CATHY's weekly letter from Zimbabwe.
Dear Family and Friends,
There has not been a single day in the last week when we have had
uninterrupted supplies of both water and electricity in Marondera town.
The water cuts are unexpected and unexplained and trying to find anyone in
authority prepared to talk about the problem, the reason or the expected
duration, is a complete waste of time.
In other parts of the country the water situation has reached crisis
proportions. According to even the state owned television news, there are
now densely populated areas of Harare which have had no water for two
weeks. On Thursday night ZBC TV news showed shocking film footage of
scores of desperate urban people crowding around a shallow and unprotected
well waiting their turn to fill containers from a clouded pool of water.
It is an untenable situation and there are reports that some schools are
now having to close less than a fortnight into the winter term as there is
simply no water.
The electricity cuts are now regular occurrences and invariably at times
when demand is at its highest. A casual telephone enquiry about the power
cuts to the local electricity offices this week resulted in a flustered
employee who was clearly taken by surprise when actually asked to explain
why there was no power. Some stuttered and mumbled excuses about
insufficient maintenance, no money for spares and no foreign currency were
eventually proffered but it wasn't convincing. "What about the hydro
electricity we produce at Kariba?" I asked, "the generators powered by the
coal we mine at Hwange?" I questioned, but there were no answers and you
could almost hear the man squirming on the phone. Everyone in positions of
authority in this country, no matter at what level, now seems to take it
for granted that they will not be held answerable or accountable and so
they stutter and mumble and use the standard Zimbabwean excuse saying "I
am not the one".
Marondera, like every other town and city across the country has
completely run out of fuel this week and there is a feeling of both panic
and anger at this disgraceful state of affairs. Shortages of basic food
products such as sugar, salt, cooking oil, roller meal and margarine will
now be exacerbated as deliveries dry up altogether with no fuel for
trucks. Trying to find basic food in one huge wholesaler in Marondera this
week, I started counting empty shelves but gave up when I got to 72. I was
simply looking for foods we produce in Zimbabwe like sugar, pasta and
cooking oil but my search and counting of empty shelves was just too
absurd and I left. And, all this in the same week as Zimbabwe took
delivery of two new Chinese passenger planes and was chosen to sit on the
UN Human Rights Commission for the next three years. The hypocrisy and
absurdity of it all, is overwhelming. Until next week, love cathy.
Copyright cathy buckle 30 April 2005
http://africantears.netfirms.com
My books on the Zimbabwean crisis, "African Tears" and "Beyond Tears" are
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BELONG
THE FINEST THING IN THE WORLD IS
KNOWING HOW TO BELONG TO ONESELF.
S.A. FRAUD AND CORRUPTION CASE
Why Shaik case grips South Africa.
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By Justin Pearce
BBC News, Johannesburg
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Zuma is not on trial but his political future could rest on the verdict
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South Africans are eagerly awaiting the outcome of the fraud and corruption trial of Shabir Shaik, the financial adviser to Deputy President Jacob Zuma, which has lasted more than six months.
Allegations aired in court have been closely followed, since they involve not only Mr Shaik, but, by implication, the deputy president himself. The trial in the Durban High Court is drawing to a close with the prosecution and defence presenting final arguments this week. Mr Shaik, a Durban-based businessman, denies the charges of corruption and fraud.
One charge concerns what the prosecution calls a "generally corrupt" relationship between Mr Shaik and Mr Zuma. A further charge concerns allegations that Mr Shaik solicited a bribe of R500,000 ($90,000) from French arms company Thomson CSF on behalf of the deputy president, in order to facilitate the company's dealings in South Africa. The fraud charge involves the financial management of Mr Shaik's Nkobi group of companies.
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"ANGEL OF BURUNDI"
UN award for 'Angel of Burundi' .
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![Maggie Barankitse with some of the children in her care [Picture courtesy of UNHCR]](http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41092000/jpg/_41092463_maggie203unhcr.jpg)
Maggie Barankitse has received wide recognition for her work
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A woman dubbed the "Angel of Burundi" for her humanitarian work has been awarded a top United Nations' honour.
Marguerite Barankitse has spent the last 12 years caring for more than 10,000 children affected by the civil war in Burundi and other conflicts.
She also offers a place for women and child refugees returning to Burundi a place to rebuild their lives. The Nansen Award, given annually by the UN Refugee Agency, recognises exceptional work among refugees. Ms Barankitse - who prefers to be called Maggie - was inspired to act after saving the lives of 25 children during Burundi's civil war in 1993.
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Posted by: Mara at April 29, 2005 22:29 |
link | comments |
ADDRESS
THOSE WHO FLEE TEMPTATION GENERALLY LEAVE A FORWARDING ADDRESS.
EXTRA PEACE MONITORS.
Big boost to Darfur peace force.
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But the peacekeepers will not have a stronger mandate
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The African Union has agreed to more than double the number of its peace monitors in the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur.
By September, the force should be 7,700-strong, which could be further increased to 12,000, an official said.
There are currently just 2,200 troops, with another 1,000 expected next month, to monitor an area the size of France. The two-year conflict has left some 180,000 people dead and two million people have fled their homes.
The peacekeepers are monitoring a ceasefire signed a year ago, which both Darfur rebels and pro-government Arab militias regularly violate.
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ELEPHANTS SLAUGHTERED !!!
Zimbabwe moves to bring in food.
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Donors had warned that more food aid was needed
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The Zimbabwean government has announced it will import 1.2m tons of the staple food, maize, over the next few months.
However, the state-run Grain Marketing Board head denied opposition charges that the country had run out of food.
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) official Renson Gasela accused the government of failing to act while the country faced "a national catastrophe". President Robert Mugabe has accused the MDC of exaggerating food shortages and turned down offers of food aid.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwean newspaper, The Standard, has reported that a national park was instructed to slaughter elephants in order to feed villagers
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FREE
I AM FREE TO GO ~ SO I STAY.
PROTESTS
Protests at Zimbabwe rights role.
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By Susannah Price
BBC News, United Nations
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Kofi Annan wants reform of the UN rights body
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The United States and other countries have protested about the re-election of Zimbabwe to the UN's main human rights body, the Human Rights Commission.
Zimbabwe was one of 15 countries chosen by members of the UN's Economic and Social Council in New York. All but one were chosen by consensus.
Critics say too many countries with appalling human rights records have been on the commission. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has recommended it should be replaced. Zimbabwe will sit on the UN Human Rights Commission for the next three years.
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SPAIN IN THE DOCK
E Guinea politician accuses Spain.
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Moto denied reports that he wanted to buy arms
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Equatorial Guinea's exiled opposition leader Severo Moto, who was reported missing, has told a Croatian newspaper that he is in hiding in Zagreb.
He said he had left his home in Spain, because the Spanish secret services wanted to kill him, Spain has denied these accusations.
He said Spain wanted good relations with Equatorial Guinea, its former colony, in order to explore for oil. Mr Moto was accused of involvement in an attempted coup last year. He set up a self-proclaimed government in exile in Madrid two years ago and Equatorial Guinea said he would have been installed as leader, had the coup, which had links to the UK, South Africa and Zimbabwe, succeeded. Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema also accused Spain of involvement in the coup plot - charges which were denied in Madrid.
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DROUGHT NOW FLOODS
Ethiopia floods kill at least 82
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At least 82 people have been killed and tens of thousands made homeless after devastating floods swept through south-eastern Ethiopia, say officials.
More than 30 villages were submerged after the Wabe Shebelle river near Gode in the Somali region burst its banks following days of heavy rains. Rescue teams are working to bring in much-needed emergency supplies but are still unable to reach many survivors. The remote region has been hit by both floods and droughts in the past.
Many people were sleeping when the banks of Wabe Shebelle - Ethiopia's largest river - burst during the night at the weekend. People, housing and livestock were washed away and survivors were forced to flee their homes for the safety of higher ground. Some people were seen clinging to trees to escape the rising waters and crocodiles that infest the area.
"This is a catastrophe," the government's relief coordinator, Muktar Mohammed Seyyid, told the Associated Press by telephone from the region. "If we don't take action, I am afraid the death toll will increase."
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WEEDS.
Weed police to combat SA 'aliens'
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Alien plants use more water than local ones
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Weed inspectors have been appointed in South Africa's capital, Pretoria, to ensure that alien plants do not take over the city's gardens.
The city's trademark purple jacaranda trees may no longer be cultivated, though existing trees can remain.
Offenders can face fines of up to 5,000 rand ($900) if they do not remove the plants on request. Jacaranda trees cover Pretoria in purple blossom each spring but the plant is originally from South America.
So, it is on a list of "plants that have the potential of becoming invasive but are considered to have ornamental value". "If you have a large jacaranda it can stay - but you may not plant new ones, and if jacaranda seeds have fallen and sprouted in the garden, you must remove them," said Hannes Oelofse, head of the weed control team for eastern Pretoria.
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DREAM
IF THERE WERE DREAMS TO SELL,
WHAT WOULD YOU BUY?
BANANA TREES.
Ugandans plant trees in potholes.
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The scene on 8th street - close to the city centre
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The state of some roads in Uganda's capital, Kampala, is so bad that protesters have planted banana trees in the middle of potholes.
One campaigner says he saw a fish caught in one of the bigger potholes that had filled with water.
Now a politician is leading a campaign to get the roads repaired and says this is becoming a major issue for his party ahead of elections next year.
Conservative Party leader Ken Lukyamuzi says corruption is to blame. He says money earmarked for the roads is not being spent, and when it is, the tarmac is too thin and disintegrates when it rains. "When you hear sums of money related to what is going to be done, you just laugh," says Mr Lukyamuzi, whose party is one of the smaller players in Ugandan politics.
"These roads are done using the taxpayers' money," he says as he manoeuvres his car among the potholes. "People pay the taxes." Mr Lukyamuzi says that quite aside from the number of accidents the potholes cause, there is a good economic reason to fix them. "You cannot do anything constructive in terms of trade," he says. "A lot of food which feeds the people in Kampala comes from very long distances. So, you have to address the roads."
He also laments the fact that the only way around them is to drive on the wrong side of the road. "I cannot, for example, abide by the rules of driving in Uganda, which is moving on the left side - I have to move onto the other side as if I was driving when I'm in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or France, or Rwanda. Can you imagine that? It is absurd."
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RIGGED VOTING
Opposition fury at Togo poll loss.
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Faure Gnassingbe has already briefly led Togo
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Faure Gnassingbe, candidate of Togo's ruling RPT party and son of the former leader, has provisionally won Sunday's presidential election, officials say.
Opposition supporters immediately poured onto the streets of the capital, Lome, erecting burning barricades. They say the poll was rigged.
Many residents stayed indoors as thick black smoke wafted across the city.
The army tried to install Mr Faure after his father died but pressure led him to step down and call an election. Security forces used tear gas to disperse the opposition protesters in central Lome but shops were reportedly looted in other areas.
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INVEST
THOSE WHO ARE UNWILLING TO INVEST IN THE FUTURE
HAVE NOT EARNED ONE.
MOONLIGHTING
SA soldier moonlighting in Iraq.
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There is lots of security work in Iraq
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A South African army officer has been fined for working in Iraq whilst he was taking leave.
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is now investigating how many more of its men are moonlighting.
"Lt Col WF Maartens was charged and found guilty in a Military Court in terms of two sections of the Military Disciplinary Code," said a spokesman.
Col Maartens was convicted of the disobeying of lawful commands or orders, and absence without leave.
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HANDS
TAKE LIFE IN YOUR OWN HANDS, AND WHAT HAPPENS?
A TERRIBLE THING : No one to blame.
Undercover Reporter
News is what someone does not want you to print, the rest is just advertising"
Tom de Castella on the risks of being an undercover reporter in Zimbabwe.
At Linquenda House, Harare's gloomy immigration department, the official inspecting my visa extension form asks me what I do. "I'm a wineseller," I lie. "You're not a news seller?" he shoots back, his eyes watching me mischievously. "What's that?" I say, trying to be innocent, but taken aback by his apparent mind-reading. "A journalist," he answers. "Oh, no, I'm not one of them" I say, trying to laugh. He chuckles and explains that "some of your fellow countrymen are attempting to come in and make trouble," before stamping my passport. That was in 2002, but on subsequent trips I have been a birdwatcher, architect and cricket fan. Such is life for the "tourist" in Zimbabwe, where lying to strangers and suspicion of others becomes second nature. You know that you could be jailed for up to two years, but you are also aware that unaccredited journalists caught by the authorities are usually deported.
REAL
EVERYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE IS REAL.
