Master thieves

So many things have changed in Zimbabwe over the past five years, and continue to change at an astonishing rate, so much so that you begin to feel like nothing will really surprise you. However, the sheer audacity and brazenness with which zanu-pf‘s master thieves continue to steal public and private property never really ceases to amaze me! It is in almost all cases nothing short of a life-changing experience for all concerned!

Take the recent leo mugabe case (a nephew of bob’s). He manages to purchase many tonnes of flour – a scarce commodity in half-starved Zim – and then tries to export it to Mozambique to sell on their black market for hard currency. Now this is quite a plan, hey, because this is illegal in Zim – flour is a controlled commodity (so that the government can manipulate its use)! But then what happens? He gets caught somehow – must have not paid someone his dues (tut, tut) – and he gets arrested. He then winds up in jail for a bit and gets hauled into court. Ready to face up to his crimes we think? No such luck! He gets let off – there is supposedly not enough evidence to prosecute.

Not enough evidence? What are we missing?

ZIMRA is auctioning the evidence – the impounded flour – to the public!

Next contender for theft of the year is the case of 600 head of cattle stolen – literally – from Roy Bennett‘s Charleswood Estate. Somehow these 600 cattle resurfaced on Charter Estate (and ARDA farm), overbranded with an ARDA (a parastatal – the Agricultural Rural Development Authority) brand. Then they get discovered, so what happens? Roy Bennett suddenly gets an offer to “purchase” his stolen cattle from him. The great part about this story is that someone’s plan is coming unglued! Roy refuses to accept payment – he wants the law to take its course. This is cattle rustling with the direct involvement of governmental employees! Way to go Roy! We wish you the miracle that you deserve! Hope these theives get what is coming to them, sooner rather than later!

Who’s next? Oh yes! None less than our taker-of-all-he-surveys, the provincial governor of Matabeleland North – obert mpofu! We pause here for a short history break …… Some years ago, at the height of a drought, Bulawayo was in dire straits for water. The City Fathers in their wisdom decided to drill boreholes in the Nyamandhlovu aquifer which lies to the north of Bulawayo, from which they planned to supplement the city’s water supply. Holes were drilled, pumps were donated by the Indian government, they were fitted and tested, but the rains came and the boreholes were mothballed. We now revert to the present – Bulawayo has a serious shortage of water, and where have all the boreholes gone (sing to the tune of “Where have all the flowers gone?”)? They’ve gone to obert, nearly every one! My friend of a friend’s brother tells me that obert has nicked most of the pumps for his ranch. What a public spirited chap!

But probably the winner, the biggest, the best – for sheer bloody-minded greed, racist venom, and wanton destruction, is the current impounding of all and any farming equipment from the few remaining Zimbabwean white commercial farmers. The perpetrators are still yet to be clearly identified, and we may never get to know them – once the sheer folly of the corruption exercise is realised!

They are using (obviously with open approval from the highest levels of government) police and army personal to search for and remove to custody all agricultural equipment, or anything that they think qualifies.

The fact that there are crops about to be planted, and that food is in short supply appears to be of no consequence. The fact that there are crops already in the ground and it is the beginning of the rainy season has also escaped their reasoning. The fact that no due process is being observed, or that valuations have not been done has OBVIOUSLY been taken into consideration. The fact that the shortfalls so created in the food supply will have to be imported with foreign currency has also escaped the thoughts of the perpetrators. The fact that equipment – billions of dollars worth – is being haphazardly removed and placed in “storage” by uncaring and unqualified personnel appears to be of no consequence.

Sophisticated and nationally valuable equipment is being literally “pulled out” and dragged off. It is going to sit and rot while the perpetrators divide – or fight over – the spoils of their debauched “acquisition” exercise. By the time anyone gets to use the equipment – if it is in any condition to be used – it is likely that several agricultural seasons will have passed. The losers will not just be the farmers, but all Zimbabweans, and most of all the poor , the sick, the unemployed and the socially disadvantaged!

There will be no winners here – congratulations zanupf!

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, zanu-pf, mugabe, black market, Roy Bennett, ARDA, obert mpofu, corruption

This entry was posted by Dad on Thursday, November 24th, 2005 at 12:23 pm. You can follow any comments on this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.