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Small change sparks fights in coin-starved Zimbabwe
By Susan Njanji (AFP)
– 15 hours ago
HARARE — Shouting matches and even physical fights break
out each time a mini-bus pulls up in downtown Harare as passengers battle to
ensure they are not short-changed in coin-starved
Zimbabwe.
Hyperinflation forced Zimbabwe to trash its worthless local
currency three years ago in a move that brought much needed relief to the
crippled economy but created a surprising new headache: a lack of
coins.
"Change is a big problem, and at the same time passengers are
impatient with us. I have been slapped a few times for not having change for
them," said a bus conductor Walter Chakawata.
The US dollar and the
rand from neighbouring South Africa are Zimbabwe's main adopted currencies.
The dollar, however, is preferred and all prices are pegged to
it.
But there is not enough US small change in circulation. The result is
that prices are either rounded off -- making goods and services more
expensive -- or customers brace themselves for a fight to get their
change.
The average city commute costs 50 cents. But the dearth of coins
means passengers -- handing over bills -- are always owed change. Some bus
drivers pair the passengers, handing them a dollar bill in change and
leaving the two riders to sort the rest out themselves.
Often their
only alternative is to buy an item worth a dollar that they can then share
-- a packet of cookies, a pie or anything they agree to.
But that has not
gone down well with many, who feel obliged to make an unnecessary purchase.
Others complain it forces them to spend time with a total stranger. Or what
if one is in a hurry? And in a country where many live on less than $2 a
day, 50 cents still remains a decent sum, not to be wasted.
The
fights have at times turned deadly. Last year, independent papers reported
that a state security agent pulled out a pistol and shot dead a bus
conductor after he failed to give him change.
In another incident, a
conductor and passenger scuffling over change fell into a ditch with live
electricity cables and were both electrocuted.
Initially, drivers issued
credit notes in the form of coupons but they were not universal and only
valid on specific routes.
Bus operators also ran into problems with fake
coupons, on some days accumulating nothing but paper slips and not enough
cash to pay for their fuel.
To get round the problem, a South African
five rand coin has become widely accepted as equivalent to 50 cents, for the
purposes of public transport, regardless of the actual exchange
rate.
This in turn has prompted entrepreneurial-minded young men to
smuggle in coins from South Africa to sell to bus conductors.
"We
have agreed with the Kombi (minibus) drivers to split the dollar into rands,
so they come here to get change," said Felix Munonyanya, a boilermaker who
found the trade lucrative enough to quit his job of six years to sell rands
on the roadside near the main working-class suburbs of Mbare and
Highfields.
Not all merchants buy coins, however. Ice-cream and yoghurt
vendor Locadia Chimimba conceded that "the situation is better these days
because you can buy change if you want" but she herself does not and still
asks customers to buy more to make up the difference.
In
supermarkets, when the grocery bill does not add up neatly to a round figure
shoppers are offered sweets, match boxes, chewing gum and even condoms to
compensate.
Credit notes have been another option, but Zimbabweans
complain they are often printed on thermal paper that fades
easily.
The country's mobile phone services have stepped into the
picture, offering airtime in lieu of change. Dubbed Yo-Time, supermarkets
can instantly credit a customer's pre-paid mobile with any value from 10
cents and $50.
"When we realised there was a problem of change, we
thought, why not have it paid out as airtime so that people were not forced
to buy sweets," said Yo-Time's creative director Walter Chipangura. "We were
getting tired of sweets!"
So far, all sides seem pleased. "It has
reduced the pressure. There used to be lots of shouting," said Farai Doka,
manager of Spar supermarket in the middleclass Kensington
suburb.
Authorities considered importing US coins but the idea was
dropped when shipping costs proved too expensive -- costing two dollars for
a batch of coins worth one dollar, experts said.
Two years ago
bankers imported eight million rands worth of coins, but these were rejected
by retailers as they haggled over the exchange rate.
Ecuador, which also
uses the US dollar as legal tender, uses coins of its own currency in place
of US cents. But trying to mint and re-introduce Zimbabwean dollar coins is
likely to bring back painful memories and meet resistance.
During the
economic meltdown, it took sackfuls of notes just to buy groceries and
millions lost their savings as the currency became worthless
overnight.
"For me, I never want to see the Zimbabwe dollar again,"
said Patrick Nyakodzwe, selling airtime scratch cards and packets of
biscuits for one rand each near the city's Copacana bus stop.
Harare, August 05, 2012 - Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party has urged Zimbabweans to vote “Yes”
to the new draft constitution when it’s put to a referendum sometime in
October.
Biti said his party is looking forward to the referendum and
urged Zimbabweans to vote for the draft constitution.
“It’s a
superior document than the document we have which purports to be our
constitution. We are going to urge our supporters and Zimbabweans to for
this draft constitution in the referendum,” said Biti while addressing press
conference at Harvest House last Friday.
“It was a long and
acrimonious decision that we accepted the draft constitution, we are going
to leave the people of Zimbabwe to be the referees of this draft rather that
leaving it to one political party but we think it’s a good
document.”
Biti was meanwhile caught fat footed by questions on his
party’s choice Tsvangirai’s presidential running mate.
Biti whose
usually a combative was a shadow of his usually self. He had to briefly
consult his party colleagues who were also at the press conference before
giving his answer to the question.
“We accept the principle of running
mates as we are a democratic party. Our leader Morgan Tsvangirai said he
does not want the burden to fall on him alone, but he wants democracy to
prevail in the party and we all agreed that our Deputy president Thokozani
Khupe will be the running mate,” said Biti.
A constitutional clause
of the new draft constitution requires presidential candidates to nominate
two running mates.
The party also unveiled Joel Gabbuza as the party’s
new deputy spokesperson, replacing Tabitha Khumalo who was fired last month
in controversial circumstances.
Written by Sydney Saize Sunday, 05 August 2012
14:42
CHIPINGE - Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says President
Robert Mugabe has failed to steer the country to prosperity and urged
Zimbabweans to unite and vote him out in the next elections scheduled for
2013.
He said there was need for a third revolution to do away with
African nationalist leaders who have failed to bring freedoms to their
people despite getting rid of colonial masters.
Tsvangirai was
addressing thousands of people at the memorial service of the late
Zimbabwean nationalist and Zanu Ndonga leader Ndabaningi Sithole, an
undisputed national hero who like many other liberation war heroes, was
mistreated by the Mugabe’s regime after independence.
Tsvangirai
promised the people of Chipinge that Sithole’s hero status will be
recognised when his party gets into power.
The others who were
ill-treated include the late vice president Joshua Nkomo, Dumiso Dabengwa,
Edgar Tekere and James Chikerema among many others.
Tsvangirai was
immediately endorsed by the Zanu Ndonga leaders who pledged their support to
vote out Mugabe in the next elections.
The hugely attended ceremony was
held at Sithole’s Freedom Farm, 30km south of Chipinge town, in Mt
Selinda.
Tsvangirai said the first revolution was fought to bring the
country’s independence and the current situation required another
revolution.
The MDC leader said it was time citizens united for the
common good and get rid of the current Zanu PF leadership which had
plundered the economy to a stage where Zimbabwe is now a basket case from
being a bread basket of the region.
“Ndabaningi Sithole was like a
father, he had a unique character and left a historical legacy. Today we are
celebrating the legacy he left on the history of Zimbabwe,” said Tsvangirai
to a cheering bumper crowd.
“Independence and freedom are different. The
nationalists brought independence but have failed to deliver on the
promises. Instead the country has gone into reverse gear. To the
nationalists, the people have become the enemies for demanding what they
deserve which include their political freedom.”
Tsvangirai said
Mugabe’s Zanu PF had since independence in 1980, lacked vision to steer the
country to possible prosperity. The MDC leader said if elected into power
and fails to deliver, the people had the right to choose and elect another
leader.
“Our people are hungry because of leadership that is afraid of
leaving office and which has no vision. We also have some government
officials that are careless and use intimidation to thwart winds of change,”
said Tsvangirai. He said any Zimbabwean had the capacity to lead the country
if elected by the people in any election.
Zanu Ndonga national
chairperson Reketayi Semwayo pledged his party would back Tsvangirai. He
said Zanu Ndonga did not have a president but a national
chairperson.
“I have to announce it today that as Zanu Ndonga, we
will back Tsvangirai in the next election. We will work together for an end
to Zanu PF’s continued hold onto power,” said Semwayo whose party has had a
long history of winning parliamentary seats in Chipinge District since
independence.
Semwayo said Zanu Ndonga would throw its weight behind
Tsvangirai and ensure he lands the top post he said he was robbed of in the
2008 harmonised elections.
Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole who was born
in 1920 and died in 2000 is regarded as one of the fathers of nationalism
and first leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union, Zanu.
One of the
Sithole’s surviving children, Sifiso Sithole who is based in Swaziland, said
her father’s vision was to have a free Zimbabwe for everyone.
“My
father’s vision was always engraved on having a free Zimbabwe. But it is sad
because Zimbabwe is not yet free. He was a father and national leader whose
dream was to have people live in peace which is not the case at the moment,”
said Sifiso Sithole calling on unity of purpose by all
Zimbabweans.
Sithole paid tribute to the MDC leadership for arranging her
travel and accommodation to the memorial service of her father who was
denied national hero status by Mugabe.
Tsvangirai was accompanied to
Sithole’s memorial service by senior MDC officials among them the party’s
organising secretary Nelson Chamisa, party spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora,
deputy national chairperson Morgan Komichi, deputy party treasurer Elton
Mangoma among others.
MALAWIAN President Joyce Banda was nearly duped into a
non-existent state visit to Zimbabwe after Harare’s intelligence organs
allegedly crafted a fake invitation letter, Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai’s office has claimed.
The sensational allegations were
made at a meeting between Tsvangirai and Banda in South Africa on the
sidelines of a book launch.
“The minister of State in the Prime
Minister's Office, Jameson Timba, briefed both PM Tsvangirai and President
Banda about a forged invitation letter to the Malawi president purportedly
coming from the Prime Minister's office in Harare,” a statement from
Tsvangirai’s office reads.
Banda, in response, described the foiled
attempt as “primitive politics”. Tsvangirai said he had felt compelled to
enter into opposition politics 13 years ago to put an end to such primitive
politics.
Addressing delegates at the launch of Africa’s Third
Liberation, a book written by Geoff Hurst and Greg Mills, the Zimbabwean PM
said most of Africa’s liberators had betrayed the ideals of the fight
against colonialism.
“They (Africa’s liberators) went into office without
a plan and today, the new crop of African leaders has to deal with the
economy to provide jobs to the millions of our young people,” he
said. Banda told the gathering that Africa should concentrate on economic
development rather than the failed policies of the past.
Tsvangirai
often accuses his country's Central Intelligence Organisation, which has
close links with President Robert Mugabe, of trying to sabotage his
political career. The intelligence outfit would conceivably want to embarrass
President Banda for her perceived closeness to Tsvangirai.
The
Malawian leader who took over after President Mugabe’s late ally Bingu wa
Mutharika died has been attacked by Zimbabwe’s state media for being too
pro-West.
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has said Zimbabwe and Zambia should
stop looking at their ‘land-locked’ geographical position as a curse and
work to turn it into an economic opportunity.
Officially opening the
86th Zambia Agricultural and Commercial Show in Lusaka Saturday, Mugabe
suggested the southern African neighbours start considering themselves as
“land-linked” as opposed to “land locked”.
“Being at the heart of the
southern African region,” President Mugabe said, “Zimbabwe and Zambia offer
a good location for regionally targeted industrial investments and
infrastructure development projects.”
He added that opportunities for
investors to undertake infrastructure development projects that are critical
for industrial development and facilitation of competitive trade abound for
the two neighbours.
“It is important for our two countries to prioritise
inter-related infrastructure development projects in the transport,
communications and energy sectors in order to increase the competitiveness
of our productive sectors and facilitate trade,” he said.
The
Zimbabwean leader said the theme of this year’s show, ‘Building on today’s
Prosperity’, was appropriate as it pointed to the Zambian economy’s
potential in Southern Africa and the rest of the world.
“I am pleased
to note that Zambia has continued to maintain a trade policy aimed at
enhancing productivity and competitiveness of Zambian products, on both the
domestic and international markets, in order to achieve higher levels of
economic growth and development,” he said.
He also called for
diversification of economic activities in the agricultural, mining,
manufacturing, and service sectors by placing increased emphasis on value
addition.
“Dependence on the production and export of primary
commodities, whose demand and prices are externally driven, will not lead us
to the economic growth paradise that we so desire,” he said.
He
commended Zambia’s industrial policy which aims at improving and
facilitating investment in the manufacturing sector, which will lead to
increased value addition and manufactured exports, job creation, and
generation of foreign currency.
By using the same policy direction,
the Zimbabwean government was also committed to driving the country through
economic empowerment for the majority of its people, Mugabe
added.
“We therefore welcome bona fide investors from all over the
world who wish to seize the investment opportunities in various sectors of
our economy on a win-win basis for the benefit of our country and her
people,” he said.
He added that the volume of trade between Zambia and
Zimbabwe is continuously increasing and rose to US$300 million last year, up
from US$220 million in 2010.
Outspoken performs at the 'Speaking Literary'
Event.E:THOS PHOTOGRAPHY | INONZI
MEMORY
The Embassy of United States of America last
night, August 3, 2012, donated three Kindle e-readers and a number of books to
the Harare City Library at a gala event attended by Zimbabwean writers, five
visiting University of Iowa writers and other invited guests.
The donations, presented by American Ambassador,
Charles Ray, were received by Roger Stringer, a member of the Harare City
Library Management Committee and Musaemura Zimunya, Chairperson of the Board of
the Zimbabwe International Book Fair.
The event was spiced up by performances from
Outspoken, Prudence Katomene-Mbofana, Larry Kwirirayi and Camille T. Dungy
(University of Iowa).
(L to R) Charles Ray, Musaemura
Zimunya and Roger Stringer.
Writers Shimmer Chinodya and Bob Shacochis,
representing Zimbabwe and the USA respectively, read excerpts from some of their
work and had the crowd in stitches several times with stories of the times they
shared when Chinodya was an MA student at the University of Iowa in
1985.
Said Shacochis who was Chinodya's lecturer back
then. "The truth is you cannot teach someone like Shimmer anything. You spur
them on and just hope they don't get discouraged." The two men reunited for the first time after about 27 years on
Tuesday.
Shacochis also praised the Zimbabwean author's
writing. "Shimmer does not just produce some of the best writing in Zimbabwe, he
produces some of the best writing in the world."
Thanking the Americans for their gesture,
Renowned Zimbabwean playwright and cultural activist, Stephen Chifunyise said
that the donation of kindles was apt as the theme of the ongoing book fair was
"The African Writer in the Global and Digital Age."
WE were amused by President Robert Mugabe’s
response last week to the praises heaped on Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
by Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard who described the premier as a
hero in the mould of democracy icons Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu
Kyi. Speaking at the launch of the Marange-Zimunya Community Share Ownership
Trust last week, Mugabe said Zimbabweans should be cautious of Western
leaders who praise them as good leaders while arming them to work against
the people. In apparent reference to Tsvangirai, Mugabe said: “Some among
us are siding with the whites. If you side with them and fail to realise you
are being used, then you will be a fool.”
Ironically
Mugabe himself was showered with praise, honours and awards from the West in
the early years of his rule, receiving honorary degrees, and international
awards including an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth. At that time
Mugabe became the “Darling of the West”, meeting with US presidents Ronald
Reagan in 1983, George HW Bush in 1991 and Bill Clinton in
1995.
Former British Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher, in a dinner held in Mugabe’s honour after his visit to London in
1982, praised him for bringing “peace and reconciliation to
Zimbabwe”.
Mugabe was lauded for his “tireless efforts to consolidate
the independence of his country and improve the quality of life of his
people”. This was at a time when the North Korea-trained Fifth Brigade was
being unleashed in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces resulting in the
killing of an estimated 20 000 civilians.
We didn’t hear any
complaints then from Mugabe when he was receiving these accolades. Now that
they have dried up, and in some cases withdrawn, it is more convenient to
dismiss them.
This must especially sting with the European Union
extending the “illegal” sanctions imposed on Mugabe and his associates by
another year saying it will consider reviewing the embargoes after the
country holds a referendum on the envisaged new
constitution.
Tsvangirai’s spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka said of
Mugabe’s broadside: “We are surprised that the president is miffed. We had
nothing to do with it; we are just a proud recipient of the
accolade.”
‘Queen Victoria knighted President Mugabe in 1994,” a
Herald correspondent told us on Tuesday.
This would have been
rather impossible because she died in 1901.
The writer
was confused in a number of ways. He claimed there were reports that Queen
Elizabeth (not Victoria) wanted to visit Zimbabwe before leaving the
throne.
“If Her Majesty visits Zimbabwe it will confound advocates of
sanctions against this country. The EU is slowly swallowing its pride after
realising the futility of maintaining illegal sanctions against
Zimbabwe.”
The writer needs some help here. The Queen acts on the
advice of her ministers. She would never embark upon a visit to somewhere
like Zimbabwe without consulting the prime minister (Cameron in this
case).
The Queen may indeed be fond of Zimbabwe, as the writer
suggests, but that doesn’t mean she is likely to act contrary to government
policy. As for the EU, it has made its position clear. There will be no
significant lifting of sanctions until Zimbabwe has demonstrated its
preparedness to hold a peaceful referendum and
election.
Another state propagandist was last weekend
claiming that Australia and New Zealand, being “British dominions”, were
bound to follow British policy shifts.
This is ignorant nonsense
of course. Under the Statute of Westminster of 1931, Britain recognised the
sovereignty of Australia and New Zealand and other independent Commonwealth
states. Their only formal tie was to recognise the King as head of
state.
During the Second World War Australia refused to
move troops to the North African Desert arguing the Japanese threat
concerned them more. In the 1950s Australia and New Zealand joined ANZUS
which the Americans set up. The usage “British dominions” hasn’t been used
since the early 1950s.
This is all elementary stuff but
needs communicating to those who would govern us. Most Australians would
find the charge of subservience to Britain as plain
daft.
It seems the “illegal” sanctions know no
bounds as the Wall Street Journal reports that Belarusian President
Alexander Lukashenko has joined an elite club of world leaders: He was one
of the few barred from last Friday’s opening ceremony of the Summer Olympic
Games in London.
The 57-year-old leader of the former Soviet republic
was blacklisted by the European Union and the US in 2006 for human rights
violations.
That ban was lifted in 2008, then reinstated by the EU in
early 2011 after the Lukashenko government cracked down on opposition
figures after his disputed victory in the December 2010 presidential
election.
Lukashenko, who was clearly peeved by the decision, made a
speech attacking the London Olympics as “very politicised”. He joins
Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and Mugabe who are also barred from traveling
in Europe.
It seems finally someone has decided to take
ZBC on over their unjustified licence fees of US$20 annually for radio and
US$50 for television per-household.
This is despite the
SABC, which offers more diverse and better quality programming, mandating
households to pay US$30 annually for both radio and television
licences.
Asked recently why ZBC demanded so much in
licence fees, ZBC spokesperson Sivukile Simango cited high operating
costs. Sourcing those reruns of 1980s shows is expensive, we are made to
believe.
NewsDay reports that a Harare man, Bernard
Wekare, has launched a legal challenge against a provision requiring
households and individuals to have valid listeners and viewership
licences.
Wekare, in his application, argued that the possession or
ownership of a television set did not necessarily mean it was intended for
purposes of accessing ZBC’s broadcast material.
He argued
that a television set is no longer exclusively used “for the reception of a
broadcasting service” in that it was capable for being used for a number of
purposes such as watching personal videos and DVDs, listening to one’s
choice of music and watching educational materials.
“By requiring all
television set owners to pay licences to second respondent (ZBC), the law is
in fact compelling me to associate with the second respondent and its
programmes, which may have personnel I do not wish to associate with or
content I do not subscribe to and therefore do not wish to have beamed into
my home,” reads the application.
Right on!
Speaking of ZBC
propaganda Monday night’s bulletin furnished us with a Zanu PF account of
the skirmishes which occurred at Murombedzi business centre in Zvimba last
week in which eight MDC-T supporters were injured.
NewsDay reports
the MDC-T had secured police clearance to conduct a rally on a football
pitch at the business centre but found Zanu PF supporters camped at the
venue.
Violence then broke out after Zanu PF supporters refused to
leave the grounds resulting in the respective supporters pelting each other
with stones.
MDC secretary-general Tendai Biti, who was recently
forced to hold a rally in a graveyard in Darwendale after soldiers and Zanu
PF supporters ran amok, was supposed to address the ill-fated
rally.
Curiously Zanu PF supporters have suddenly become ardent
football fans judging by the “social soccer” line they come up with each
time they deny the MDC formations access to a stadium.
In
Darwendale soldiers refused to leave the stadium the MDC-T had been cleared
to hold a rally because they were playing social soccer. In Murombedzi, ZBC
claims, the MDC-T supporters disrupted yet another “social soccer” match the
Zanu PF supporters decided to play on that particular day. Evidently Zanu PF
does not need any police clearance to have gatherings.
The MDC-T
supporters were actually the aggressors, reports our “first and permanent
choice”.
In the report ZBC interviews “eyewitnesses” to the
skirmishes who startlingly gave contrasting accounts of the day’s events,
and all of which were Zanu PF supporters.
No effort is
made to hear the MDC-T supporters’ side of the story. The Zanu PF supporters
are pitched as hapless people minding their own business who are viciously
attacked for no reason.
As if anyone would believe that. This
shamelessly biased reportage will not deter ZBC licence inspectors from
demanding payment.
The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) last
week embarked on another recruitment exercise, defying Finance minister
Tendai Biti’s recent freeze on new appointments in the public sector due to
a severe cash squeeze.
According to the Standard, the ZNA and
Home Affairs ministry have so far recruited 4 600 soldiers and 1 600 police
officers since May this year. ZNA spokesperson, Major Alphios Makotore, is
quoted confirming the army had embarked on another recruitment exercise
countrywide. “Yes, we are recruiting. It’s a national exercise,” Makotore
said.
This is despite civil servants mulling a full-scale
strike to coincide with the new school term next month and Defence minister
Emmerson Mnangagwa asking the Ministry of Finance for an additional US$2,5
million to pay army recruits.
The ZNA
recently scrapped minimum educational qualifications for aspiring soldiers
to attract as many recruits as possible. Why is the army so keen to recruit
when there is no foreign adversary in sight or ahead of
elections? Clearly, something fishy is going on here!
Talk about being on an emotional roller coaster.
Nothing – not even Germany’s Silver Star or the Tower of Terror on the
Australian Gold Coast – can produce so many contrasting emotions. White-water
rafting on the Zambezi River, which separates Zimbabwe from Zambia, initiates a
flood of them, from mortal terror to ultimate exhilaration.
Shooting rapids in low water from the base of
the famous Victoria Falls in a rubber raft and bucking, twisting and bouncing
through 18 swirling rapids in one of the wildest stretches of water in the world
is not for sissies. And it’s unadvisable to ask the name of each rapid
beforehand. The oarsman yells it soon enough: “We’re on the Gnashing Jaws of
Death now!” He shouts cheerfully through the noise of a raging
torrent.
Having just survived the Devil’s Toilet Bowl (or
rapid number four) described by one tour operator as “a short rapid with a
deceptively steep and powerful hole on entry followed by some nasty boils and
whirlpools” your knuckles will undoubtedly be going white again. It’s an
impossible river to tame, which is why adrenaline junkies keep coming back for
more.
Shearwater has been distorting the faces of avid
adventurers on its commercial white-water rafting trips since it started on this
river in the Batoka Gorge in 1982. The kind of ride you get depends on the
amount of rainfall, which affects the water level flowing over the rocks. The
low-water season operates from July to mid-February, while the high-water season
runs from mid-February to June, but on a different series of
rapids.
Local tour operators Wild Horizons recommend
those seeking “the wildest ride of their life” to get on the Zambezi in October
or November when the river is at its lowest possible level. The Zambezi Safari
and Travel Company, which has an informative website (www.zambezi.com)
giving unbiased advice on all African countries, warns to watch out for the
short closed season around April/May. It also states that the British Canoe
Union has classified this stretch of water as consisting of “extremely
difficult, long and violent rapids, steep gradients, big drops and pressure
areas”.
Let’s not beat about the bush, Zimbabwe has not
received the best press in the past 12 years. It remains in a state of
semi-confusion politically, but despite all, it is a safe destination of
unspoilt, outstanding natural beauty. So too is Zambia. And both southern
African countries seem to have a policy of keeping adventure seekers on their
toes. If rafting doesn’t float your boat, there’s always bungee jumping
headfirst off the Victoria Falls Bridge into the same roaring Zambezi 111 metres
below.
In January this year, videos of a young
Australian woman’s bungee jump were plastered all over the internet as she
plunged into the river after the rope securing her feet broke. She lived to tell
the incredible tale, suffering cuts and a broken collar bone. Despite operating
this activity for 17 years and seeing close on 150,000 jumps without a single
incident, this obviously didn’t do the Victoria Falls Bridge Company much good
in terms of publicity, but in retrospect safety is now even more watertight than
before as the company has reviewed every component of its
operation.
The activity here is as safe as at any bungee
jumping facility anywhere in the world, that is, for those over 14 years old and
weighing more than 40 kilograms. The Zambezi River flows over a 1,700-metre-wide
lip creating the Victoria Falls, known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya, “the smoke that
thunders”. Listening to the incessant roar and watching the misty spray that
billows up from the impact of the world’s largest sheet of falling water, you
can see what they mean.
Scottish explorer Dr David Livingstone was the
first European to discover the falls in 1855, and named them after the reigning
Queen Victoria. I wonder if he would have approved of the high-wire action going
on in the very same gorge today. The ‘Flying Fox’ is a fine example of unleashed
freedom, where clients take a running jump over the cliff and soar horizontally
above the Batoka Gorge 120 metres below. The Zip Line and Gorge Swing are
variations of this theme, where the rush of wind in the ears while zooming past
panoramic views of cliff and gorge is pretty spectacular.
Wild Horizons recognises that some punters may
be a little concerned about the strength of the cables, for on its website
there’s interesting small print. “The cables supporting the products at the high
wire are rated to hold a weight of 22,700kg each. That is the weight of five
bull elephants (4,000kg each) or both of our 40-seater buses (11,000kg each).
They should manage a few people!”
Above the falls on Africa’s fourth-largest river
are guided canoe and kayaking safaris, considered safe (within the confines of
Africa of course) if one respects the river’s main inhabitants – hippopotamuses
and crocodiles – and gives way when it’s due. Not knowing the traditional
footpaths hippos take at night to graze onshore, going with a licensed and
experienced guide is a must.
Exhibitionists will thrive in the naturally
formed Victoria Falls Devil’s Swimming Pool on the Zambian side of the upper
river. Here on the very lip of the mighty falls, visitors to the Tongabezi
Safari Lodge get to leap into and swim in the bubbling flowing water and peer
over the edge just before the cascading water plunges 108 metres into the
chasm.
Back on Zimbabwean soil, other activities such
as elephant-back safaris offer a game-viewing experience from a different
perspective. While some visitors might not like the idea of walking with lions
that traditionally prefer to eat such easy prey for dinner, these are becoming
popular among visitors to the Victoria Falls area, and not just for the
photographic opportunities.
It’s also because some of the lion-walk
companies, such as Lion Encounter, are involved in programmes to preserve the
species in tandem with the African Lion and Environmental Research Trust
(Alert), so, in effect, you are contributing to wildlife conservation. Anyone
healthy, over 15 years old and at least 1.5 metres tall can participate, but
remember – these are wild animals and they lick their lips when anyone struggles
to walk because of an injury. Natural instinct always
overrides.
For an off-the-beaten track, all-round African
experience there are few that beat a Steve Edwards safari. His tented Musango
Safari Camp on a private island in Lake Kariba – some two-and-a-half hours away
from the Falls by light aircraft – offers electricity by generator, negligible
mobile phone reception or internet, and access is only by boat (Lake Kariba is a
5,200-square-kilometre man-made lake).
On walking safaris he leads guests into
untrodden areas of the nearby Matusadona National Park. Edwards’ stories about
the idiosyncrasies of wildlife, geology, astronomy and even fossils is
fascinating, fun and a huge advantage when wanting to get close – but not too
close – to nature. Walking in the wild is what Africa is all about – it’s what
gets all the juices flowing. This is Ernest Hemingway’s True at First Light but
shooting with a camera; this is Karen Blixen’s Out of Africa, but in
Zimbabwe.
Edwards is also part of an anti-poaching team.
Disappointingly, poaching is escalating – the locals are hungry, the animals are
free. Balancing the two conflicts of interest is not easy, but through
education, the country’s wildlife could be everyone’s greatest asset. Zimbabwe’s
tourism industry declined dramatically in 2000, when the government introduced a
land-reform policy evicting commercial farmers from their land. This led to
countrywide instability and crippling inflation.
Adoption of the US dollar in 2009 as the
official currency brought back relative stability, along with the formation of a
coalition government between the opposition Movement for Democratic Change and
the ruling party of Robert Mugabe.
Mugabe wins again – Zimbabwe Vigil Diary: 4th August 2012
The European Union’s new friend
Robert Mugabe popped up at the Vigil on Olympic ‘Super Saturday’ to display his
array of gold medals. Zimbabwe’s other great hope Kirsty Coventry may be feeling
the passing years, but Mugabe – more than three times her age – appears
unstoppable. ‘On to Rio 2016’ he croaked, waving his COPAC medal.
Mugabe was given a wild card entry to
the Games following the EU’s announcement that sanctions were being eased. But
he was still not satisfied with his haul: gold medals for Men’s Skulls, Rowing
(backwards), Shooting, Torture, Genocide and Looting – as well, of course, as
the COPAC marathon, which involves 3.5 years going nowhere.
‘The London Olympics are full of
discrimination’, he complained. ‘I was not allowed to go for the women’s skulls
or white water rafting. They wanted me to do the hurdles or high jump – or even
the dressage! They know I have been illegally sanctioned from Harrods and other
dressage places.’
Thanks to Vigil management team
member Fungayi Mabhunu for sporting our Mugabe mask and Vigil Co-ordinator Dumi
Tutani who awarded the medals. Thanks also to Sokwenele for ‘If Zimbabwe hosted
the Olympics’ (see: http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/7956),
which gave us a lot of laughs.
Other
points
·We were interrogated
by someone from an international investment fund asking us about economic
prospects in Zimbabwe. We were able to show him the recent damning analysis by
Zimbabwean economist John Robertson (see: https://www.zimbabwesituation.com/old/aug3_2012.html#Z30
– Tragic truth behind Indigenisation
policy).
·We draw
attention to SW Radio’s Behind the Headlines of 30/7/2012 in which Lance Guma speaks to the
Vigil Press Officer about the proposed EU easing of targeted
sanctions (http://www.swradioafrica.com/podcasts/wordpress/?p=16735).
·During the
week we received the following email from Harare: ‘It
is with great concern that we hear the self confessed CIO agent in London has
been granted asylum by the British Government even after confessing to rape,
torture, murder etc. Is the Zimbabwe Vigil doing anything about getting this
murderer sent back to Zimbabwe? Please let us know.’ Our response was
‘The Vigil is equally horrified
but the courts here are subject to the European human rights laws and these
often seem to produce ridiculous decisions. When the story broke in May 2011 it
got loads of coverage both on Zimbabwean websites and in the UK press. Members
of the MDC in the UK targeted Philip Machemedze’s house (see: Activists protest
at UK home of CIO who was granted asylum http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/human-rights/40038/activists-protest-at-uk-home-of-cio-who-was-granted-asylum.html).
The Vigil also covered this (see: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/the-vigil-diary/308-malawi-cuts-off-its-own-nose-zimbabwe-vigil-diary-21st-may-2011).
It’s good to hear from you – we haven’t forgotten this rogue and if there is any
opportunity to call him to book we will jump at it.’
·We are grateful to an
anonymous benefactor who gave us a generous donation
today.
·We continued our collection
for the family of our late supporter Bernard Hukwa whose body was found in the
Thames last month. We have trawled through our photo archive and put a set of
photos of him on a flickr website (see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/sets/72157630843117644/).
We will continue to mine our archive and add photos as we find them.
Further tributes from today
follow:
-Rest in peace Bernard, in
God’s loving arms – Memory Dzepazi
-May your soul rest in peace –
Isabbela Chirimuuta
-You will be remembered for
your faithfulness and unwavering support for a free Zimbabwe – Ben
Semwayo
For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/.
Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website – they
cannot be downloaded from the slideshow on the front page of the Zimvigil
website.
FOR THE
RECORD: 42 signed the
register.
EVENTS AND NOTICES:
·Olympics Here;
Oppression There features
Zimbabwe musicians and writers and is hosted by Vigil supporters Hasani Hasani
and Handsen Chikowore.
Monday
6th August at 7.30 pm. Venue: Poetry Cafe, 22
Betterton Street, London WC2H 9BX. For more information, check: http://www.exiledwriters.co.uk/cafe.shtml.
·Next Swaziland
Vigil. Saturday
11th August from 10 am – 1 pm. Venue: Swazi High Commission, 20
Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6LB. Please support our Swazi friends. Nearest
stations: St James’s Park and Victoria. www.swazilandvigil.co.uk.
·ROHR North East
Fundraising Event. Saturday
18th August from 2 – 7 pm. Venue: Longbenton
Methodist Church Hall, Chesters Avenue, Longbenton, Newcastle upon Tyne NE12
8QP. Directions: from Four Lane Ends Metro Station, start out on Benton Road.
At roundabout take the first exit onto West Farm Avenue. Turn left onto Chesters
Avenue. For more information contact Tapiwa Merrymore Semwayo on
07412236229, Catherine Tshezi on 07428189705 and Susan Ndhlovu on
07767024586.
·Zimbabwe Action Forum
(ZAF). Saturday
1st September from 6.30 – 9.30 pm. Venue: Strand Continental Hotel
(first floor lounge), 143 Strand, London WC2R 1JA. Directions: The Strand is the
same road as the Vigil. From the Vigil it’s about a 10 minute walk, in the
direction away from Trafalgar Square. The Strand Continental is situated on the
south side of the Strand between Somerset House and the turn off onto Waterloo
Bridge. The entrance is marked by a big sign high above and a sign for its
famous Indian restaurant at street level. It's next to a newsagent. Nearest
underground: Temple (District and Circle lines) and Holborn. Future special
ZAF meetings: Saturday 13th October when we mark the
10th anniversary of the Vigil and Saturday 10th November
when our special guest will be Ben Freeth. These two meetings will take the
place of the regular ZAF meetings in October and November. Both events at 6.30
pm at Strand Continental Hotel (first floor lounge), 143 Strand, London WC2R
1JA. For directions see entry above.
·The Rain that Washes
showing at The
Lounge, Leicester Square Theatre, from Monday 17th September –
Saturday 6th October at 7 pm. Check:http://leicestersquaretheatre.ticketsolve.com/shows/126523428/events
or phone the booking
line: 08448733433 for specific dates and
to book tickets. ‘Instantly plunged into a young man’s compelling
story of growing up in turbulent Zimbabwe, we live and breathe his extraordinary
journey from innocence to escape, finally returning to his homeland to witness
the greatest betrayal of all . . . Inspired by a series of interviews between
Zimbabwean Christopher Maphosa and writer Dave Carey, The Rain That Washes is a
true story that is poignant, political and, most of all, personal’.
·The Restoration of
Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s
partner organisation based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil
to have an organisation on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s
mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through
membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in
Zimbabwe. Please note that the official website of ROHR Zimbabwe is http://www.rohrzimbabwe.org/. Any other
website claiming to be the official website of ROHR in no way represents the
views and opinions of ROHR.
·ZBN
News. The Vigil
management team wishes to make it clear that the Zimbabwe Vigil is not
responsible for Zimbabwe Broadcasting Network News (ZBN News). We are happy that
they attend our activities and provide television coverage but we have no
control over them. All enquiries about ZBN News should be addressed to ZBN News.
The Vigil, outside
the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place every Saturday from 14.00
to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of human rights in Zimbabwe. The
Vigil which started in October 2002 will continue until
internationally-monitored, free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk.
