Sanitary towels to be ‘quality tested’ … what fools!
Just when I think I’ve heard it all about this utterly ludicrous government, this comes along (via the BBC):
Zimbabwe’s government says sanitary towels donated during an international appeal must be quality tested before any duty exemption will be considered.
At the moment Zimbabwean women are forced to use newspaper and toilet paper; those in the rural areas are apparently resorting to leaves and tree bark! And apparently this is leading to infections and illnesses. Has the good zimbabwean government done its duty to Zimbabwean women and quality tested all the newspaper, toilet paper, leaves and bark in the country ..? Of course not! They don’t care about women and the indignity they are having to endure. Wow, this makes me angry!
The truth is that the government cannot stand the idea of anyone other than themselves (in this case, the South African unions who organised the appeal and the good South African businesses who donated the sanitary towels) to be seen to be doing the right thing. Here’s the important point in the statement:
Mr Matonga said the organisation should apply to the health ministry for duty exemption and a quality-control test, after this the sanitary ware could be distributed by the ministry.
So in other words, give us the fruits of your efforts and we’ll take all the credit. It’s an admission of failure when someone else has to step in and sort things out, and the government can’t stand to admit they have failed. Well, its too late! Women becoming ill because they can’t afford sanitary ware is also proof of failure!
I hope the South African’s don’t fall for that one because we all know what happens when free goods fall into the control of zanu pf - some corrupt minister will sell them on the black market at an inflated price and net himself a tidy profit.
And Zimbabwean women will continue to endure the indignity of newspaper and leaves.
March 22nd, 2006 03:00
You might be interested to view the Comment I received on my blog on this post:
March 22nd, 2006 12:52
Thanks for letting us know - shocking! Hope has left a reply. Anyone interested in tracking the conversation please follow the link that Owukari has provided in her comment above.
March 16th, 2006 13:44
[...] This is Zimbabwe reports on the governments decision to “quality test” sanitary towels” that have been donated during an international appeal….”At the moment Zimbabwean women are forced to use newspaper and toilet paper; those in the rural areas are apparently resorting to leaves and tree bark! And apparently this is leading to infections and illnesses.” [...]
March 16th, 2006 13:53
Women left with newspapers
Zimbabwe’s government is reaching the limits of absurdity - This is Zimbabwe reports that sanitary towels that were donated during an international appeal are to be quality tested before exempting them from import duty. Meanwhile the women of Zimbabwe…
May 15th, 2006 09:35
[...] !!“One of our bloggers wrote a little while ago about the Zimbabwean government’s crass approach towards the crisis that Zimbabwean women are facing in terms of shortages of sanitary products in the country. This isn’t simply a story about shortages of yet another type of product. Shortages of sanitary ware go to the heart of women’s rights: it’s an issue which raises questions of whether a woman is forced to stay away from work or school; whether she is putting her health at risk by picking up infections or, if she is HIV positive, whether those infections will literally shorten her life span. In short, a lack of affordable hygienic sanitary products translates directly into issues of women’s rights as well as women’s dignity.” (read more) ! [...]
May 22nd, 2006 19:50
[...] Zimbabwe’s government is reaching the limits of absurdity - This is Zimbabwe reports that sanitary towels that were donated during an international appeal are to be “quality tested” before exempting them from import duty. Meanwhile the women of Zimbabwe are left with the indignity of having to resort to newspapers and leaves…. At the moment Zimbabwean women are forced to use newspaper and toilet paper; those in the rural areas are apparently resorting to leaves and tree bark! And apparently this is leading to infections and illnesses. Has the good zimbabwean government done its duty to Zimbabwean women and quality tested all the newspaper, toilet paper, leaves and bark in the country ..? Of course not! They don’t care about women and the indignity they are having to endure. Wow, this makes me angry! [...]