INTERVAL.
THERE IS NO CURE FOR BIRTH AND DEATH
SAVE TO ENJOY THE INTERVAL !
INTERVAL!
THERE IS NO CURE FOR BIRTH AND DEATH
SAVE TO ENJOY THE INTERVAL!
HUMMAN
Lecturer Arnold Moyo (not his real name), 31, explained why he currently lives and works illegally in neighbouring Botswana.
I left Zimbabwe in January of this year because I could not get a job. The year before I had completed a MBA degree at the National University of Science and Technology in Bulawayo but still could not find employment. Arnold lives and works illegally in neighbouring Botswana The reason why I opted to come to Botswana is because they do not require that Zimbabweans have a visa. It is also nearer to Bulawayo - Zimbabwe's second city where I am from.
My journey was easy. I took a bus, public transport, to Francistown in Botswana. The authorities at the Plumtree border post were fine. They stamped my passport, allowing me to stay for 90 days. Within only two weeks I had found a job lecturing at a college here in Francistown. Generally I cannot complain. I am now earning around 2,000 pula a month through lecturing and various extra part-time jobs. Sometimes I provide consultancy services for companies. There are also many people studying via distance learning courses here and so I tutor a lot of them.
Viewing the current situation in Zimbabwe, I don't want to go back. But if things changed then I would. Home is best. It is better to be at home with your relatives and friends. Arnold travelled home for this year's election but was unable to vote as his name was not on the register. I am married and we have one son. He is 10-years-old. I miss them. Especially certain times, like today which is pay day. I wish I was able to take them out and make them happy. Instead all I can do is send them money, and they really depend on that money now. I travel home when I can but it is difficult because my days are over now - I am here illegally.
I hitchhike when I return as public transport is too risky. Thankfully because the policemen are broke I am able to take advantage of the situation and bribe my way. To get through roadblocks I pay 20 pula. The Botswana border is all right as the guys at the gate are not that tight. It is very easy to bribe your way through. However once I am on the Zimbabwean side I have to jump the fence. But there are certain areas where no-one checks and so with colleagues we climb over the fence together. We do not go alone. I stay about a week and then come back the same way.
It is very different here and I would rather be home. But generally when you look at it, some things are better. One is able to actually plan, to sit down and budget for even up to three months at a time. Prices don't go up. Arnold wants the Botswana government to stop its citizens from taking advantage of Zimbabweans Being a foreigner in a foreign land though, it worries me. At any time I could be forced to leave. I am always worried about that situation. I share a room with four others, all Zimbabweans. They are not professionals and take whatever work they can get. Unfortunately they, like a lot of other Zimbabweans, are subjected to harassment by Botswana citizens. Often they will work for almost a month. Then just before they are due to be paid someone arrives to check their work permit papers. As they don't have the right papers they then get deported. This is not fair and it is really a problem. Motswanas are taking advantage. They are the ones that hire these people, without papers, and then they are the ones that get away without paying for their services when the Zimbabweans are caught and deported. I think that the people who hire the illegals should pay the fine when and if their workers are deported.
Human rights organisations should address this, and so raise the eyebrows of the Botswana government.
BBC NEWS WEBSITE REPORT.
Posted by: Mara at October 31, 2005 23:14 |
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africa
UGANDA AND IMF.
Uganda too developed for IMF aid .
Uganda's economy has improved to such an extent that the African nation no longer qualifies for aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Following a review, the IMF decided that it would not offer financial support after the current package expires at the end of this year. The IMF's senior representative in Uganda, Peter Allum, said that Uganda is "at the forefront of its class". Instead of money, the IMF will continue to offer support and advice on reforms.
BBC NEWS REPORT
Posted by: Mara at October 30, 2005 18:23 |
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africa
HUMAN SPIRIT.
THE HUMAN SPIRIT IS STRONGER THAN ANYTHING THAT CAN HAPPEN TO IT!
ZANZIBAR ELECTIONS.
Counting begins in Zanzibar polls.
The ruling CCM party faces a strong challenge. Counting is under way after polling in presidential and parliamentary elections on Tanzania's semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar. There have been reports of sporadic violence and accusations by the opposition that some people have been prevented from voting. But the extreme violence that marred previous polls has so far been absent. More than 30,000 security forces have been deployed. Some 500,000 people were expected to cast their ballots.
President Amani Karume's main challenger in the election, Seif Hamad, said members of his staff and some party officials were abducted, leaving them unable to vote. The BBC's Karen Allen in Zanzibar says there is no independent verification of the claim, but it adds to a general sense of mistrust about how the polling is being carried out. Mainland poll suspended. Mr Karume was among the first to cast his vote and said he was optimistic of his party's continued success.
ZANZIBAR AND PEMBA
Population: Nearly 1m
Area: 2,461 sq km (950 square miles)
Major languages: Kiswahili, English
Major religion: Islam
Main exports: Cloves, seaweed, coconut, copra
He is running for a second term after winning elections in November 2000, while Mr Hamad was runner-up in Zanzibar's 1995 and 2000 presidential elections. As well as casting their ballots for a president, voters were choosing 50 members for the legislature and 139 local councillors. Mr Karume's ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party is disputing the polls with Mr Hamad's Civic United Front (CUF), the islands' largest opposition party.
Voting on the mainland has been postponed due to the death of opposition vice-presidential candidate, Jumbe Rajab Jumbe. Zanzibar voters will now have to wait until 18 December to vote in nationwide presidential and legislative elections. There was uncertainty for a while about whether the polls on the archipelago would proceed. But the Zanzibar Electoral Commission said the province was not bound by national electoral rules and voting could go ahead.
BBC NEWS REPORT BY KAREN ALLEN.
Posted by: Mara at October 30, 2005 18:03 |
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africa
CATHY's weekly letter from Zimbabwe.
Dear Family and Friends,
A friend of mine recently had occasion to visit a commercial farm that had
been seized by the government for re-distribution. Just five years ago
every acre of the farm had been involved in intensive agricultural
production. Eggs, tobacco, beef, maize and mutton had come off this land
every year. Over 50 men had been employed on this farm less than five
years ago and these men, with their wives, children and extended families
had lived and thrived on this property. And now, my friend who visited
this farm recently, said that what he had seen was so painful that it made
his "heart sore with shame." My heart is also sore to have to relate this
story as I too knew this farm, this piece of land, the owners and many of
the farm workers and their families who had made such a good life and
living on this land.
The boundary fences surrounding the property are mostly non existent, the
wire stolen, the poles long since taken for firewood. The chicken houses
have been stripped, wire mesh gone, tin roofing sheets removed and all
that remains is the concrete floors - cracked, chipped and with grass
crawling through in tough runners. The farm house, my friend says, is
"finished". The ceilings have gone. There is no longer electricity in the
house; electrical wires and their conduits have literally been dug out of
the walls, along with the wall plug sockets, light fittings and
connections. Windows are just holes in walls as window frames and burglar
bars have gone, chiseled out of the walls. There is no longer water in the
house; the bathroom and kitchen geysers have gone, the stainless steel
kitchen sinks have been removed and in the bathroom the taps have been
taken.
Outside, on the land, there is little activity. Aside from a few little
scratches where rape and tomatoes are being tended near the dam, there is
not much else going on. Big fields are unploughed, seed does not wait
stacked in the sheds, fertilizer and chemicals are not piled in workshops.
In less than two weeks Zimbabwe's rainy season will begin and tragically
what my friend saw is not an isolated incident. The Governor of the
Reserve Bank is repeatedly pleading for massive increases in production on
seized farms. Vice President Joseph Msika keeps on threatening to remove
farmers who are not using the land they were given but hints that this is
a delicate process. Barely a month ago Vice President Joyce Mujuru said:
"If you are not farming properly, this is sabotage at its highest level....
We want farmers who work the land for maximum production, not incompetents
and idlers who just sit and do nothing."
Zimbabwe's main growing season is right now. Little is happening. In the
supermarket this week piles of seed maize sits on the shelves. People
cannot afford to buy it and have no no fuel to transport it. People talk
of how new farmers are becoming multi billionaires this October - they
queue for their government fuel allocation which they buy at 30 000 a
litre and then sell for 100 000 a litre on the black market. You certainly
can't make that much money farming so why even bother. Until next week,
love cathy.
Copyright cathy buckle, 29 October 2005. http:/africantears.netfirms.com
Chenjerai Hove pleads for Books.
Exiled Zimbabwean writer Chenjerai Hove explains why he thinks Africa's reading habits are in decline. A critic of the Mugabe government, he currently lives in Norway, and his published work includes poetry, novels, essays and reflections. Chenjerai says books should not be subject to the same sales and duty taxes as other commodities. I signed books until I developed blisters on my fingers once at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair. But that was not only my experience. Other writers and poets such as Yvonne Vera, Chirikure Chirikure, Charles Mungoshi and Shimmer Chinodya (Ben Chirasha) were also busy signing dozens of books. It was in the early 1990s and the public, thirsting for new books, had flooded the National Gallery Gardens to meet the writers and see the books. Not so today.
A few years ago, I was busy signing autographs on newspapers and pieces of paper. No-one could afford the books anymore. African governments have not put in place well-planned book development policies. Books are subject to the same sales and duty taxes as other commodities. Materials for producing books, like inks, newsprint, printing plates, and the essential technology, are all taxed on the same rate as bolts and spare parts for cars.
During colonial days when I was a teacher, books used to have an especially low postal rate, almost free. So students could order books from the National Free Library in the country's second city of Bulawayo. But now books have the same postal rates as any other article in the mail. As a result, only those who are within walking distance of the National Free Library can go to borrow a book.
Taxes - The absurdity of taxes on books is in that governments in Africa are the biggest buyers of school textbooks. Ministries of Education give money to schools or the responsible authorities as an annual book allocation. The Ministry of Finance then taxes the books bought by the Ministry of Education in order to give schools grants for the following year.
"New illiterates" - Sadly, most education systems in Africa are also examination-oriented. Students are never taught to read books as a pleasurable experience in itself without thinking of exams. Universities and colleges are producing what I call the "new illiterates". hey have their degrees and diplomas, but hardly take time to sit and enjoy reading good books. The African mind is the least of their priorities In some countries, literacy campaigns have been put in place, but it does not help because soon the new literates have nothing more to read.They decline back to illiteracy. The campaign becomes a futile exercise.
Bridges not books. - Effective book development policies mean affordable books will be available on a continuous basis in order to make reading a habit in the heart and soul of every reader in every country. It is sad when I realise that African books are read more outside the continent than inside. African governments only view development in terms of bridges, school buildings, clinics, hospitals and roads.
The African mind is the least of their priorities.!
BBC NEWS REPORT
HUNGER IN AFRICA.
Hunger crisis 'undermines Africa' .
The WFP says it has halved malnutrition among boys in Darfur. Increasing levels of hunger are destabilising Africa, the head of the UN's World Food Programme has warned.
James Morris told the United Nations that continuing armed conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa were undermining the WFP's efforts to feed 43m people. Food shortages could spur migration away from rural areas and spark unrest between villagers and tribes, he added. Mr Morris criticised world leaders for not making greater efforts to reduce hunger in line with public pledges. He blamed poverty, conflict, HIV/Aids, drought and weak public governance for contributing the Africa's food crisis.
At 43m, the WFP is attempting to feed twice as many Africans as in 1995.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Posted by: Mara at October 28, 2005 10:56 |
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africa
Musical Aid for Zimbabwe Migrants
Housing demolitions have increased the flow of migrants out of Zimbabwe. Zimbabweans wishing to leave their country are the target of a new campaign by the International Organisation for Migration. Some of Zimbabwe's best-known musicians are contributing to an album that forms part of a multi-media campaign, and are to perform at a concert on Thursday. IOM hopes to make would-be migrants aware of the dangers of leaving the country without support.
At present, 2,000 Zimbabweans are sent home each week from South Africa alone. The campaign, known as "Safe Journey", aims to reduce the risks of potential migrants and to inform citizens on HIV prevention and the dangers of irregular migration. Increasing numbers of people have attempted to leave Zimbabwe in the wake of the government's Operation Murambatsvina, in which 700,000 people were affected by the destruction of homes and small businesses, according to the United Nations.
"We want people to think before they go," the IOM spokeswoman in Harare, Nicola Simmonds, told the BBC News website. "They have got to know before they go that they are taking a risk, and things could be worse on the other side." Oliver Mtukudzi is among the musical stars supporting the campaign, which in addition to music will use television, film, radio, print, billboards, bumper stickers, and a website to get its message across. The Zimbabwean government is also backing the initiative.
BBC NEWS WEBSITE.
Posted by: Mara at October 27, 2005 17:02 |
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africa
USA IMPOSES BAN.
US joins ban on Kenyan minister .
Mr Murungaru was demoted in February after corruption allegations. The United States has banned Kenyan Transport Minister Chris Murungaru from stepping on its soil. The ban was imposed under new legislation barring officials perceived to be involved in corruption from entering the US.
Britain refused him entry three months ago. Mr Murungaru says the US decision was instigated by the UK government to legitimise its own action against him. Mr Murungaru has already begun UK legal action, saying he has been defamed.
He repeated that he had done nothing wrong and called on the two governments to make public any evidence they may have against him. He has instructed his lawyers to see if he can challenge the ban in the US courts.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Posted by: Mara at October 26, 2005 22:00 |
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africa
MDC DEFIES THEIR LEADER.
MDC defies leader over election. Tsvangirai's boycott call has been ignored by the candidates Members of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change are to contest 26 of the 50 seats in elections next month for a new Senate. The 26 have registered their candidacy in defiance of party leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who opposes participation. The question of the Senate election has left the MDC in its worst-ever crisis. Party spokesman Paul Themba-Nyathi said the candidates had the backing of party structures, despite Mr Tsvangirai's call for a boycott.
The BBC's southern African correspondent Barnaby Phillips say the people of Zimbabwe will be worse off if they no longer have a viable opposition party. Mr Tsvangirai argues that there is no point in contesting elections when the government is ready to use any methods to win them; his opponents in the MDC argue that they must carry on participating in order to remain relevant. "It is unfortunate that Mr Tsvangirai's opposition persists," Mr Themba-Nyathi told the BBC News website. "But it is important that our support for those candidates continues," he said.
BBC NEWS WEBSITE REPORT
Posted by: Mara at October 25, 2005 22:47 |
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africa
IILLEGAL FOREIGN FUNDS?
MDC 'got illegal foreign funds' .
Leader Morgan Tsvangirai denies the MDC received the funds. An MP from Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change says his party received $2.5m in foreign funds. MP Job Sikhala says the money, from Taiwan, Ghana and Nigeria, is the real cause of current divisions in the MDC.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai denies his party received the foreign donations, which are forbidden under Zimbabwe law. The MDC is currently divided over Senate elections next month. Mr Tsvangirai has announced a boycott, while some officials want to take part.
"It's true and I can confirm that the Movement for Democratic Change received funding from Ghana, Nigeria and Taiwan," Mr Sikhala told the AFP news agency, following earlier reports in the state-owned Herald newspaper. "All this fighting in the party is over money," he added. Mr Tsvangirai's spokesman William Bango said Mr Sikhala was "out of line" for making the allegation about the funds. "Mr Tsvangirai knows nothing about the alleged funding. He is surprised that Sikhala would make such false allegations," William Bango told AFP.
Zimbabwe's Political Parties Act outlaws the foreign funding of political parties. Senate elections were called after a recent constitutional change reintroduced an upper house into parliament. Government critics say the change was introduced to strengthen the hold on power of President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party. The MDC believes violence and fraud have made previous elections unfair.
Zimbabwe has had a single-chamber parliament since 1987, when Mr Mugabe abolished the Senate. But the government now says the reintroduction of the Senate will boost the authority of parliament. The Senate will comprise 10 traditional chiefs, 50 senators elected on a constituency system and six appointed by the president.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Posted by: Mara at October 24, 2005 22:41 |
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africa
E-mail Spies.
SA warns on phoney 'spy' e-mails.
Ronnie Kasrils warned the e-mails could be damaging if believed. The South African government has warned about hoax e-mails purporting to come from the National Intelligence Agency. The warning comes days after three top intelligence officials were suspended for allegedly spying on a businessman close to President Thabo Mbeki.
The fake e-mails are reportedly linked to a rift between Mr Mbeki and his sacked deputy, Jacob Zuma, which is dividing the ruling ANC party. Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils called the mails "crude and sinister". But he said they could be damaging if believed.
Posted by: Mara at October 24, 2005 22:30 |
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africa
FAIL
TRY AGAIN. FAIL AGAIN. FAIL BETTER.
CATHY's weekly letter from Zimbabwe.
Dear Family and Friends,
For six months we have not had a drop of rain in Zimbabwe and now, as we
wait for the first thunderstorm, the atmosphere is exceedingly strained.
Daytime temperatures are way up in the thirties Centigrade and the skies
are mostly clear and still. During the day we battle with flies which seem
to be everywhere and at night the mosquitoes whine and wheedle
incessantly. The mozzies, as we call them, are very bad already, even
before the rains have started, and they are going mostly unchecked as even
a simple tin of insecticide is now over quarter a million of dollars and a
luxury that few people can afford.
In Marondera this week we've gone two days without water, one day without
electricity and every day without petrol and yet, amazingly enough, we
muddle through one day after another. I have found it almost unbearable to
watch and follow Zimbabwe's politics this week as it seems the opposition
have lost their way, forgotten their reason for being and become intent on
squabbling over the chance to get a seat in a Senate which they themselves
said was not wanted and an unacceptable financial burden on a population
stretched way beyond the limits. Night after night state owned television
have announced with growing glee that that "the rift in the MDC is
widening" and have shown opposition party officials issuing opposing
statements and publicly contradicting each other. For six years we have
seen almost no coverage of the opposition party on national television but
this week the film footage has been incessant as the ruling party have
gloated, crowed and chortled at what Mr Mugabe calls "that irrelevant
party."
I pray that by the time you read this letter, the MDC will have come to
their senses. I cannot believe that any one of them has forgotten the
rapes, arson, torture, beating, brutality and murder that have littered
our lives for the past five and a half years. I cannot believe that any of
them are happy and contented that their families are spread out all over
the world, in political and financial exile. I cannot believe that any one
of them will be able to look at themselves in the mirror and feel good
about earning a living as a Senator. It will be a living that ordinary
people are dying, literally, to give them. I cannot believe that any of
the MDC leaders, even one of them, think that these elections will be
different - clean, unrigged, free, fair and transparent. Multiple
hundreds of thousands of people are already disenfranchised, either
through forced removal from their homes and constituencies through one
government policy or another or by having been declared aliens in the
country of their birth.
On Friday Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede announced on ZBC TV that people
displaced by Operation Murambatsvina would not be eligible to vote unless
they had re-registered in their new constituencies. This announcement was
followed shortly afterwards by an advert advising that voter registration
would close just 48 hours later on Sunday.
And so, while it is agonising to watch the MDC tear themselves apart,
ordinary people are left feeling betrayed and bereft and asking why we
have all endured so much, suffered so much and lost so much. Certainly not
to become part of the gravy train. We are waiting for the rain in
Zimbabwe, and for democracy and an end to oppression, unemployment, hunger
and soaring inflation. Until next week, love cathy Copyright cathy buckle
22 October 2005. http://africantears.netfirms.com "African Tears" and
"Beyond Tears" are available from: orders@africabookcentre.com
MY THOUGHTS.....
Maybe, like me, many of you are finding it hard to read Cathy Buckle's weekly letters from Zimbabwe. Maybe, like me, you are feeling uncomfortable at having a normal everyday kinda life, compared to everyone in Zimbabwe. Maybe, like me, you have tried to get their message out to as many people as you can. Maybe, like me, you are desperately sad that there seems to be so little we can do to help. Maybe, like me, you wonder why so much aid can be sent and given to other countries in need, but that the people in Zimbabwe are being forced to die of starvation, illnesses, and lack of shelter. Maybe, like me, you wonder how on earth would you manage living in a country as Zimbabwe is now.
Maybe, like me, you are angry that nothing and no one seems to care about the women and children in Zimbabwe. Maybe, like me, you want to beg the men in Zimbabwe to take stock of the situation they find themselves in and DO somthing about it. Maybe, like me, you wonder why the men folk in Zimbabwe seem to show no concern whatso ever about the women and children, and to change and DO something for them. Maybe, like me, you wonder what the children will grow up into, having had so little of a normal childhood - they are the future of the country after all. Maybe, like me, the ache in your heart does not ever ease, but seems to get worse as each year goes by. Maybe, like me, you are indebted to Cathy for her continual contact with us in the outside world. Maybe, like me, you continue to pray that one day, their day will come, and the suffering of all the good people in Zimbabwe will stop and God's country will return to normal. Maybe, like me, you wonder if that is too much to ask?
PROBLEMS IN MALAWI.
Malawi MPs renew impeachment bid.
Mutharika's supporters say he is being targeted because of his fight against corruption. Opposition MPs in Malawi have again moved to impeach President Bingu wa Mutharika, accusing him of improperly using state funds. More than 80 MPs signed the motion - more than the one-third needed in the 193-seat parliament to introduce it. MPs loyal to Mr Mutharika stormed out of the chamber, accusing the opposition of not respecting parliamentary rules.
The last parliamentary speaker collapsed and later died during the first impeachment debate in June. Since being elected in 2004, Mr Mutharika has fallen out with the former ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) which backed him in the poll. According to the motion, Mr Mutharika is supposed to appear before parliament next week. However, ministers say that opposition motions can only be introduced on Thursday, not Friday and so the president will not appear.
Constitutional Affairs Minister Henry Dama Phoya described the events as "a sad day in the history of parliament in Malawi". The motion backed by the UDF and the Malawi Congress Party accuses Mr Mutharika of using state funds to finance the Democratic Progressive Party he set up in February. His supporters say the motion is revenge for his anti-corruption drive. To pass the motion, the opposition needs a two-thirds vote in favour. At present, they are just short of that number.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Posted by: Mara at October 21, 2005 22:25 |
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africa
ZIMBABWE - ANOTHER DESPERATE MOVE?
Zimbabwe frees trade in currency.
The Zimbabwean dollar has plummeted in value this year. Zimbabwe's central bank is to allow the Zimbabwean dollar to trade freely, a move seen as a way to aid both exports and stocks of foreign currencies. The move is also seen as a means to reduce the vast difference between the official and black market values of the Zimbabwean dollar. The currency has been pegged against the US dollar for several years, recently at Z$26,000 per US$1. The black market rate for the Zimbabwe dollar can be as high as Z$90,000.
Under the new system, exporters will be allowed to trade 70% of their foreign currency earnings at the "market-determined rate", but 30% will have to be surrendered to the central bank, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. The government hopes this will encourage businesses to increase exports. Inflation in Zimbabwe is rampant, increasing by 360% so far this year, according to the government's own figures. Analysts say the liberalisation of trading in the Zimbabwe dollar will initially further increase inflation, until the official and black market values move together.
"We should see the Zimbabwe dollar trading at around 60,000 (per US dollar) in the first week, while will be followed by a gradual depreciation to within parallel market levels, that's where it should settle," one Harare commercial bank told the Reuters news agency. Economist Eric Bloch said Zimbabwe's exporters would benefit from the changes - but not immediately. "This move is going to be positive but it's not a quick fix to our problems," he said. "There is a time lag for [exporters'] response and I can't see that happening until around April next year." Zimbabwe's economy has been reeling from six years of recession caused, critics say, by the land reform policies of President Robert Mugabe.
Since 1999, the government and its supporters have seized white-owned farms, leading to widespread food shortages. Zimbabwe now has to import at least 37,000 tons of maize a week to help feed its population. The government blames the food shortages on poor rains in recent years. However, in recent months the government has made renewed efforts to reduce its overseas debts, including making US$135m in payments to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF had earlier threatened to throw Zimbabwe out of the organisation, and continues to say it could return to this threat in the future.
Posted by: Mara at October 21, 2005 21:02 |
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africa
Ramblings
FEAR HAS A LARGE SHADOW.
BUT HE HIMSELF IS SMALL.
