The ZIMBABWE Situation | Our
thoughts and prayers are with Zimbabwe - may peace, truth and justice prevail. |
A
WOMEN OF ZIMBABWE ARISE (WOZA) INFORMATION SHEET
Write: Box FM 701, Famona, Bulawayo Ph: 011-213-885 /
09-63978 Email: Woza@mango.zw
WOZA
means ‘Come forward’. By women for women
and with women, across race, colour, creed, class or political persuasion.
Empowering women to be courageous, caring, committed and in communication with
their communities.
24 years after Independence! Are Women Celebrating? Are they free in
Zimbabwe?
Are they congratulating
each other and celebrating?
WHAT WERE THE PROMISES MADE IN 1980? One Man One Vote
/ Education For All / Accessible Health Services & Housing / Employment
& Opportunities
WHAT PROMISES DO WE STILL
HAVE IN PLACE IN 2004?
Do we still have ONE MAN ONE VOTE? NO!
Elections are being conducted in a
violent atmosphere instead of being free and fair! The Constitution with its
Bill of Rights is in shambles. How can the Imbodza/ Imboza ka Lancaster
Constitution protect our rights? It allows itself to be gang raped to spawn
unjust laws and is used to strip us of our remaining rights.
What is a
constitution? A constitution
is a set of laws and principles, which direct how an organisation or country is
governed. It contains a social contract (agreement) between people and their
leaders, determining their political, economic and social relations. In a
democratic country, ordinary citizens have sovereign power (final authority) in
that they choose who will govern them. The constitution guides the electoral
process. Elections are the main way that ordinary citizens can control the
national decision-making process. Periodic elections ensure that citizens have
the opportunity to choose effective leaders (i.e. those that achieve positive
results and practical improvements) and remove ineffective leaders. Elections
remind leaders that they are accountable to the people they serve, and that
government works best when it is based on the consent of the governed.
Do we still have EDUCATION FOR ALL? NO! It is estimated that in 2004 over 40% of children
will drop out of school, their parents can no longer afford school fees. Free
Primary Education did not last beyond the 80’s.
Do we still have ACCESSIBLE HEALTH SERVICES AND
HOUSING? NO! The state cannot
provide normal health services, never mind help those suffering from the
HIV/Aids pandemic. The terminally ill are sent home to die. As to housing, we
now live like rats in holes divided up by pieces of cloth.
Do we still have EMPLOYMENT AND OPPORTUNITIES? NO! Unemployment is now almost 90%. It is hard to find an
honest way to earn a living. Those that are still employed pay 45% taxation and
most of the rest goes on transport. Taxation could be better used in generating
more jobs than in buying tear gas to disperse peaceful workers when they march
to protest against high taxation. The new way to siphon our pockets is called
VAT, supposed to be Value Added Tax but it is Vampires Added Torture. Soon the
cost of Water and Electricity will be unaffordable to ordinary citizens.
WOZA went out to interview
women on Independence Day 2004; here are some of the
interviews…………….
English Summary of Interviews conducted 18 April
2004.The interviewees, widows aged
above 44 years with more than 6 dependants each felt that they was nothing to
celebrate on Independence Day 2004. They all said that instead of congratulating
each other they would offer condolences. Two of the women spoke about the
disgrace of flying the Zimbabwe Flag when most houses were now flying red cloths
to signify a dying nation. The women also had one solution, which was to take to
the streets and put pressure on the regime for their empty promises of 1980.
They wanted hope and prosperity but got despair and suffering. The women
painfully showed us pictures of their lives in the early 80’s but then pointed
to their cramped homes filled with broken furniture, empty cupboards and cold
stoves of 18 April 2004.
Gugulethu (60) -
Widowed businesswoman. Mother of 4: Konke esakuthenjiswa ngo 1980
akwenzakalanga yonke into ikhwela nsuku zonke. Kusukela khona lithathwa lelo
lizwe sibi sesawudo liyadula, into eyayengancitshwanwa. Pho ke, izithembiso zika 1980 zingaphi?
Ukuhlupheka kumandla! Ngakho ke asilayo enye into esingayenza phandle kokuthi
sibaphe ubunzima obukhulu ngokutshengisela imihla ngemihla, sale sisezitaladeni
ngoba ukukhulumisana labo laba Bantu akutshintshi lutho. Omama yibo abahlupheka
okwedlula wonke umuntu kuleli lizwe, yibo abanakekela abantwana ikakhulu
ekuguleni njengoba umkhuhlane ubhahile. Ukudla, lemithi akukho, lalawo maphilisi
okuthiwa ngama Anti-Retroviral Drugs aya kwabalutshwana abangani lezihlobo.
Thina omama yithi kuphela esingaletha lokhu kwahluka. Ngithi Phambili ngokutshengisela. Interviewer: Ngemva
kwalokhu kuxoxa obekusobala ukuthi lumama ubesizwa ubuhlungu ngimbuzile ukuthi
yena uthini ngaleli langa lokujabulela inkululeko? UGugulethu Uthe lothu, weza
lemfanekiso yakhe ekuphileni kwakhe ngemva kwe Independence lakusukela ku 1980
echasisa ngezinyembezi uthe “Mina ngithi langalezi -nhlupho eziya
phambili.”
Edith
(72) - Widow, ex-Teacher. Mother of 12: Abantu bathenjiswa izinto ezinengi, kodwa
isimanga yikuthi konke lokhu sekungaphezu kokwenelisa kukazulu. Sathenjiswa
njalo izindlu kuzulu wonke ngo 2000 kodwa osekwenzakala yikuthi inengi
ngamaloja, njalo akulamuntu osebenza kuleli ongenelisa intengo yendlu.
Imisebenzi esayithenjiswayo kayikho okwenzakalayo yikuthi abantu bakhutshwa
imisebenzi. Ilizwe leli belinothile kodwa itshaphaziwe linotho. USmith wazama
ukuxwayisa wathi, lingavuli impompi yemali angthi livula impompi yamanzi, abaze
bamlalela. Lokhu kwandisa uhlupho, thina uzulu, endaweni yokuthi yonke le imali
yokuphapha nsuku zonke yandiswe ngokuvula amafekitali kungabi lamuntu oba
yisiphepheli ngokuswela. Abantwabethu lamhlanje bayizi phepheli emazweni wonke,
ngenxa yendlala. Yebo kambe leyo nkululeko bayithola abayitholayo ngegazi, kodwa
ke bonke abantu ababebasekela labo balwi abakhangelwa muntu, kodwa kuyibo abenza
leyo nkululeko etshiwoyo, yaphumelela baphathwa njengezinja. Laba bantu yibo
khathesi abangaselalutho bachithekelwa yinotho yabo yonke, kanye lemizi yabo.
Lamhlanje ilanga ngalinye eZimbabwe liletha ukwesaba empilweni zabantu. Ngoba
ukuvele usole nje, kuhlezi kusaziwa ukuthi kumele unyamalale, loba utshaywe
utshiywe estitshini sokufa. Ngakho mina lenengi leZimbabwe asiboni sizatho
sokuthaba sisithi amhlophe ngoba kawakho lawo amhlophe akhona. Langenkathazo lezi zeminyaka engamatshumi
amabili lane okuhlupheka.
Rumbidzai
(44) - Widow, Trade Unionist. Mother of 5: Hapana
chakachinja, kubvira 1980 kusvika pare zvino. Vana vaikudza vabereki vavo, asi
iye zvino ne Independence iyi, ma Born Free ariku dzidziswa kurova babereki,
nokuuraya, asi taifara tichiti tawana rusununguko. MuZimbabwe madzimai atisi
kuwana kodzero semadzimai edzimwe nyika. Sesu shirikadzi, takafirwa nevarume
vaishandira hurumende asi kapenjeni kacho akasikumbotibatsira. Chero
ndichishanda, apana zvirikundibatstira nokuti maomero oupenyu watirikurarama
arikundiita kuti, ndisakwanisa zvachose kudzidzisa vana vangu nokuvapa chikafu
chakakodzera. Saka ndiri kuti madzimai handei, tinoratidzira zvese zvatisiri
kugutsikana nazvo, kuti tinzvike. Vimbiso yedzidzo irikupi? Ndirikuti hurumende
ngaitarise madzimai zvikuru shirikadzi ne nherera nyika yose. Ini zuva ranhasi,
ririkundirwadza saka ndirikuti, nedzoyi! Nhasi ava makore makumi maviri nemana
tichitambura pameso angu ndirikuona rufu, regai kusimudza mureza weZimbabwe.
Simudzai mireza mitsuku, yerufu!
Tendai
(51) - Domestic Worker. Mother of 3:
Ndirikunzwa misodzi yangu ichida kuerera kana ndichiona vanhu vachifarira nzara,
rufu nezvirwere. Saka chero ivo vachifara ini zvangu andisi, nokuti chokwadi
ndechekuti tava nemakore makumi mabiri nemana tichitambudzika pasina kana
chakambo chinja. Asi kana ndichifunga mushure mema kore aya kuti chingwa
chaicho, taiita chokushara, kuti ndinofarira kudya chekuneipi Bakery. Chikafu
chese chemumba ne 25cents chaiyo, ndaidya nevana svondo rese. Asi iye zvino kamuzukuru kangu ikaka ukakapa
500 dollars, kanho kuudza kuti ayitenge chinhu. Ma Born Free aya ndiwo apinduka
kuita mhandu dzedu, asi vari hura hwedu. Mai we kani, todii ko mwari, asi
chiripo ndechokuti vana ivava varikuudzwa Nhema dzega asi vachidzidziswa ruvengo
nehumondi. Mooyo wangu urikundirwadza
kana ndakuzvibvunvza kuti, ko rusununguko rwacho ruripi? Kudzvinyirirwa koga
ndiko kuripo. Saka chasara chete, ndechekuti vanhu vose vabude tiende
kunoratidzira nemhuuwandu hwedu. Uye zve ndiri kuti matambudziko aya emakore
makumi maviri namana enhamo! Mureza we Zimbabwe ngauremekedzwe. Nenhamho
dzakadai ngakusimudzwe machira matsuku ekuchema.
Rudo
(57) Widow, Cross Border Vendor. Mother of 5: Ndiri
kurarama nenzira dzakaomarara zvikuru, ndato rasikirwa ne temba, rese
rokurarama. Kutengesa kwandaiita mu South Africa, andichakwanisi nokuti
ndakugara ndakarambidzwa kuwana Visa, uye zwe vanhu vomuZimbabwe avachidikanwa
mune dzimwenyika. Murume wangu akafa muna 1984 ndirikuwana 300 dollars pamwedzi
chete se penjeni. Independence yavarikufarira iyi inofarirawa ne vanhu vashoma
vari ivo vanoda zvematongero enyika, kwete ruzhinji rwe Zimbabwe. Saka
andisikuti Makorokoti asi kuti, nedzoyi!