In order to pay household bills and buy groceries, it often means using cash as the system of processing cheques cannot keep up with the pace on inflation.

However, each individual is limited to drawing $500 000 a day and this has been in place since last year. Companies, no matter whether they employ 2 people of 2 000 are limited to double that amount. Since this regulation was introduced inflation has divided the real value of this money by about 9 times and therefore it makes life very difficult for ordinary people.

Because cash is so short now, it has had the effect of even reducing the cost of foreign currency in the black market where we all invest our Zimbabwe dollars in forex rather than keep it in the bank where it loses its real value at about 1.5% per day.

Therefore, you will now hear that we are expected to pay a fee for cash and those that can get their hands on such money “on sell” it as a commodity for a percentage fee. I learnt the other day that large volumes of cash are available but one has to pay what effectively is a bribe of 6% at the local bank and there is another 10% for someone in the Reserve Bank. Because of this desperate shortage, ironically, if you pay your bills in cash you obtain your service or product at one price or you now pay extra if you use a cheque or electronic Banking. This is even stated on quotations.

Inflation this month is 8600% annualized (it will, be more now) and we must assume that the amount of money in circulation has to grow at this rate to keep up with demand. The government is throttling the system and it is becoming unsustainable.

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, inflation, hyper-inflation, business, economy

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Factionalism has gripped the ruling party’s Bulawayo Province following revelations that the majority of members are against the fielding of President Robert Mugabe in next year’s presidential election proposed to run simultaneously with local government and parliamentary polls.

Authoritative sources within the party said this week the entire leadership in Bulawayo Province was seriously divided with a few backing Mugabe while the majority were in favour of Vice President Joice Mujuru and former Zanu PF intelligence chief and current Minister of Rural Housing and Amenities Emmerson Mnangagwa.

“There are definitely three factions one led by John Nkomo who supports Mugabe as the party candidate for the presidential election and two others led by Joshua Malinga and Dumiso Dabengwa who are backing Mnangagwa and Mujuru respectively,” said one of the sources, a member of the politburo, the party’s most powerful decision-making body.

Nkomo – the chairman of the ruling party, Speaker of Parliament, a relative of President Mugabe and has presidential ambitions - is believed to be in favour of the 83 year-old Zimbabwean leader as Mugabe appears to have a soft spot for him.

“The ruling party chairman has always featured in all Cabinet reshuffles since independence and had to be persuaded by his PF Zapu colleagues to leave his cabinet post when Zapu was kicked out of the government in the early 1980s following a ‘discovery’ of military weapons cached by the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) in Matabeleland.

ZIPRA was the armed wing of PF Zapu led by former Vice President Joshua Nkomo. It was accused by the Mugabe regime of attempting to topple the government by military force.

The sources further said a few members of the ruling party’s Women’s League and former members of Zanu PF’s armed wing, the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA), were backing Nkomo in supporting President Robert Mugabe’s unpopular move to contest in next year’s presidential election.

“This is just a group of few people who want Mugabe to contest the election. Otherwise they are an unpopular Bulawayo provincial group even if the Zanu PF Central Committee recently endorsed Mugabe as the party’s candidate for next year’s presidential election,” said another source, a member of the party’s central committee.

On the other hand, the sources said former Zapu intelligence supremo, Dumiso Dabengwa, appeared to have an upper hand over other factions as he was believed to be making underground maneuvres together with ex-army commander General Solomon Mujuru to catapult the latter’s wife, Joice, to Zimbabwe’s top most political position.

“Dabengwa has the backing of members of the party’s Youth League in Bulawayo Province, most members of the Women’s League and the current provincial executive committees of the War Veterans Association and the party’s main wing,” said a source close to the veteran politician who is also a top member of the War Veterans Association.

He said: “At the same time, the Dabengwa faction is courting members of the opposition in an effort to make a surprise move towards the presidential election by fielding Vice President Joice Mujuru to fight it out with President Mugabe.

“This will be a coalition movement with members of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and other opposition parties fed up with Mugabe’s iron-first rule. This faction is on a public relations exercise trying to fool Mugabe to appear as if it is on his side while waiting to make a surprise political move towards the 2008 presidential election.”

The sources said Dabengwa, President Mugabe’s most feared remnant of the once-lethal revolutionary PF Zapu, had nothing to lose if he opposed President Mugabe as the ruling elite had sidelined him for a long time.

“He has taken a gamble and once this works out, he might revive his political career. Dabengwa has never been trusted by Mugabe from the time he was the intelligence chief of Zapu,” said one of the sources within the politburo.

The source said as for the Joshua Malinga faction, it appeared to be losing grip of the War Veterans Association and executive committee members of the ruling party in the province following a foiled nationally-crafted palace coup in 2004 affectionately known as the Tsholotsho Declaration.

Most members of this faction attempted to elect Mnangagwa to the post of Vice President of the party and Zimbabwe at the last party Congress when seven out of 10 chairmen of the ruling party’s provincial executives and other top members of the party met in Tsholotsho to block the election of Joice Mujuru.

When the plot was unearthed, they were subsequently fired by the ruling party for attempting to stage a palace coup which could have seen Mnangagwa taking over from the late Vice President Simon Muzenda and Patrick Chinamasa being elected party chairman instead of John Nkomo.

The meeting was designed to get rid of the old Zapu guard like Vice President Joseph Msika, John Nkomo, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, Effort Nkomo and other top party members. This would have led to the gradual political demise of President Mugabe.

“This faction therefore appears to have lost it when they attempted to stage a palace coup and is now seen as docile. Although it is still being supported by former freedom fighters like Jabulani Sibanda and his few followers, it is toothless,” said another source, a war veteran.

The source said: “The leader of this faction (Malinga) is widely seen by most Zanu PF cadres and former members of PF Zapu as a total failure. He was given a chance to run the City of Bulawayo as mayor but did not command a lot of respect among his party colleagues.

“At the same time, he has failed to garner support in any election and as a result he can’t win the hearts of serious politicians. The person (Mnangagwa) that the faction is backing is viewed as having played a key role in the deployment of the Five Brigade which killed over 20 000 civilians in Matabeleland and the Midlands provinces at the height of the civil strife of the 1980s pitting Zanu PF and PF Zapu.”

The North Korean-trained brigade, commonly known as Gukurahundi, was deployed by the government to hunt down so-called dissidents which were allegedly backed by Joshua Nkomo in an attempt to topple the Mugabe administration.

Despite the faction fighting in the Bulawayo Province, it remains to be seen whether the Dabengwa and Malinga factions will have the nerve to field candidates against President Mugabe, widely referred worldwide as Africa’s Hitler.

Their other fear might be the non-alignment of Vice President Msika to any of the factions. Msika is believed to be the king maker in the region after the death of Vice President Joshua Nkomo.

“We don’t fear Mugabe or any person in the ruling party. He (Mugabe) is a human being like all of us … Time will come when he has to be forced to go and we will do it … In 2008, he has to pave way for another president,” said a member of the Malinga faction who is also one of the leaders of the party’s provincial Youth League.

Efforts to contact Dabengwa, Malinga and Nkomo were fruitless.

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, factionalism, zanu-pf, politics, politicians, factions, elections, Mugabe

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If you are unaware of what’s been happening to the women of WOZA, I suggest you swing past their blog and read the recent entries. These are some extracts of the past few horrible days they’ve been enduring.

Reports indicate that one woman had a baby on her back whilst she lay down on the floor and the baby sustained beatings and has a swollen leg. As members reported for medical attention today, some could need hospitilisation, including the baby. (link)

A message was delivered by Law and Order officers that if anyone other than Jenni Williams tried to deliver food they would be beheaded. However all those who delivered food this morning were not harmed. Williams is on a hit list to be eliminated as a dangerous person. (link)

She was shown torture rooms and told in great detail what would happen to her there. They then took her into the bush nearby and questioned her about Jenni Williams and where WOZA gets its money, at the same time, forcing her to watch other people being tortured by plain-clothed officers until 8.30 at night. The police told her to tell WOZA that they “don’t play with people”. When she kept insisting that she could not answer their questions, they decided she could go after being ‘punished’. She was then forced to crawl under an electric fence, causing her clothes to be torn and covered in mud. She then had to run through the bush to find her way back to the main road, where a passer-by found her in torn, filthy clothes and gave her a lift back to Bulawayo. (this was 18 year old Clarah Makoni’s experience)

The WOZA website is here.

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, WOZA, Women of Zimbabwe Arise, gender, assault, torture, violence, action, protest

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Remember Snuki Zakalala, the Managing Director of SABC News and Current Affairs? The guy who has a problem with voices critical of Mugabe and Zanu PF policies..? Snuki Zakalala is the man who implemented an informal policy at the SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) to blacklist several highly credible commentators on the crisis in Zimbabwe, including Archbishop Pius Ncube, Moeletsi Mbeki, Trevor Ncube and Elinor Sisulu. This was an action that would have resulted in South Africans being deprived of full coverage of events in our country.

Well, this same man announced last week that the SABC would be opening a bureau in Zimbabwe. He commented, “We felt that it is important to have a presence here so that we cover the true Zimbabwean story”. Note the inclusion of the word ‘true‘, which in itself implies that the news currently coming out of Zimbabwe is a lie.

I’d agree with him on the point of ‘lies’ if I thought he was talking about the news emerging from state controlled media. But I suspect, he isn’t. The decision to open up a bureau followed a meeting he had with the Zimbabwean Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu.

And Sikhanyiso Ndlovu is the chap who described the police torture and violence towards our civic leaders last month as an “appropriate response” by the police. Do you think this level of brutality can ever be described as appropriate? Or this? Can you see where this is heading?

So the fact that Snuki Zakalala is having chats with Sikhanyiso Ndlovu and using language that implies a certain bias towards some of the news in Zimbabwe tells me that he really thinks that it’s people like US who are the liars and spin doctors of misinformation. And mostly people like the amazing SW Radio Africa.

So consider this: a couple of days ago SW Radio Africa had a screenshot on their website (see image above) of what an employee at the SABC would see if they tried to access the SW Radio Africa website from within the SABC.

And then yesterday they had an article where they’ve been trying to investigate the problem further:

On Monday we talked to Fakir Hassen who works in the IT division and he confirmed that SABC has what he called “control measures” in place that restrict access to pornography, downloading large files and audio streaming. He stressed that it had nothing to do with censuring any radio station. Regarding written stories Hassen said: “There is no problem in accessing a website that is purely word in content, if you will. When it comes to audio downloads etcetera, there are restrictions there.”

But when we asked several employees at SABC, in different departments, to try and access some websites that have audio streaming, they told us the sites opened without a problem and allowed them to read the text. It is when they wanted to open the streaming that they were blocked. Among the sites tested were South Africa’s Radio 702, Radio Veritas, Afrosounds FM and several websites that cover Zimbabwe.

This indicated that there is a different reason for the blocking of our website.

So, factor in Snuki Zikalala’s previous history, his comment on the need for the “true Zimbabwean story”, and now this from SW Radio Africa - I think I can see what’s going on in the run up to the next elections in Zimbabwe and I’m not impressed. This is not good behaviour for a country that supposedly has rights enshrined in bills to protect access to free information and freedom of speech etc. What do you think?

If you want to know more about Snuki Zakalala, read this by Marianne Thamme (who calls him Herr Doktor Snuki Zikalala!), and bloggers Farrel and Someamongus.

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, SABC, Snuki Zakalala, propaganda, news, free speech

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In contrast to the Catholic Church, African Anglican Bishops have issued a pastoral letter which appears to broadly toe the government line. It is totally shameful, but perhaps not surprising given the track record of Nolbert Kunonga, the Anglican Bishop of Harare.

This is a man who has not only accepted a farm from Mugabe (40 pieces of silver aren’t the going currency among the Zanu Pf elite), but he has also used government militia to drive the farmworkers and their families off the farm. And in 2005 he appeared before an ecclesiastical court to face 38 charges arising from scores of complaints [including] … incitement to murder, intimidating critics, ignoring church law, mishandling church funds and bringing militant ZANU PF politics to the pulpit .

A man of God….? A moral authority…? I don’t think so!

This latest via The Guardian:

African Anglican bishops have issued a message to Zimbabweans that was broadly supportive of the government, sharply contrasting with an earlier call from Catholic leaders for President Robert Mugabe to step down.

An Anglican pastoral letter released to coincide with this week’s independence celebrations acknowledged Zimbabwe’s economic crisis “rendered the ordinary Zimbabwean unable to make ends meet.”

The 14 Anglican bishops blamed the worsening plight of poor Zimbabweans largely on Western economic sanctions.

“So-called targeted sanctions aimed at the leadership of the country have affected the poor Zimbabweans who have borne the brunt of sanctions,” the bishops said after a meeting of the central African Episcopal Synod.

I would love to know how targeted sanctions aimed at the leadership affect the poor….? And I wonder if Mugabe will convert from Catholicism?

Update: not to much has more on this story.

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, Nolbert Kunonga, Anglican, Bishop, corruption

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Here’s an excellent article by Alistair Sparks, just brought to my attention by a reader. Alistair Sparks argues that if there is to be any possiblity of free and fair elections in Zimbabwe, Thabo Mbeki needs to do a lot more in response to Mugabe’s campaign of thuggery against the opposition:

Mbeki should act now to stop this travesty. He should tell Mugabe that unless he stops this brutal campaign right now, SADC will have no option but to pronounce the elections as having not been free and fair. And he should spell out the implications of that to Mugabe … that SADC would then not be able to validate his re-election or recognise his new government. It would be an illegitimate regime.

But how, I wonder, can Mbeki ever do a u-turn on ‘quiet diplomacy’ (which as far as I am concerned is political speak for ‘do nothing’) without having to admit it was an absurd position to take all along? Mr Sparks has considered this potentially embarassing situation too and has thoughtfully provided Thabo Mbeki with a set of options:

But my real point is that there is now an active, positive, effective thing Mbeki can do, and that is simply to give Mugabe a warning that a continuation of his campaign of brutalising the opposition will lead to SADC declaring the election invalid. It does not have to be uttered loudly, or even publicly. It can be done in the context of “quiet diplomacy.” It can be conveyed to Mugabe in private … so long as Mbeki says it in a way that Mugabe understands it is meant. What is more, Mbeki can do this without acting in his capacity as president of South Africa. He need not expose himself to an accusation that he is acting on behalf of the West or of white South African business, a retaliation that would be typical of Mugabe. Mbeki can do it on behalf of the SADC, which has mandated him to act on behalf of all 14 of the member states. Moreover the SADC has its own clear criteria for the holding of free and fair elections, and Mugabe must be told to abide by them or face the consequences. And he must be told that now.

I encourage you to read the full article. It was originally published in The Star, but unfortunately is only available there to subscribers, so I give you this link instead to zwnews.

Can I also point out that the SADC criteria for free and fair elections applied during the 2005 elections in Zimbabwe, and virtually every single one of the criteria was stomped on by Mugabe (read our Mauritius Watch series here). And yet South Africa considered the election to be ‘free and fair’. Something to think about.

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, south africa, elections, sadc, Thabo Mbeki, Mugabe, free and fair, quiet diplomacy

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This press release from The Zimbabwe Vigil:

Zimbabwean exiles in the United Kingdom are to observe a Prayer Vigil from 2 - 6 pm on Saturday, 21st April, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London to mark what they say is a holocaust now taking place in their homeland.

The Vigil will be led by two visitors fresh from Zimbabwe, Useni Sibanda and Promise Manceda of the Zimbabwean Christian Alliance (ZCA). The ZCA spearheads the Save Zimbabwe Campaign, the umbrella organisation from which the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, and civic bodies in Zimbabwe are campaigning for change.

The Save Zimbabwe Campaign organised the prayer meeting on 11th March which resulted in the brutal assaults on many opposition activists including Morgan Tsvangirai, President of the MDC. This exploded the situation into international arena.

The Vigil has invited many church groups to be with us on this day which is the closest Saturday to Zimbabwe’s Independence Day, which we marked with demonstrations outside South Africa House, 10 Downing Street and Parliament (see Vigil Diary 18/04/2007, www.zimvigil.co.uk).

“Each time a man or a woman stands up for justice, the heavens sing and the world rejoices.”

Useni and Promise will be addressing the Central London Zimbabwe Forum on Monday, 23rd April at 7.30 pm. Venue: The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum at Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4JX, Nearest tube: Old Street.

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, prayer, protest, london

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[This article was written on Independence Day - 18 April]

Harare: Rangarirai, 42, sits by the fireplace at her Mbare home waiting for porridge in a battered pot to simmer before preparing and serving the first meal of the day to her visibly malnourished eight-year-old child, Violet.

Chipo has been screaming since dawn due to hunger as her last meal last night - corn meal porridge and green vegetables with no cooking oil - was not good enough for her small body frame with a pot belly.

It is about 9.27am on Independence Day and Chipo is among millions of children in Zimbabwe who suffer from malnutrition in a country once considered the breadbasket of Southern Africa.

Within the next hour, security agents will herd her mother and hundreds of other residents in Mbare’s impoverished Matapi Flats and Mpedzanhamo and Magaba marketplaces, to the nearby Rufaro Stadium to ‘celebrate’ Zimbabwe’s independence day.

This has become the norm each year on 18 April, a day when the then militant and respected leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union (Zanu), Robert Mugabe, became the first black Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.

It was on this day when he took an oath promising to serve the people of Zimbabwe diligently.

However, Mbare residents believe that Mugabe who in 1987 became the first executive president after the redrafting of the national constitution to tighten his grip on power and rope in his rival party PF Zapu then led by firebrand politician the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo, was the worst ever thing to happen to Zimbabwe.

“We are starving in a country we liberated in 1980 because of this cruel man who has been the only leader of this Zimbabwe since independence. It is a fallacy to say that we are independent. In fact, we are in a military state as we are forced to attend in large numbers all Zanu PF events so that outsiders may believe that Mugabe is still popular in Zimbabwe,” says Rangarirai before dishing corn meal porridge to her starving child.

Her views are echoed by Pindai of Mbare Flats who adds that independence day has lost its meaning as it has been reduced to a talk show for the ruling elite.

“I think it has lost meaning for me because it is highly politicised by the ruling party,” says Pindai noting that “at the end of the day one does not value its meaning because it is now more of a Zanu PF forum to spit venom against British Prime Minister Tony Blair and United States of America President George Bush.”

“This day has nothing to do with nation building. The ruling elite thinks that it participated in the struggle without the people. The whole idea of independence is to sift who is loyal or not to Zanu PF. It’s like a crime now if one was born before the liberation war,” he says before dashing into his apartment as President Mugabe’s motorcade with heavily armed soldiers snakes into Rufaro Stadium past Magaba Flats.

Fungai and William, both born soon after independence and residents of Mbare’s National Section, also say they will not participate in the independence day celebrations.

“I will not be part of it. It spells terror for people here. We are living in fear as one believes that you will be kidnapped on April 16 and forcibly marched to venues of the celebrations as (Zanu PF) does not have followers anymore. These people are thugs,” says Fungai.

Adds Fungai: “The true sense of independence day has been hijacked by the ruling party. It is for the party’s staunch followers, people forced to attend celebrations at gunpoint and others hunting for a plate of food.”

“To make matters worse, we are now more oppressed under President Mugabe than Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith. Most of the laws passed by Smith are still in force and at the same time Mugabe has enacted others like the Public Order and Security Act to further oppress Zimbabweans. It is a disgrace to have such a leader,” says William.

True to some Mbare residents’ expectations, President Mugabe took center stage at Rufaro Stadium at 12 noon today to launch a vitriolic attack on Blair and Bush saying the two were trying to effect a regime change.

He said the two would never succeed in bringing to power opposition politicians like Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

“That will never ever happen. No. No. No. Tsvangirai is an invention of Blair and Bush. We are a people-driven government … a government of the people by the people for the people,” he ranted.

Little did he know that the majority of Zimbabweans, including Chipo and her mother, living in Mbare high density suburb near the venue of this year’s celebration - Rufaro Stadium - were not happy with his iron-fist rule which has led to massive starvation, daily price hikes and an inflation rate of nearly 2 000 percent, the worst in the world.

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, Independence, Mugabe, poverty, protest

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[This article is being mailed to our subscribers today. Click here to subscribe to the Sokwanele mailing list.]

What is Independence? It is the period that comes after oppression. It is the time when you turn away from fighting for basic liberties to finally living your life in full. It is a time when you get to move across town, send your children to better schools, work with dignity and enjoy being a citizen of your country regardless of your economic status.

Have you got Independence? Have you moved across town? Do your children have qualified teachers who are concentrating on the job of preparing your children for a life style that is better than the one you had? Are you working with dignity? Can you even make it to work? Above all, are you enjoying being a Zimbabwean?

Four million of our people have left this country in the last six years because the fruits of independence have been stolen from them by a ruthless and uncaring regime whose aim all along has been to acquire power.

That regime is led by a man who has tricked Zimbabweans and the rest of Africa for ages.

We began to see his true colours in Matabeleland between 1983 and 1985, but we were too preoccupied with gazing at the fruit of independence as it lay just beyond our reach. We saw another flash of true colours just after the referendum, and still we remained blind to the fact that the kind of fruit he offered was poisoned; now that it is clear that it is anyone who opposes him who is an enemy of the state, we have responded with fleeing the country or silent embarrassment.

It is time to reclaim our independence from this monster of a regime. We have been used, abused for far too long by people who think us too docile to respond. Their arrogance stares us right in the face every day in the newspapers, on the evening news, at rallies and as they swagger around town in their jeeps, mercs and heaven knows what else. We have to defy them now.

From April 19 we need to individually and collectively do the following:

• Stop buying the Herald and Chronicle. We must make sure their propaganda machine grinds to a halt. You have the individual power to do that.
• Serve notice on those companies who advertise in these papers that you will boycott them if they do not stop financing government propaganda. Write hundreds of thousands of anonymous letters to the companies and give them the deadline of 1 May, Africa freedom day, to stop advertising or face a boycott.
• Stop buying from companies who advertise in the Herald. The South African defeated a more powerful system by translating individual pressure in to collective pressure through the rent boycotts for example.
• Do not go to work on the 2nd and 3rd of May. Call in sick. Every one has a tummy ache from time to time.
• Real lives were lost in the war for independence and their sacrifice must not be in vain and was certainly not to put a few fat cats in power so that you watch them in awe as they threw a few scraps from the fruit table to you. We must reclaim our independence now, and we must prepare for both the worst and best case scenarios.
• Prepare for elections and make sure you and your 18 year olds are registered to vote. The regime will do everything it can to make sure they do not vote. Work on your relatives and appeal to them to prepare to come back home to vote when the time comes. You have to start working on them now so they can save up and come home in less than a year’s time.
• Talk to the police, gently, and persuade them within the secrecy of your homes that they are being used by a rogue regime and that you do not want them to face the day of reckoning when it arrives. Tell them you understand what pressure they are under but also remind them that the people know who gleefully and enthusiastically beats people. Make them understand that while they beat up people in an area far away from their homes, some other policemen are beating up their relatives back home.
• Use graffiti and let the youth militia know that you know who they are and advise them to flee the militia or risk facing the justice of the people one day.
• Support those families whose members have been beaten up, tortured or killed.

There is no better opportunity and moment for us to regain our dignity than now.

The day of reckoning will surely come. Kamuzu Banda, Idi Amin, Mobutu Sese Seko; all those evil men were defeated eventually.

We shall overcome! We shall overcome!

[This article is being mailed to our subscribers today. Click here to subscribe to the Sokwanele mailing list.]

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, Independence, non violent action, protest, Independence Day, 18 April

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I have never been a proponent of blaming the business community for what appears to be a determined attempt to force the people of Zimbabwe into starvation, either by price or availability, but I have been deeply moved when considering events observed over the last maybe 10 days.

A 410 gm tin of beans at a local trading market has been pretty steady in the price of the local produce at around $12,500. To beat this price a certain sharp wholesalers was visited and the price of the same product was $22,000. Whilst looking for bread at a place where disputes are likely to break out, the price was pushing $40,000.00. This has got to be a rip off! I will not shop there for anything and such boycotts should be encouraged.

Considerata - The official exchange rate is $250 to the US$. This makes a tin of beans in the extreme equal to US$160. On a recent Chronicle bill board, the headlines stated “Gono speaks on devaluation”. Unfortunately the Chronicle was as usual somewhat partisan and misleading. Basically the good Dr. appeared to say that the parallel market was overstated and a realistic figure was $2,500 to the US.

Wow, the price of a tin of beans has just dropped to US$16.

The British pound is currently and correctly traded as being equal to US$2, so our tin of beans in the first instant is equal to £80. People in the Diaspora will be knowledgeable in the fact that a fair - if not a slightly high price of a tin of beans in the UK, is 25P. Our one tin of beans in Zimbabwe now equates to 320 tins of beans in the UK. But don’t worry, we can reduce that to 32 tins by applying the good Dr’s principle of $2,500 /US$. It still doesn’t seem to equate.

So lets make ourselves feel a little better and have a conservative stab at the parallel market rate for the £. Shall we say $30,000/£1. 40,000 (price of beans) divided by 30,000 (assumed rate) equals £1.33 divided by 0.25 (UK price of beans) equals in round figures 5 tins of beans. Our beans are still five times more expensive. Who’s kidding who?

I am advised that a tin of beans in Botswana costs 2 Pula (not confirmed). There are twelve Pula to the £1. A tin of beans in Botswana costs 0.17p.

The problem is we don’t earn US$s or £s. How many tins of beans do you pay your domestic or workers? How many tins of beans do you earn to pay your domestic or workers? How many beans, not tins, can many Zimbabweans afford?

So what did I do today? I went back to the trading market and bought imported tins of beans from Zambia. It cannot be confirmed but it is believed that the produce is grown by ex-Zimbabweans and the packing is managed by ex-Zimbabweans at the processing plant.

How much? $10,800. Still expensive but almost four times cheaper than our most expensive tin of beans, equal to .36p (30,000/1)

Amounts have been rounded for ease of comparison not exaggeration, and certainly not by way of explaining the bizarreness of the situation.

PS - The shop in dispute today was charging $43,000 plus.

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, inflation, extortion, corrutpion, economy, hyper-inflation

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The Save Zimbabwe prayer rally held yesterday was peaceful:

Opposition speakers withdrew under police orders Saturday from a pro-democracy prayer meeting, which ended without the violence that halted a previous gathering, organizers said.

The Save Zimbabwe Campaign, an alliance of Christian and pro-democracy groups, said key opposition figures showed “solidarity” by attending the vigil without addressing the congregation in the western provincial capital of Bulawayo (read more here)

In addition to yesterday’s meeting, someone sent us this evocative description, and image, from a prayer service held in the Catholic Cathedral in Bulawayo on Thursday evening last week (12 April). It shows that there is nothing passive about prayer in Zimbabwe!

The scheduled prayer service at St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral in Bulawayo, on Thursday 12th April, at 5.30pm went ahead as planned.

It was called for as a follow-up to the Easter Pastoral Letter issued by the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference on Holy Thursday 5 April 2007. The title of that Letter was titled adopted as the theme of the Service - “God Hears the Cry of the Oppressed”.

The Service was supposed to have been led by Rev Ray Motsi. He was not there when the Service started. He eventually arrived about an hour into the service. He had in fact been detained by the authorities in connection with the preparation of another Prayer Service to be held at St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Makakoba (a high density suburb in Bulawayo) on Saturday 14th April, under the banner of the Save Zimbabwe Campaign. Needless to say he was in high spirits!

Also present were Archbishop Pius Ncube of the Catholic Archdiocese of Bulawayo, as well as two visitors from South Africa - Archbishop Buti J. Tlhabane of the Johannesburg Archdiocese (South Africa) and Bishop Kevin Dowling of the Rustenburg Diocese (South Africa). Both are veterans of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.

The Service was addressed by several Ministers and the Bishops, and none of whom minced their words. After lighting the Peace Candle, Archbishop Pius went on to clearly explain that the Service was all about achieving peace in Zimbabwe for all its citizens - peace for the people, and just as important - peace for the authorities.

Rev Motsi followed the theme of the Service, when he said:

“If you cannot afford even to send your child to school, then you are oppressed. If you cannot even afford to put one meal a day on your table, then you are oppressed. If you cannot meet with anyone you wish to meet with and talk to them about what you want to talk to them about, then you are oppressed. If you cannot send your children to the school of your choice, then you are oppressed. If you cannot vote for the party of your choice, be it zanupf or MDC, or Zapu, then you are oppressed.”

That’s just to mention but a few of the parallels that he drew - but that God surely hears the cry of the oppressed!

Archbisop Buti and Bishop Dowling brought messages of support from the people of South Africa, and explained that they had come to see the situation in the country first-hand, so that they could report back to their congregations at home. They related some of thier experiences during demonstrations in the apartheid period. They exorted the congregation to stay strong, to keep working and praying for peace in Zimbabwe and and not to give up, as God was with them.

Bishop Dowling went as far as to address the CIO operatives (who were undoubtedly in the audience), and bade them welcome and a good evening. He asked them to take a message back to their superiors - that the people were not afraid of them, and that they were on the losing side. God was surely on the side of the people - the opressed - and that they should think about getting themselves on the right side and start working for peace!

The addresses were followed by a candlelight procession. Every one of the two to three hundred-strong congregation processed to the sanctuary where the Bishops lit each person’s candle from the peace candle, and then they placed their candles on the Altar. It was a very moving and powerful experience in the dimly lit church, with the Altar ablaze with several hundred candles!

The service was not without its comic moment - when asked what they were doing sending messages on their cellphones, two activists explained that they were pointing out to each other a suspected CIO operative who appeared to be trying to take pictures of the congregation with a cellphone camera!

The procession was followed by testimonies of three brave activists who had been victims of the recent and ongoing abductions (about 600 people so far), beatings and torture in Harare. Archbishop Pius noted that abductions appeared to have started in Bulawayo as well.

The Service ended at about 7.30pm with the congregation all joining in with the unofficial anthem of the opposition - the deeply stirring hymn, Nkosi Sikilel ‘I Afrika (God Bless Africa).

To our knowledge, the Service went off peacefully and without incident.

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, Catholic, prayer, pray, christian, Save Zimbabwe Campaign, Archbishop Pius Ncube, justice, peace, freedom, non-violent action, CIO, Central Intelligence Organisation

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Please circulate this information: This press release received today from the Save Zimbabwe Campaign Rally. The previous Save Zimbabwe prayer rally, held in Harare, resulted in the unlawful arrests and sadistic torture of pro democracy activists and supporters. The days since have seen scores of arrests and torture of civilians, an attempted purge on all pro democracy activists in the country.

The following articles provide background to the last Save Zimbabwe Campaign. Please pray for Zimbabwe every day, and say extra prayers for us this Saturday.

• Zimbabwean pro-democracy activist shot dead by police
• A growing list of human rights violations by Mugabe’s police thugs
• Tsvangirai’s torture described as attempted murder
• Brutality - an email from Kerry Kay
• Torture and violence in Zimbabwe (media extracts) YouTube Video
• Nelson Chamisa attacked by CIO agents at Harare International Airport

Details for Zimbabweans who want to attend the Rally provided in the press release below.

The Save Zimbabwe Campaign Bulawayo Prayer Rally.

“WE don’t want to create a socio-legal order in the country in which people will go to bed after having barricaded their doors and windows because someone from the special police branch will visit them during the night, no we are tired of it that’s why we are in this revolution for as long as it is going to take.” -Dr. Eddison Zvobgo 1974

On Saturday, 14th April 2007, The Save Zimbabwe Campaign will hold a prayer meeting at St Patrick’s Community Church in the suburb of Makokoba in Bulawayo. The prayer rally will commence at 0900hours till 1200hours. Representatives from labour, the church, students unions, political formations and other pro-democracy groups are expected to converge in Bulawayo to pray for the nation currently facing a deep- seated and multi-layered national crisis.

Speakers include, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leaders, Morgan Tsvangirai (President); Arthur Mutambara (President), National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) Chairperson, Dr Lovemore Madhuku; Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) President, Promise Mkwananzi; Christian Alliance Chairperson, Dr Reverend Levy Kadenge; Paul Siwela (ZAPU FP) Archbishop Pius Ncube; the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) among others.

We call upon the people of Zimbabwe to attend this rally which shall shape Zimbabwe’s destiny. The leadership of the Campaign once again reiterates its commitment to the resolution of the Zimbabwean crisis in total defiance of the brutality being perpetrated by the State security agents.

We deplore the use of violence by those that are in power not by peoples’ consent but through coercive means. The State has an obligation to protect the citizenry and to respect the human rights, including the civil and political liberties of the people. We denounce the current attempts by the State-sponsored terror group, Chipangano to abduct the widow of the late Gift Tandare. The Mbare-based terror group descended on the Tandare residence in Glen View in the evening of the 5th of April 2006 and threatened to rape and torture Tandare’s wife.

As the Save Zimbabwe Campaign, we demand to vote in 2008 under a new democratic and people-driven constitution. The elections must be held under regional and international norms governing democratic elections.

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, Save Zimbabwe Campaign, prayer rally, democracy, human rights, prayer, christain

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This transcript of an interview between Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi and Violet Gonda of SW Radio Africa is one of the most amusing things I’ve read in a long time. I received it via my daily zwnews email (click here to sign up to receive zwnews).

Listen to SW Radio Africa live via the web here, and get their podcasts here.

Transcript of an interview with Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi
By Violet Gonda

Violet: Before we start I just wanted to play for our listeners an interview that I did with Kembo Mohadi, Monday evening. I asked him to comment about the attacks that are taking place in Zimbabwe right now and this is what happened.

Minister Kembo Mohadi: Hello.

Violet: Hello, Minister Mohadi?

Minister Kembo Mohadi: Yes.

Violet: Hello Minister, my name is Violet; I’m calling from SW Radio Africa.

Minister Kembo Mohadi: Where?

Violet: From SW Radio Africa.

Minister Kembo Mohadi: What can I do for you Madam?

Violet: Minster I wanted to find out from you or to get a comment from you about the allegations from the MDC that a lot of their activists are getting arrested and tortured in custody. And, as the Home Affairs Minister, I wanted to find out or to get your comment on this.

Minister Kembo Mohadi: No we don’t arrest anybody and torture people here in Zimbabwe . We arrest criminals and even if they are terrorist criminals we don’t torture them. The law takes its own course, if someone has got a case to answer he goes to Court and he is convicted. Those allegations are false.

Violet: But Minister Mohadi these MDC leaders and activists have actually appeared in Court covered in blood. So how can you explain this?

Minister Kembo Mohadi: Ah no, when was that?

Violet: How can you explain this?

Minister Kembo Mohadi: When was that? When was that? When did they appear in Court covered in blood? That is a wrong statement. When was it?

Violet: The MDC…

Minister Kembo Mohadi: did you see them covered in blood?

Violet: Morgan Tsvangirai…

Minister Kembo Mohadi: Did you see them covered in blood?

Violet: MorganTsvangirai appeared on TV.

Minister Kembo Mohadi: Ah no.

Violet: He was seen on TV.

Minister Kembo Mohadi: He was not even covered in blood. That’s a lie. You come to Zimbabwe and witness this for yourself and don’t be talking about things that you don’t know. And we don’t ban people from coming to Zimbabwe . Why do you have to listen to CNN and Sky News and BBC? Come to Zimbabwe and see for yourself and report correctly.

Violet: But Minister Mohadi you know that…. (Sound of the phone line going dead).

Violet: Hello? Hello? And we lost connection with the Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi, but I called him back and this is what happened.

Violet: Minister we must have got cut off?

Minister Kembo Mohadi: Yes, I said come to Zimbabwe and report correctly man! We are bombed by the MDC, they are involved in terrorist activities and you don’t report about that! We’ve got a lot of them in custody, we’ve got a lot of them that are going on trial and have been remanded by our Courts. And they are possessing arms of war and you don’t report about that. I say come to Zimbabwe and see for yourself man! We don’t ban you from coming. You come to Zimbabwe you can see it for yourself other than to report from hearsay. I don’t want to be talking to people that get these things from hearsay.

Violet: But that’s why I’m talking to you direct so that we can hear it from you.

Minister Kembo Mohadi: No, no, no, you are talking to me directly over the phone. Come to Zimbabwe and report correctly!

Violet: But you know that SW Radio Africa is banned in Zimbabwe?

Minister Kembo Mohadi: What ban? You come to me, I’m the Minister of Home Affairs and say you want to come and report then you, you, you will cover the story that you want, other than talking. I don’t want to be talking to you about rumours please; please can you please leave it alone.

Violet: But that’s why I’m talking to you.

Minister Kembo Mohadi: No, no, no, can you please leave me alone. There’s nothing like that. I’ve told you that everything is false so what else do you want?

Violet: You have said that journalists can come to Zimbabwe , but how many journalists have been arrested?

Minister Kembo Mohadi: Yeah why don’t you come to Zimbabwe if you, you know who has been arrested?

Violet: Wasn’t there a journalist Gift Phiri, an independent journalist who was arrested last week?

Minister Kembo Mohadi: Who is that? Who has been arrested?

Violet: Gift Phiri is a journalist that’s actually at the Avenues Clinic right now.

Minister Kembo Mohadi: Ya but you come to Zimbabwe.

Violet: Receiving treatment after he was brutalised by the police.

Minister Kembo Mohadi: No you’ve got to, if you come to Zimbabwe you’ve got to register, you’ve got to report that you are a journalist, you are accredited. Don’t just come and report when you are not accredited. Whether you are a freelance or what you get accredited man. We are a sovereign country here. You can’t just come and do things as if you are on a picnic.

Violet: So are you saying…?

Minister Kembo Mohadi: We must know what; we must know that you are in Zimbabwe and that you are reporting for that and that paper.

Violet: Minister Mohadi: there are several journalists who…

Minister Kembo Mohadi: Rumour spreader, why do you, why, why ….

Violet: There are several journalists who have been assaulted.

Minister Kembo Mohadi: Now there is no journalist that is in jail here in Zimbabwe, can you come tomorrow, fly tomorrow and then phone me, phone me on Wednesday because tomorrow I’m in Cabinet and fly in and come and identify a journalist that is in prison here or that is…

Violet: Gift Phiri is one journalist.

Minister Kembo Mohadi: Ya you come and show me. There is no one of that sort, that is…

Violet: He was released just a few days ago.

Minister Kembo Mohadi: No, no, that’s not true, that’s not true, that’s not true. That’s not true.

Violet: So what is the truth?

Minster Kembo Mohadi: No, there is nothing. I’m saying that’s all false, we don’t…

Violet: What about Edward Chikomba the ZBC cameraman who was murdered last week?

Minister Kembo Mohadi: He was murdered by who? Was he murdered by the police?

Violet: But is your government investigating to find out who…

Minister Kembo Mohadi: Was he murdered by the police?

Violet: He was abducted in the same way that several opposition activists have been abducted.

Minister Kembo Mohadi: Was he… Abducted by who? By who?

Violet: By members of the state security agency.

Minister Kembo Mohadi: Abducted by who? Who? Oh no, can you tell me that? Can you come and…

Violet: So is your government going to investigate to find…

Minister Kembo Mohadi: No come and look, ah please can you, if you don’t want to talk to me stop giving me false accusations, ah please OK?

Violet: Minister do you understand that…

Minister Kembo Mohadi: No, no, no I don’t want to talk to you.

Violet: Minister do you understand that Zimbabweans are frustrated with their daily struggles right now?

Minister Kembo Mohadi: Hey! Hey Hey Hey! Shut up!

Sound of the phone line going dead

Violet: But as a Minister, how can you even say that?

Sound of the phone line going dead again

Violet: And the Minister hung up again and when I tried to call him he would not pick up his phone.

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, free speech, propaganda, Kembo Mohadi, Home Affairs, human rights

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This Pastoral Letter by the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference was formally released yesterday evening, Holy Thursday Mass yesterday evening, in every Catholic Church in Zimbabwe.

‘God Hears The Cry Of The Oppressed’

Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference (Harare) DOCUMENT March 30, 2007

Pastoral Letter by the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference on the Current Crisis of Our Country Holy Thursday, 5 April 2007

As your Shepherds we have reflected on our national situation and, in the light of the Word of God and Christian Social Teaching, have discerned what we now share with you, in the hope of offering guidance, light and hope in these difficult times.

The Crisis
The people of Zimbabwe are suffering. More and more people are getting angry, even from among those who had seemed to be doing reasonably well under the circumstances. The reasons for the anger are many, among them, bad governance and corruption. A tiny minority of the people have become very rich overnight, while the majority are languishing in poverty, creating a huge gap between the rich and the poor. Our Country is in deep crisis. A crisis is an unstable situation of extreme danger and difficulty. Yet, it can also be turned into a moment of grace and of a new beginning, if those responsible for causing the crisis repent, heed the cry of the people and foster a change of heart and mind especially during the imminent Easter Season, so our Nation can rise to new life with the Risen Lord.

In Zimbabwe today, there are Christians on all sides of the conflict; and there are many Christians sitting on the fence. Active members of our Parish and Pastoral Councils are prominent officials at all levels of the ruling party. Equally distinguished and committed office-bearers of the opposition parties actively support church activities in every parish and diocese. They all profess their loyalty to the same Church. They are all baptised, sit and pray and sing together in the same church, take part in the same celebration of the Eucharist and partake of the same Body and Blood of Christ. While the next day, outside the church, a few steps away, Christian State Agents, policemen and soldiers assault and beat peaceful, unarmed demonstrators and torture detainees. This is the unacceptable reality on the ground, which shows much disrespect for human life and falls far below the dignity of both the perpetrator and the victim.

In our prayer and reflection during this Lent, we have tried to understand the reasons why this is so. We have concluded that the crisis of our Country is, in essence, a crisis of governance and a crisis of leadership apart from being a spiritual and moral crisis.

A Crisis of Governance
The national health system has all but disintegrated as a result of prolonged industrial action by medical professionals, lack of drugs, essential equipment in disrepair and several other factors.

In the educational sector, high tuition fees and levies, the lack of teaching and learning resources, and the absence of teachers have brought activities in many public schools and institutions of higher education to a standstill. The number of students forced to terminate their education is increasing every month. At the same time, Government interference with the provision of education by private schools has created unnecessary tension and conflict.

Public services in Zimbabwe’s towns and cities have crumbled. Roads, street lighting, water and sewer reticulation are in a state of severe disrepair to the point of constituting an acute threat to public health and safety, while the collection of garbage has come to a complete standstill in many places. Unabated political interference with the work of democratically elected Councils is one of the chief causes of this breakdown.

The erosion of the public transport system has negatively affected every aspect of our Country’s economy and social life. Horrific accidents claim the lives of dozens of citizens each month.

Almost two years after the Operation Murambatsvina, thousands of victims are still without a home. That inexcusable injustice has not been forgotten.

Following a radical land reform programme seven years ago, many people are today going to bed hungry and wake up to a day without work. Hundreds of companies were forced to close. Over 80 per cent of the people of Zimbabwe are without employment. Scores risk their lives week after week in search of work in neighbouring countries.

Inflation has soared to over 1,600 per cent, and continues to rise, daily. It is the highest in the world and has made the life of ordinary Zimbabweans unbearable, regardless of their political preferences. We are all concerned for the turnaround of our economy but this will remain a dream unless corruption is dealt with severely irrespective of a person’s political or social status or connections.

The list of justified grievances is long and could go on for many pages. The suffering people of Zimbabwe are groaning in agony: “Watchman, how much longer the night”? (Is 21:11).

A Crisis of Moral Leadership
The crisis of our Country is, secondly, a crisis of leadership. The burden of that crisis is borne by all Zimbabweans, but especially the young who grow up in search of role models. The youth are influenced and formed as much by what they see their elders doing as by what they hear and learn at school or from their peers. If our young people see their leaders habitually engaging in acts and words which are hateful, disrespectful, racist, corrupt, lawless, unjust, greedy, dishonest and violent in order to cling to the privileges of power and wealth, it is highly likely that many of them will behave in exactly the same manner. The consequences of such overtly corrupt leadership as we are witnessing in Zimbabwe today will be with us for many years, perhaps decades, to come. Evil habits and attitudes take much longer to rehabilitate than to acquire. Being elected to a position of leadership should not be misconstrued as a licence to do as one pleases at the expense of the will and trust of the electorate.

A Spiritual and Moral Crisis
Our crisis is not only political and economic but first and foremost a spiritual and moral crisis. As the young independent nation struggles to find its common national spirit, the people of Zimbabwe are reacting against the “structures of sin” in our society. Pope John Paul II says that the “structures of sin” are “rooted in personal sin, and thus always linked to the concrete acts of individuals who introduce these structures, consolidate them and make them difficult to remove. And thus they grow stronger, spread, and become the source of other sins, and so influence people’s behaviour.” [1] The Holy Father stresses that in order to understand the reality that confronts us, we must “give a name to the root of the evils which afflict us.” [2]. That is what we have done in this Pastoral Letter.

The Roots of the Crisis
The present crisis in our Country has its roots deep in colonial society. Despite the rhetoric of a glorious socialist revolution brought about by the armed struggle, the colonial structures and institutions of pre-independent Zimbabwe continue to persist in our society. None of the unjust and oppressive security laws of the Rhodesian State have been repealed; in fact, they have been reinforced by even more repressive legislation, the Public Order and Security Act and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, in particular. It almost appears as though someone sat down with the Declaration of Human Rights and deliberately scrubbed out each in turn.

Why was this done? Because soon after Independence, the power and wealth of the tiny white Rhodesian elite was appropriated by an equally exclusive black elite, some of whom have governed the country for the past 27 years through political patronage. Black Zimbabweans today fight for the same basic rights they fought for during the liberation struggle. It is the same conflict between those who possess power and wealth in abundance, and those who do not; between those who are determined to maintain their privileges of power and wealth at any cost, even at the cost of bloodshed, and those who demand their democratic rights and a share in the fruits of independence; between those who continue to benefit from the present system of inequality and injustice, because it favours them and enables them to maintain an exceptionally high standard of living, and those who go to bed hungry at night and wake up in the morning to another day without work and without income; between those who only know the language of violence and intimidation, and those who feel they have nothing more to lose because their Constitutional rights have been abrogated and their votes rigged. Many people in Zimbabwe are angry, and their anger is now erupting into open revolt in one township after another.

The confrontation in our Country has now reached a flashpoint. As the suffering population becomes more insistent, generating more and more pressure through boycotts, strikes, demonstrations and uprisings, the State responds with ever harsher oppression through arrests, detentions, banning orders, beatings and torture. In our judgement, the situation is extremely volatile. In order to avoid further bloodshed and avert a mass uprising the nation needs a new people-driven Constitution that will guide a democratic leadership chosen in free and fair elections that will offer a chance for economic recovery under genuinely new policies.

Our Message of Hope: God is always on the Side of the Oppressed
The Bible has much to say about situations of confrontation. The conflict between the oppressor and the oppressed is a central theme throughout the Old and New Testaments.[3]

Biblical scholars have discovered that there are no less than twenty different root words in Hebrew to describe oppression. One example is the Creed of the chosen people, which we read on the First Sunday of Lent: “My Father was a homeless Aramaean. He went down to Egypt to find refuge there, few in numbers; but there he became a nation, great, mighty and strong. The Egyptians ill-treated us, they gave us no peace and inflicted harsh slavery on us. But we called on the Lord, the God of our fathers. The Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, our toil and our oppression; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with mighty hand and outstretched arm, with great terror, and with signs and wonders . … ” (Deut 26:5b-8).

The Bible describes oppression in concrete and vivid terms: Oppression is the experience of being crushed, degraded, humiliated, exploited, impoverished, defrauded, deceived and enslaved. And the oppressors are described as cruel, ruthless, arrogant, greedy, violent and tyrannical; they are called ‘the enemy’. Such words could only have been used by people who in their own lives and history had an immediate and personal experience of being oppressed. To them Yahweh revealed himself as the God of compassion who hears the cry of the oppressed and who liberates them from their oppressors. The God of the Bible is always on the side of the oppressed. He does not reconcile Moses and Pharaoh, or the Hebrew slaves with their Egyptian oppressors. Oppression is sin and cannot be compromised with. It must be overcome. God takes sides with the oppressed. As we read in Psalm 103:6: “God who does what is right, is always on the side of the oppressed”. [4]

When confronted with the politically powerful, Jesus speaks the language of the boldest among Israel’s prophets. He calls Herod ‘that fox’ (Lk13:32) and courageously exposes the greed for money, power and adulation of the political elite. And he warns his disciples never to do likewise: “Among the gentiles it is the kings who lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are given the title Benefactor. With you this must not happen. No, the greatest among you must behave as if he were the youngest, the leader as if he were the one who serves” (Lk 22:25-27). And he warns Pilate in no uncertain terms that he will be held to account by God for his use of power over life and death (John 19:11).

Throughout the history of the Church, persecuted Christians have remembered, prayed and sung the prophetic words of Mary: “[The Lord] has used the power of his arm, he has routed the arrogant of heart. He has pulled down princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly. He has filled the starving with good things, sent the rich away empty” (Lk1:50-53).

Generations of Zimbabweans, too, throughout their own long history of oppression and their struggle for liberation, have remembered, prayed and sung these texts from the Old and New Testaments and found strength, courage and perseverance in their faith that Jesus is on their side. That is the message of hope we want to convey in this Pastoral Letter: God is on your side. He always hears the cry of the poor and oppressed and saves them.

Conclusion
We conclude our Pastoral Letter by affirming with a clear and unambiguous Yes our support of morally legitimate political authority. At the same time we say an equally clear and unambiguous No to power through violence, oppression and intimidation. We call on those who are responsible for the current crisis in our Country to repent and listen to the cry of their citizens. To the people of Zimbabwe we appeal for peace and restraint when expressing their justified grievances and demonstrating for their human rights.

Words call for concrete action, for symbols and gestures which keep our hope alive. We therefore invite all the faithful to a Day of Prayer and Fasting for Zimbabwe, on Saturday, 14 April 2007. This will be followed by a Prayer Service for Zimbabwe, on Friday, every week, in all parishes of our Country. As for the details, each Diocese will make known its own arrangements.

May the Peace and Hope of the Risen Lord be with you always. Happy Easter.

Prayer For Our Country
God Our Father, You have given all peoples one common origin, And your will is to gather them as one family in yourself. Give compassion to our leaders, integrity to our citizens, and repentance to us all. Fill the hearts of all women and men with your love And the desire to ensure justice for all their brothers and sisters By sharing the good things you give us May we ensure justice and equality for every human being, An end to all division, and a human society built on love, Lasting prosperity and peace for all.We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be to the Father …

+Robert C. Ndlovu, Archbishop of Harare (ZCBC President)
+Pius Alec M. Ncube, Archbishop of Bulawayo
+Alexio Churu Muchabaiwa, Bishop of Mutare (ZCBC Secretary/Treasurer)
+Michael D. Bhasera, Bishop of Masvingo
+Angel Floro, Bishop of Gokwe (ZCBC Vice President)
+Martin Munyanyi, Bishop of Gweru
+Dieter B. Scholz SJ, Bishop of Chinhoyi
+Albert Serrano, Bishop of Hwange
+Patrick M. Mutume, Auxiliary Bishop of Mutare

References:
[1]John Paul II (1987), Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, paragraph 36
[2]Ibid
[3] The Kairos Document (1985), Challenge to the Church, A Theological Comment on the Political Crisis in South Africa, p 19 f
[4] The Kairos Document (1985), Challenge to the Church, A Theological Comment on the Political Crisis in South Africa, p 20 Forward Ever (by any means necessary)! Karen C. Aboiralor

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, Catholic Church, Catholic, Christian, theology, prayer, Easter, Bible, God, prayer, peace, justice

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This amazing image comes from a solidarity march held in Johannesburg yesterday. It was taken by Kameela who blogs at Kameelawrites and contributes to Black Looks. Kameela has written an account of her experiences during the rally at both of those links, so please go over there to read all about it.

Thank you Kameela for sending us these amazing images! We’re going to turn them into solidarity ecards and we hope that your pictures will be picked up and mailed to Zimbabweans everywhere, and spread some of the joy and determination so evident in them.

Thank you!

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, solidarity, johannesburg, south africa, quiet diplomacy

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