A diet of intimidation
It’s 10.00 am on a beautiful, sunny morning here in Bulawayo, and I am working contentedly in my office when suddenly a thunderous noise is heard overhead. A plane flying over, but it is far too low for an ordinary flight, and no commercial flights over-fly the city at this time anyway. By the time I get across to the window the plane has gone, but I am left wondering.
A few minutes later the same thunderous noise of a low flying jet but this time it is approaching from the other side of the building (travelling from south to north). But as I get to my office window I see it disappearing to the north of the city. What dangerous nonsense is this? The pilot should be grounded for such crazy antics.
I have barely sat down again when, unbelievably, I hear the jet approaching again from a north-easterly direction. This time I am by the window in a flash and I have a full view of the plane as it roars past at low altitude. I am no aviation expert but I can guess easily enough what I am looking at. This is one of the six new K-8 trainer jets recently purchased by Mugabe (with God knows what money) from China. These are the military aircraft intended to replace the old fleet of British Hawk fighter/trainer jets for which the regime can no longer get spare parts. And the K-8s are not built for air-to-air combat but for ground assault.
God, it makes me angry that the dictator spends millions of dollars of real money to terrorize his own people, when half the population is close to starvation. I am fuming with indignation when, a few minutes later, the jet thunders by again, travelling north. Does the dictator really think he will cower us all into submission? Fighter jets or no fighter jets, we will bring him to justice one day!
