Grace Mutandwa

Two Philips Groaning

Monday morning. It’s been a weekend of doughnuts and I’m drinking too much again. A can of Namibian beer seems easier and tastier than water flavoured with the sulphuric tang of purification tablets. In Zimbabwe, alcoholism is a prophylactic for cholera. Not surprisingly after my excess, a certain tightness of my bowel suggests that I’d better visit the loo. But that’s not a pleasant prospect.

For some reason Harare’s  powers that be cut off the British Embassy’s water supply in December. It’s not clear if this was another sign of Zim’s water system failure or a protest at our policy of saying that Mr Mugabe’s government is not altogether the best thing since sliced bread. Now Harare’s water ain’t great for drinking, fortified as it is by large amounts of the charmingly named but deadly Vibrio cholera bacterium. But I do still find it helpful for flushing toilets and miss it now it’s gone. So my toiletry routine has taken on a semi-African form. I fill a bucket from a butt and carry it down the corridor, spilling a little to present a banana-skin-type walkway to my colleagues.

I should study Zimbie women, some of whom carry water buckets (not to mention tree trunks) on their heads with no spillage and a greater impression of grace than I offer at 8am on Monday, groaning as I heave my sloshing load of toxicity along. We’ll skip the next part of the story; suffice to say that I empty my bucket.  I try to shake off some of the associated effects by washing my hands using a ‘water-free purification liquid.’ This stuff smells like something a mortician would use, but succeeds only in making me feel like a dirty person with clean hands.

So that’s Monday in Harare. But this being Zimbabwe there’s always somebody a thousand times worse off than me. Today it’s Philip (another Philip), an Embassy security guard, who I find folded on his chair, in tears and groaning as if his chest is about to burst. He has just heard that his sister died in Mutare on Saturday. These are Philip’s problems in order of significance.  His beloved sister, a 35 year old mother of two, is dead.   Nobody knows what she died of. Philip worries she caught cholera which means his whole family is at risk.      

He wants to pay for her funeral, but has nothing like enough money.  His family needs to offer a minimal meal of sadza and relish at the wake, but does not have much of either.  He wants to attend the funeral but, again, has no money.  He is supposed to be working all week. Despite the coarsening effect of three years in Zimbabwe, I recognise Philip’s suffering to be infinitely greater than mine. I help as I can; knowing as I do that nothing can mend Philip’s broken heart or rescue his broken family from danger. Nor is there much prospect of anything mending his broken country anytime soon. 

Posted at 16:17 19 January 2009 by Philip Barclay  |  Comments[5]

All we have is hope in 2009

The year ahead, 2009, looks grim when looked at against the background of the past year. Many in Zimbabwe would like to forget 2008 but for a whole lot of reasons this is something we might not be able to do.

It is the year when violent elections were once again held. With the first part of the elections was hope for change which was quickly dashed when no real  government emerged from March  and then later after the presidential re-run in June.

From then things just went straight downhill. Inflation continued on the rise and by the time we came to the end of 2008, it was way above 200 million percent. Some economists said it was already in the trillions.

From political uncertainty we staggered onto the bizzarre - foreign currency shops, in a country where more than 80 percent of the adult population is unemployed.and foreign currency is in short supply. Long winding queues at banks became part of our lives.
We still have a short supply of our own local currency.

Now the central bank has decided that each person can withdraw Z$50 billion a month, starting this January. Public transport during the week of December 25th 2008, cost Z$1bn one way. This by the end of January will not be enough to cover transport costs, buy bread, milk or any other provisions. A week before Christmas an egg cost Z$300 million or 20 American cents.

This month the biggest note in our purses if we are lucky will be the Z$50 billion. Not only is this not safe in the sense that if you lose that note you are done for, but it is also not user friendly. No one ever has change. We saw this when a $50m note
was introduce in December and then followed by other ridiculously high notes.

Public transport operators and the local currency shops just increased their prices to avoid having to scrounge for change. A market was created for people who would give you change at a premium. This is the only country in the world where people sell each other their local currency.

The year 2008 also saw both our education and health system finally give up the ghost. Major government hospitals closed - there were no drugs, water, electricity and personnel went on strike.

Then came cholera in August. But it was to be forgotten about for a while and later to suddenly erupt with a vengeance.

A war erupted around cholera. The Zimbabwean Minister of Information went on the offensive. He shocked many when he announced that the British had buried spores of cholera in and around areas that were going to be established as residential
areas after independence in 1980. This is despite the fact that those areas were already built up at independence.

This would be hilarious were it not such a sad thing and unfortunate that with more than 20 000 suspected cases of cholera and more than 1,111 already dead, a whole government minister would find energy to come up with such bizzarre theories instead
of coming up with solutions or better still asking for much needed help.

Cholera, according to the minister, had  become a tool to be used by Western powers to effect regime change in Zimbabwe.

This is the tragedy of Zimbabwe - that we have such highly educated people who fail to put their intelligence and education to good use for the betterment of their country but choose to use it for destructive purposes.

While the cholera was raging, members of the civil society and opposition members were being abducted. The past year was indeed a negatively eventful and nerve-wrecking year.

Ruling party leaders felt caged and ceaselessly attacked the West and those African countries that had not been supportive of the reigning mayhem. The interim South African president claimed his government would be guided by what Zimbabweans want - but is he listening? Or maybe that translates to what the rulers of Zimbabwe want.

We are indeed a people with very little hope but all we can do is hold onto that bit of hope. We have to hope that while 2009 will not be a prosperous year it will be a year of positive change, a year human rights get space, a year when democracy and
good governance get a chance. It should be a year when Zimbabweans can feel secure again, a year when we can look our children in the eye and tell them with certainty that they have a future in this country. I wish you all a year of hope, love, friendship, empathy and good health.

Posted at 06:55 31 December 2008 by Grace Mutandwa  |  Comments[4]

Inspired but deeply sad

Watching American President elect, Barack Obama, speak after winning, brought tears to my eyes. Earlier I had watched John Mcain concede defeat graciously and I said to myself, "democracy is truly amazing. Here is democracy at work."

I felt greatly inspired but sad too. Inspired that Americans could elect a president without killing each other and embracing each other and be mature enough to concede defeat and pledge to work together. Deeply sad because something that big would never happen in Zimbabwe, where those who rule believe that only they should rule forever. Sad because in Zimbabwe as in most African countries rivalry is not tolerated, it is reviled and seen as treachery.

For nine months now we have gone without a government. Robert Mugabe believes his ZANU PF should continue to call the shots, while Morgan Tsvangirai would like to see his Movement for Democratic Change bring in change. Here you can and you will certainly be bashed and abused for your believing in change.

We are a sad long way from democracy. We are struggling in the wilderness, with no hope in sight that we will get a government that believes in and trusts and respects its people.

Inflation continues to soar at an alarming hourly rate now. Hospitals stand as a reminder of our past glory when the sick actually used to visit and get proper treatment. Cases of cholera are on the rise!

Water taps have become a home design appendage that helps make the house look attractive. No water comes out of our water taps. Whoever designed the water tap, had a vision. That person had a dream that people in a more civilised world should never have to scrap the ground for murky water to drink.

Schools hope to provide decent education again another day but for now they provide space for poorly paid teachers to sell sweets or engage in various money-making schemes in order to put food on the table one more day.

We have political leaders who refuse to take responsibility for their failures. They heap blame on countries that have thriving democracies and economies. They see enemies everywhere. Paranoid does not even start to describe their state of mind.

Thousands of hapless Zimbabweans flock into neighbouring countries everyday in search of jobs and food. The only country that appreciates how dangerous our situation is, is Botswana, which has given refuge to thousands of Zimbabweans.

Botswana is the only country in our region that has the courage to speak out. For that trouble, Botswana has now been accused of training opposition youth so that they can effect violent regime change. ZANU PF leaders have a very fertile imagination. They are capable of coming up with conspiracy theories that no sane person could ever dream up. 

They revile western leaders and yet we are now allowed to buy food from local shops using American dollars. They take every opportunity to tell us how brutal America is, but now their money is good enough for almost all our transactions. The streets of Zimbabwe have more American and South African money than the worthless Zimbabwean dollars.

I know I paint a story of dark and gloom but that is the way it is. This could easily be the story of any one of our neighbours. 

Driving down from South Africa my partner was recently twice asked for a bribe. First a South African policeman stopped him and told him he had to pay a 500 Rand fine for  abscuring his rear view mirror. The car was packed to the gills and the mirror was indeed obscured. If you live in Zimbabwe, you learn to shop and pack your car as if your life depends on it and in most cases it does.

My partner was told that since his car was registered in Zimbabwe he would have to drive  to the nearest police station to pay. This was on the highway and the nearest police station was several kilometres back. He was offered an alternative, pay 300 Rands instead and continue on his way.

When he got to the border on the South African side towards the exit to Zimbabwe, he once again got hit for money. Tucked between lorries and cars of various shapes and sizes, he was asked if he had a declaration form for the groceries he had bought in South Africa. This was the first time this had been demanded of him. He was told to turn around and go back to the offices of the South African Customs and pay R500.

He was blocked an could not make the necessary turn so he was offered an alternative - pay R400 and proceed.

Both times he felt cornered and paid but was angry. Getting into Zimbabwe he expected the usual pain of waiting several hours, being harassed by louts and lack of co-opeartion from customs officials.

Imagine his surprise when he went through all the necessary processes without any problems. There were short queues and the attendants were actually smiling and quite chatty. Driving all the way from the border, he was amazed to go through several roadblocks where no one hit him for money but actually told him to drive carefully as the roads are bad. This was refreshing as normally some of the roadblocks are set up as personal fundraising ventures for some of the policemen.

Zimbabwe got to where it is today because people got greedy and started asking for bribes. For simple tasks to be carried out one has to pay a bribe. My landline at home has not  worked for several months and it will remain defective because I refuse to pay a bribe. I have been told point blank that I must pay up or forget about having a phone.

I have two mobile phones, an office issue and a private one. Both used to be contract lines, with bills paid on a monthly basis. As of this week they have both ceased to run as contract lines. The mobile service provider says it is economically unsustainable for them to continue providing that service. Both my lines are now pay as you go.

With no phone at home and two mobiles that are likely to run out of credit while I am talking, I am not even going to try and communicate with anyone. I am mentally and emotionally drained. Zimbabwe is a country that can make you feel that way. And I guess so many other Zimbabweans hungry for change feel that way too.

So many times people ask me why Zimbabweans are so docile and why Zimbabweans do not stand up to riot police when they get beaten for marching against ZANU PF. And so many times I have had to tell people that Zimbabweans by nature loathe violence but that does not mean they are docile.

Zimbabweans would never have fought a liberation struggle if they had been docile. Today Zimbabweans seem cowed but this is only because they would like a peaceful solution to their  political problems. They have witnessed firsthand blood being spilt and if Zimbabweans can find a way of getting out of this madness without spilling blood they will do it.

Like the Americans, Zimbabweans too would like to stand up and say; "Yes we can". And do so without maiming or killing each other. Do so without looking at colour, race or tribe. We too, like Martin Luther King before us, have a dream. We want  true democracy in our time. We want our children to be inspired by selfless leadership.

Posted at 12:21 12 November 2008 by Grace Mutandwa  |  Comments[4]