25,000 prisoners are languishing in a prison
system
built to hold 16,000.
ZACRO National Coordinator Edson Chihota told
reporter Jonga Kandemiiri of
VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that prisoner
uniforms are also in short supply
and system administrators are having
difficulty transporting prisoners to
court hearings amid severe fuel
shortages.
VOA
By Patience Rusere and Blessing Zulu
Washington
08 September 2008
The Zimbabwean
government is keeping up pressure on members of parliament of
the Movement
for Democratic Change formation led by Morgan Tsvangirai, which
secured the
position of house speaker when parliament reconvened last month,
MDC sources
said.
MDC officials said the wife of Epworth member Eliah Jembere was
detained by
police and interrogated for seven hours on Monday.
They
said Judith Jembere was picked up early in the morning and released
only
after attorney Alec Muchadehama, a lawyer for the party,
intervened.
Eliah Jembere was arrested on charges of rape just before he
was to be sworn
in on August 25.
Two other members - Pearson Mungofa
of Harare's Highfield East constituency
and Bednoc Nyaunde of Bindura South,
Mashonaland Central province, also
remained in police custody after the
state opposed their being granted bail
last week. Mungofa is charged with
causing public violence, Nyaunde with
causing disaffection among the
military.
Parliamentarian Mathew Mlambo of Chipinge South, Manicaland
province,
charged with public violence, was granted bail two weeks ago. The
fifth MDC
lawmaker, Trevor Sarukuwa of Mutasa Central, Manicaland, was
released on
bail Monday.
MDC lawyer Muchadehama told reporter
Patience Rusere of VOA's Studio 7 for
Zimbabwe that Monday's detention of
Judith Jembere was intended to boost
pressure on Jembere and the other MDC
members facing charges, and the MDC in
general.
In other political
developments, the MDC formation led by Arthur Mutambara
has joined forces
with independent parliamentarian Jonathan Moyo to petition
the high court to
set aside the election of Tsvangirai MDC Chairman Lovemore
Moyo as house
speaker, saying the August 25 ballot was not carried out in
secret as
required by the law.
Sources said the petition to the high court was made
in Moyo's name, but
that the Mutambara formation had collaborated closely in
its preparation.
Sources said top Mutambara-formation officials met
with Moyo for two days in
Kadoma recently and resolved to back President
Mugabe if he introduces a
supplementary budget.
But eight of the
Mutambara formation's 10 members of parliament are said to
be disenchanted
with the party leadership's close relations with the
long-ruling ZANU-PF
party. Mutambara in an interview dismissed reports of
friction in his
formation.
Jonathan Moyo said in an interview that he happened to be
booked into the
hotel where the formation's meeting took place. But
formation sources said
he was invited.
Mutambara formation spokesman
Edwin Mushoriwa denied in an intervie with
reporter Blessing Zulu that the
formation brought the high court action, but
confirmed it would back a
supplementary budget if it is submitted for the
right reasons
Chief
Whip Innocent Gonese of the Tsvangirai formation dismissed the
petition by
the Mutambara formation as "sour grapes" following the election
of the
speaker - the rival formation's candidate, Paul Themba Nyathi, backed
by
ZANU-PF, was defeated.
The Times
September 9, 2008
In Zimbabwe hard currency can mean anything from frozen chickens to The
Times
Jan Raath
A young man with a face like Jesus leant on the petrol
pump and offered me
salvation. There were many people at both sides of the
border, he said, and
I could be stuck for hours. For a modest fee, he would
sort out my Customs
duty while I waited in the car.
The border at
Beitbridge straddling the Limpopo river between South Africa
and Zimbabwe is
the busiest crossing point in Africa. It is like purgatory.
When I passed
through to South Africa a fortnight before, on a midweek
night, it was
seething with hundreds of poor Zimbabwean street-traders who
sell food from
South African supermarkets. They are coated with dust,
sleeping on the
ground, begging, scribbling out declarations, breastfeeding
babies, litter
everywhere, the toilets mephitic, the road choked with
40-tonne rigs that I
have never seen move. Everyone bored, hot, dirty and
wretched.
I
usually take righteous pleasure in doing my turn in the queues, pay my
duty
and get cleared, queue jumpers notwithstanding. "You white people are
funny," a young Zimbabwean hitchhiker said once. "You always do things
straight. We just bribe."
This night it was hotter than ever, I was
exhausted after a 600km drive from
Johannesburg, so I agreed to Bellington's
offer to shepherd me back into
Zimbabwe.
I crossed the bridge and
found the Zimbabwean side nowhere near as busy as I
had been told. I could
have cleared it in 15 minutes. But Bellington had my
Customs declaration
form and the gate pass. He appeared at my car in five
minutes, tantalisingly
waving the pass before me with all but one of the
necessary stamps. "The
Customs and road levy officers need more money," he
said.
Trapped. Like a
lamb, I paid up and he went off to get the last stamp. It
cost me the
equivalent of £70.
"You cheated me," I told him.
"Good night, sir,
have a good journey," he said, smiling.
Best of Times
I returned
to Harare to find my telephone still dead after two months. I
went to the
local Tel One office where Trigger at the faults office told me
that someone
had gone down the manhole in my area and cut through the
fibreoptic cable.
"They just vandalised it," he said. "It is worthless. All
it is good for is
to tie up the wire in the chicken run."
Zimbabwe's bankrupt state-run
utilities are peopled by competent but
appallingly paid technicians whose
capacity to do anything is crippled by a
management of politically appointed
goons. Simple maintenance requires
superhuman effort. So it helps to provide
incentives. Some pay outright
bribes, others provide a jerrycan of petrol or
a frozen chicken.
I gave Trigger a pile of recent copies of The Times.
His face burst into
rapture. "I will do my best," he said. Two days later I
picked up the
handset. The dialling tone purred. And just for giving someone
the pleasure
of a good read.
Pole position
At the Lion
and Elephant Hotel, near Beitbridge, they just do it themselves.
When I
stopped there after being fleeced at the border, the manager said
that they
had had no electricity for 23 days. Thieves bring down the
powerlines and
steal the copper cables. The hotel sends workers to dig holes
and put up new
poles while the technician attaches new cable, if there is
any.
The
power had come back on the day before, but the quaint old hotel blacked
out
again after a couple of hours. Another 13km of cable had been stolen.
The
hotel sent out its posse who, in three days, caught 11 people stealing
more
kilometres of powerline and handed them over to surprised police.
BBC Radio 4 audio link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00d75tz/
Crossing
Continents: Zimbabwe
Julian Pettifer scours the airwaves and the world of
blogs to find out what
everyday life is like in Zimbabwe today. How are
people coping with
hyperinflation and food shortages in a land formerly
known as the bread
basket of Africa? What lengths will they go to feed their
families and what
kinds of self-help networks have been
created?
Duration: 30 minutes
Available until: 9:02pm Monday 15th
September
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by Simplicious Chirinda and
Nqobizitha Khumalo Tuesday 09
September 2008
HARARE -
Striking Zimbabwe state doctors have vowed that they will not
return to work
unless the government gives in to demands to pay their
salaries in foreign
currency.
The doctors who went on strike two weeks ago demanding better
working
conditions and to have their salaries pegged in either United States
dollars
or South African rands in order to hedge against rampant inflation
held a
meeting on Friday after their representatives reported a stalemate in
talks
with the government.
The Hospitals Doctors Association (HDA)
president, Amos Severegi, on Monday
told Zimoline that they were pushing for
payment in foreign currency
rejecting the local dollar, which ravaged by the
world's highest inflation
rate of more than 11 million percent loses value
faster than any other
currency on earth.
"We are negotiating for
payment in forex because that's the only way that
doctors can be cushioned
from the economic hardships. Now doctors are
increasingly having to go and
buy essential from other countries like
everyone yet they are paid in local
currency," said Severengi.
"The other problem is that almost everything
is pegged in foreign currency
and doctors can no longer afford even the
basic essentials."
Severengi did not state how much they were looking at
but said "we are
looking for a living amount and will again have a meeting
today (Monday) to
try and settle this matter".
The doctors'
representatives met with the Health Services Board (HSB) last
week but
failed to get a breakthrough resulting in the stalemate.
Deputy Health
Minister, Edwin Muguti, however said government had reached a
compromise
with the striking doctors and said all that was left was to
finalise the
details of the deal.
"The government has worked a package that will see
doctors being given
handsome salaries. We are through with the new salary
structures and we have
also hiked the cost of living adjustment allowances
and that is all I can
say. All this has been tabled to the doctors and off
course I can not give
more details through the press," Muguti said of the
new developments.
He could not be drawn to reveal whether the new package
includes paying the
doctors in foreign currency.
However sources
within the medical fraternity said the doctors have vowed
that they will not
return to work unless their salaries had been pegged in
foreign
currency.
The medical sources said there was a stalemate with the HSB
which has argued
that the government does not have the resources to pay the
doctors in
foreign currency.
Patients at most public hospitals across
the country were not being treated
and those with "minor" illnesses were
being referred to city council clinics
because the hospitals were
short-staffed.
Government doctors are paid a paltry salary of Z$4 000
(revalued), enough to
buy 10 loaves of bread.
State hospitals are the
source of health services for the majority of
Zimbabweans but are barely
functioning at the best of times due to an
overload of HIV/AIDS cases made
worse by severe shortages of doctors,
nurses, drugs and
equipment.
For those who rely on public hospitals, the latest doctors'
strike probably
only serves to highlight the rot in Zimbabwe's public health
delivery system
that was once lauded as one of the best in Africa but has
virtually crumbled
due to years of under-funding and mismanagement. -
ZimOnline
Zimbabwe Standard
(Harare)
OPINION
6 September 2008
Posted to the web 8 September
2008
Alex T. Magaisa
I recently had a most revealing and
educative exchange with a fellow
colleague.
She is a bright and
articulate woman who shall remain nameless. We talked
about women's
participation in public life; about politics, ideation and
public writing,
for she herself is a writer of unique pedigree.
I asked her why she
does not write more often; why, indeed, she does not
participate more in
politics and public life. She had tried, she said,
because she is as
passionate as every other Zimbabwean about her country.
But she has often
felt humiliated and terribly let down by her fellow
countrymen and only
because she is a woman who has dared to speak her mind.
She revealed the
harsh and vitriolic criticism, bordering on hate mail that
she has faced
whenever she has publicly expressed herself. "No", I said to
my friend, "Your
problem is that you are too sensitive." I said to her that
she has to develop
a skin of elephantine proportions when she steps into the
public arena
because there are people who sometimes express themselves is
uncultured
terms.
"No, Alex", she protested, "You do not understand". Why? I asked,
taken
aback by her bold assertion at my limitation on a subject that I should
know
well, being a fellow public writer. "What is it that I do not
understand?" I
asked her. Surely, criticism comes with the territory, I put
it to her,
matter-of-factly.
"You miss the point, Alex", she
continued. She was patient; the kind
patience of a doctor who knows she is
dealing with a patient who feels good
but does not yet fully appreciate the
nature and extent of his illness.
So she continued: "You do not
understand, Alex, but I appreciate your
position because you are a man." The
last bit got me a little disappointed.
I thought my friend was venturing into
that familiar territory of "man
versus woman"; that she was now invoking the
familiar feminist card and
taking cover behind the veil of womanhood. I
readied myself for a
counter-attack.
But then, as she continued, her
words shook the stem, yes, down to the roots
of my own mentality and I
realised that what my friend was talking about was
not just criticism but a
special type of challenge that women have to
contend with. It is something
that is more easily appreciable to a woman and
takes time to sink into a
man's system.
These are hazards that few of us men can easily grasp,
because, often, we
are the perpetrators. It reminded me of that Shona proverb
that the axe will
never know, let alone remember, what it did to the tree.
Only the tree
itself knows best and remembers the pain and suffering that it
endures.
Even standing on the high pedestal of the "modern man" that I
thought of
myself, I realised that there are some things that can so easily
be taken
for granted; that there is so much hurt endured by women that I
might never
understand and that all these aspects do, indeed, colour in very
ugly ways,
the nature of our society, the calibre of our leaders and, indeed,
the
dynamics of our politics.
Because, you see, more often than not,
criticism in respect of a woman is
not so much about the products of her
cerebral matter but more about her
gender and much that is attached to
womanhood.
The ammunition of choice is targeted not simply at her ideas
-- it often
rounds on her person, on how many children she has outside
marriage, on her
single-motherhood status, on the alleged numbers of her
sleeping partners,
real or imagined. Or, perhaps, how easy she is to provide
services of a
personal nature. It is, most regrettably and shamefully,
targeted at the
nether and sacred regions of a woman's anatomy,
notwithstanding their
irrelevance in the generation of ideas. "That is why
you do not have a
husband!" is a familiar refrain although the same
characters would not dare
say, "that is why you do not have a wife" to a male
politician.
There are many women in Zimbabwe who have taken roles in
public life. They
are writers, activists, politicians, business executives,
wives of
politicians, etc. They are brave women and when you think of the
hate
language they have to face each day, sometimes for offences of their
male
counterparts, you can see why theirs is a hard and rugged road and
why,
eventually, some choose self-censorship or at worst, to steer clear
of
public life.
Slowly, but surely, I appreciated my friend's
predicament and that of other
women in her position. They face ridicule not
for their ideas but about
their private lives; they have to live with
criticism of their looks as
opposed to their views; they have to watch and
listen to anonymous
characters describing in precise detail their wild
imaginations or fantasies
about the woman's reproductive organs and how she
uses them, etc.
I can understand why, for example, Grace Kwinjeh might be
downcast -- she
was beaten up very severely by shameless thugs last year and
when she showed
her pictures, some people were angry that the photographs had
shown too much
of her sensitive, albeit damaged, parts. Yes, some even chose
to overlook
her horrific injuries only to comment about what they could "do"
with a
woman endowed with her features, if given the chance.
When
Beatrice Mtetwa was beaten up by shameless hoodlums supposedly keeping
the
law, and pictures showing her nasty wounds were published, some
people
protested that it was bordering on pornography. Her injuries, the
subject of
the photography, were overlooked. Instead her feminine features
became the
subject of discussion.
When Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga
is involved in the current talks, some
choose to focus on her marital life
and alleged personal escapades, instead
of celebrating and encouraging her as
the only woman who at least has a
voice in those secret talks. When Everjoice
Win comments on politics, it is
not her ideas but elaborate suggestions of
her as a husband-grabber that
take centre stage. I can understand the plight
of Gugulethu Moyo, who having
been harassed and beaten up by the Army
General's wife, has to endure
personal taunts about her private
life.
Or when Maggie Makanza comments on politics, it is her womanhood
that is
questioned. And when Petina Gappah writes on life and politics, it is
often
her gender and private life; not her ideas that are attacked. When
Jenni
Williams stands up with her brave WOZA colleagues, questions are raised
on
her private life, not the work she is doing. Notwithstanding
her
trailblazing movement in the search for democracy, Margaret Dongo also
has
to face questions about her private life.
There are many more
women playing roles in public life -- the likes of Bev
Clark, Amanda Atwood,
Janah Ncube, Nokuthula Moyo, Catherine Makoni, Tsitsi
Matekaire, Thoko
Matshe, etc -- but many, if not all, have to face similar
challenges that
have very little to do with their ideas. It could take a
whole book to list
all of them.
Of course, men are also subjected to acerbic attacks. Yet as
if to bolster
the above argument on the humiliating approach towards women,
when a man is
chastised, it is often couched in language that derides, not
the man
himself, but his female relations. It is about the man's mother; the
man's
wife, the man's sister, his grandmother, yes, even his daughters.
They
attack the man by casting aspersions on his mother's reproductive
organs, by
attacking his wife or grandmother's looks. It's never much about
the man
himself. So there you see again, even when attacking men, the women
are the
silent victims.
But then you might say all this is irrelevant;
just casual talk with no real
harm. Yet, in reality, that language is part of
the fabric of our society.
In many ways, it mirrors our attitudes towards
each other. It is a
reflection of the physical encounters between men and
women in politics,
especially manifesting in violence.
When a male
victim is attacked, the weapon of choice is the stick but when a
female
victim suffers, the weapon of choice is the reproductive organ. The
man is
beaten hard; the woman, often, is raped and sexually violated. This
most
horrifying of physical violence, in many ways, is a manifestation of
the kind
of language and approach that women face in everyday public life.
The
tragedy, however, is that those fighting for democracy and those
thwarting
it, tend to adopt similar attitudes and practices towards
womenfolk.
I
write this not because I like to take the high moral ground. Some of my
best
friends will tell you that I have erred and perhaps resorted to similar
type
when dealing with women. No; I am no saint. I have made mistakes and I
will
make many more in the future.
It is most vital that society develops an
attitude of healthy and decent
criticism. But, surely, it should not be
coloured by gender-prejudices or be
of such personal character that most
well-meaning citizens become
marginalised. I will probably be accused of
pandering to women or worse, of
soliciting their personal favours. But I can
understand why some of our
female counterparts, will often think twice,
perhaps three times, before
they decide to participate in public
life.
This march towards democracy is not simply a movement in
high-level
politics. It is also about attitudes and values that provide a
conducive
environment to nurture a more decent, equal and tolerant society.
Old habits
die hard - but with sufficient will-power they can see the last of
their
days.
You see, I have even managed to go through the whole
article without
mentioning Robert Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai or Arthur
Mutambara. Then,
again, I have!
http://kubatanablogs.net/kubatana/?p=775
Life in general has always been a struggle requiring one
to work hard for
everything - from food to clothing. Now the situation has
worsened. One
works so hard but come the end of the month, the money is not
easily
accessible. With the withdrawal limit currently at $500 a day (only
enough
for a loaf of bread), one has to be geared up to go to the bank every
day of
the week to be able to buy something meaningful.
Everything has
become so expensive and salaries fall short. Most of the
basic commodities
are being sold in foreign currency on the black market yet
the majority of
employees are paid in Zimbabwe dollars. What concerns me
most is the way we
all seem to be going about our business as if everything
is normal. Nobody
seems to question or challenge the way life has become in
our
country.
A few days ago I had one experience that got me thinking it is
time
something is done to improve the Zimbabwe situation . . . I took a trip
to
the doctor with my Medical Aid card for a Medical Certificate only to
be
told that they no longer accept Medical Aid cards. Instead the majority
of
surgeries I visited asked for a US$20 fee. I had to no choice but to
return
home and forget about the application. Surely if scholarships are for
the
less privileged, minor processes such as attaining a Medical
Certificate
should not be prohibitive.
A few months back I was so
convinced some good economic recovery plan was on
the way when I heard of the
signing of the Memorandum of Understanding and
Power Sharing Talks. Now weeks
have gone by and still there is no official
position or detail on proceedings
during the 'Talks'. If these 'Talks' are
being done for the people Zimbabwean
citizens certainly deserve to know what
is really going on from the officials
themselves.
Sometimes I wish these leaders engaged in Talks would
consider that whilst
they are 'dragging' their feet in sealing a deal, people
are dying every
day. The health delivery system has deteriorated and drugs
are not easily
accessible. Some people are resorting to purchasing drugs from
neighboring
countries like South Africa while the majority of the
disadvantaged
Zimbabweans have no choice but to keep on hoping that life in
Zimbabwe will
improve before their souls give in.
Despite the numerous
challenges that we are facing there seems to be a
little hope in me that
somehow Zimbabwe will rise again. This is my only
sense of comfort. It may
take time but our resilient spirit will see us
through.
This entry was
posted on September 8th, 2008 at 11:27 am by Moreblessing
Mbire
From The Standard, 7 September
Council dismissed a directive by the government to host a
reception for the
First Lady, Grace Mugabe because it could not "afford the
luxury" and that
the order came at short notice, a new report by the local
authority has
revealed. Mugabe had been scheduled to officially open the
first national
paralympic games held in Bulawayo between August 26 and 29.
But she did not
turn up for unknown reasons and Bulawayo metropolitan
governor, Cain
Mathema, eventually officiated at the games. It had since
emerged that
Mathema had wanted the MDC-T-controlled council to host Mugabe
in a
development that could have seen the cash-strapped local authority
spending
$585 000 (revalued) buying snacks and another $20 000 (revalued) on
soft
drinks. About 150 people would have attended the reception. Council
sources
said although the official explanation was that the local authority
was
broke, the decision to defy the directive was political. The MDC-T
has
refused to recognise President Robert Mugabe's June 27
re-election.
"Wining and dining with Grace Mugabe would have put the
new councillors on
the spot and it was agreed that Mathema's directive should
be dismissed
outright," said a councillor who requested anonymity.
Officially, the City
Fathers said the least they could do for the governor
was to offer the Small
City Hall for use free of charge. "Currently council
is going through
financial problems and the best that could be considered
perhaps would be to
donate the venue," read the council report. Some
councillors also felt that
Mathema should have taken the responsibility to
host the First Lady because
it was Bulawayo province that was hosting the
games not the city council.
"It follows, therefore, that the resident
minister and not the mayor would
be the host to the First Lady," the council
report said. "Asking council to
host the event was fraught with potential
problems in the terms of guests to
be invited and protocol, among other
things." Ironically, government
departments owe council a staggering $647 000
in unpaid grants and bills.
Mathema was not immediately available for
comment.
This was in the Sunday Mail yesterday (a state-controlled publication), hat-tip zwnews:
While the world media focuses — and rightly so — on the poverty and political strife in Zimbabwe, there are those who are raking in the big dollars and remain seemingly unaffected by the politics of the state.
The streets of Harare show off new cars every day — Hummers, Prados, BMWs and, oh yes, the ever-popular Mercs.
It is said that Zimbabwe has one of the highest numbers of Mercedes Benz vehicles per capita in the world! Dig that.
But how on earth do people make so much money in an economy that is said to be the worst in the world, in a country with the highest inflation on earth — it’s in the millions now, and in a place where the politics have been very jittery for a really long time.
Here’s how:
1. Fuel
There are Hararians who have made hundreds of thousands of US dollars in the fuel trade.
And they don’t own a single fuel tanker or garage. They simply hire a tanker from someone, buy fuel in SA, deliver in bulk. Get paid.
2. Forex
I don’t need to remind anyone that forex is in short supply in Zimbabwe. He who has it is king.
Companies that want to buy foreign inputs, people who want to send their kids to colleges in other lands, travellers and investors who want to hedge against inflation. All these are hungry customers for forex. Those that have enough of it are negotiating some very good rates.
3. Zim dollars
Also in short supply — big time. It’s easier to get US dollars on the streets and in the banks of Harare now than it is to get Zim dollars. People are selling Zim dollar cash for a premium.
4. Groceries & other commodities
Cooking oil, salt, sugar, etc. Those that have a way of getting these into Zimbabwe at a reasonable price are making a good profit.
Since these things are now very difficult to find in the shops, it’s easy to make a quick buck by inflating the price. Many have started whole empires based on cooking oil brought in from South Africa.
5. Mealie-meal
I know this falls under commodities but mealie meal deserves it’s own listing. In Zimbabwe it’s more than just a commodity.
6. Alternatives to Zesa
You may not be able to buy a Hummer selling firewood, but you’ll have a huge market. Frequent power cuts have made it a hot commodity in Zimbabwe. A warning here: You may get arrested for chopping trees down. Generators are also big business. So are candles. One business in Harare is reporting roaring sales from candle wax and candle-making machines.
7. Hot meals
A seemingly unlikely wealth creator but it’s difficult to get a good meal in a Zimbabwean restaurant or fast food outlet these days. Travellers, business people and suddenly rich forex traders cram into the few available places that sell good food. A sadza place at Avondale is a good example.
8. Property
Rentals in Zimbabwe have shot up over the last few years. Those with multiple properties are raking it in — in US dollars. Diasporeans have also been buying houses, flats and land with their hard-earned US dollars and pounds. The demand for homes is huge.
9. Vehicles
One car dealer who sells brand new cars says that he has so many orders that he has customers on a four-month waiting list.
10. Keeping your coins and old currency
Who knows, the Governor may just bring them back into circulation.
11. The Stock Market
The Zimbabwe Stock Market has to be the only one in the world where stocks will almost always shoot up in real dollar terms despite the performance of companies. A friend of mine woke up one morning and found that he could suddenly afford a house after a rally on the stock exchange pushed his net wealth up to new realms.
12. Know the right people
Need I say more? If your dad is a big dhara, all of a sudden you have so many doors open for you.
13. Leave the country
Yes, I have to admit that some of the Hummers and Dodge trucks on our roads are from Zimbabweans who have made their money outside the country. Leaving the country is an all-time favourite to increase your relative wealth. The pound is powerful and being a Zimbabwean you know what I mean.
http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/alexmatthews/2008/09/07/mbekis-negotiations-a-tragic-farce/
Alex Matthews
President Thabo Mbeki's
latest attempt to get Zimbabwe negotiations back on
track smacks of
self-serving desperation - an attempt to salvage a
bloodstained legacy and
ensure an easy exit for the murderous tyrant he
seems quite happy to consider
a friend.
Mbeki as a mediator has no credibility anyway. His antipathy
towards the MDC
and its leader is well known - as is his implicit support of
Mugabe and the
brutal suppression of democratic will and political dissent
that has
accompanied the dictator's systematic destruction of a
once-prosperous
nation.
As the suffering of the Zimbabwean people
continues, with starvation
salaries for those lucky enough to be employed and
chronic shortages of food
and medicines, it is only too clear that Mbeki has
never had the best
interests of the ordinary people at heart. He has nailed
his unwavering
support for a "liberation" elite to the mast, with devastating
consequences.
It was inevitable that these farcical negotiations between
Zanu-PF and the
MDC would flop - because the former has been (and continues
to be) extremely
reluctant to relinquish its iron-fisted grip on the
Zimbabwean people and,
of course, all the perks that comes from the wanton
pillaging of the state.
Had the South African government even a shred of
integrity - or held the
belief that human rights and a sustainable democracy
are sacrosanct - it
would have condemned the behaviour of our neighbour's
government a long time
ago.
But its willingness to support an
illegitimate regime financially and
politically and give the thumbs-up to the
sham elections of the past eight
years has meant that South Africa and its
president are complicit in the
Zimbabwean catastrophe.
It is not too
late for Mbeki to redeem himself (a little). He could do this
if he were to
stand up and denounce Mugabe, and do everything in his power -
such as
imposing smart sanctions - to ensure that the results of the March
29
elections are respected and acted upon. The Zimbabwean people deserve
nothing
less. But of course that will never happen, and their unnecessary
suffering
will continue until the inevitable collapse of Mugabe's
crumbling
regime.
This entry was posted on Sunday, September 7th, 2008
at 9:27 pm