Saturday, October 11, 2014

More than politics


A picture says thousand words





You know things are not right when political parties are using traffic signs as campaign billboards.  Evidently this symbolic as you can see  is the ruling party's poster. This poster has been here for over a  year  half and nobody dares try to remove it, long after the elections of 31st July 2013.

The message on this picture is clear for all to see, that the ruling party has no respect for rules and ordinances as well as by laws of the cities, town ,villages or even councils. They are the law unto themselves, and they alone. In short its called lawlessness . The past few months have seen a renewed illegal land grab by the ruling party officials in selected areas around the country. This is without regard to the High Court ruling. President Mugabe himself was heard saying that "No white person will own the land in Zimbabwe anymore" The public responded with a huge outcry on many social media forums. Even the President's favorite minister " Minister of tourism appealed for some sense. Not to mention the Justice Minister who literally too away the President's hate full words and modified them when he was answering a question in Parliament that same week.

One instance that stood out was when the war veterans illegally camped in Cde Dumiso Dabengwa's personal farm in Figtree. At first it all sounded like a big joke but after two weeks the former Zipra intelligence commander soon realized that ZANU Pf was out to punish him big time. With support of the people of Matabeleland and the youth in particular the war vets felt the pressure mounting and they gad to move. Needless to mention that they had defied the High court orders as usual. Some where already occupying the Conolly farm not to far form that area. There are reports of farm invasions in Umguza area and one of them belongs to the Bulwayo City council. It serves as a nature reserve place.

This an arrogant government which neither fears God not regard men. People are robbed in broad day light from the left right and center. I will not not tell you how many police and Zimra agents are all over  the  roads. I had to undergo  many road blocks during my nine days visit. It is unbelievable that   people do not even question these things any many more. You just pay whatever they demand and off they go!

They are forced to pay for many services that they do not even use. There is serious load shedding and regular water rationing in most cities. The civil organizations are sounding faint every day. Its a dog eat dog. Poverty is rampant, those who are making it are really making it whilst the rest are below poverty datum line. People are sen walking along the main roads because they cannot even afford public transport. There is no money flowing anymore, Even civil servants do not know when they are going to get paid. Better are those who are connected to the ruling party shefs.  Everybody is backing for their supper as one writer put it!

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Life , religion, politics, economics and theater

Indeed  I have been away for a long time from this desk. I am thankful to finally be able to make it back again. I must admit that as much as I like to write about world events I find myself not knowing where to start. I am pretty sure we all fell the same in our own ways as individuals. Everything seem to be happening fast in our world. It could be the fact that the definition of the term "our world" has  changed thanks to social media and other modern forms of communication.Whether we like it, or not we are now more connected to other human beings more than any other time in the history of human race. For example if I can try to write about things that has happened in the last three months I would write a book. Here is what comes to my mind right away, US and Russia stand off! The Ebola crisis in West Africa! the rise of ISIS terrorist beheading people's head alive in the Iraq. Factionalism in Zimbabwe's ruling party and the Rise and rise of Grace Mugabe and her speedy PHD that she acquired in just two months!

How about starting on my journey to Zimbabwe for the second time in fours years. I was glad to sneak into the country this past June just for a few days to check on my family. I was only away for two weeks of which I spend over a week literally on the road or on air. I went to Zimbabwe on a very slim budget but thank God I managed tot make it back regardless. I was able to see my relatives and most importantly my parents. I could not have bee more happier to see my dad who is yet to recover from the terrible stroke he suffered about six years ago. It is in such circumstances that one can really count their blessings. In Zimbabwe and indeed in most African countries "we bury people alive" Most hospitals are a joke. There is no health care at all, except for the few rich who can afford to go out of the country like President Robert Mugabe who visits Malaysia regularly for medical attention. I wonder how many ordinary people can afford that in a country where there is literally no employment at all! Most can can hardly get enough to eat or let alone send their children to school.

In short life is difficult. It seems to get hard especially for us African people everywhere. Just last month over a 115 people were killed when a building collapsed in a Nigerian church known as the Synagogue of nations. This saw over 85 South African who had visited Africa's populous nation perish in a instant collapse of building without warning. We are seeing more bizarre things happening around the continent especially in terms of politics and religion. God forbid, church minister are becoming desperate for miracles, signs and wonders. One church minister is said to be going around making church congregation eat grass and drink some petrol fuel. There are a lot of things that are going around that one may need to hear to believe. Its all happening in the theater of life.