We have family coming to visit this Christmas, travelling from South Africa. They’ll be bringing with them gifts for the Christmas feast, as well as a few other much needed essentials like packets of powdered milk, soap, candles, light bulbs, and a good sense of humour.
My cousin arrived a few days ago and commented on how the difference between the two countries is exemplified by the border post experiences on either side of the Limpopo river.

South Africa was reasonably efficient, air conditioned, with smartly clothed officials and it was fairly quick to get through. But it had a dark side: my cousin witnessed a large police vehicle packed to the hilt with people he assumed were Zimbabwean refugees struggling to reach South Africa, rounded up and likely to spend Christmas in a South African detention centre.

My cousin joked that he knew he was in Zim the moment his nose crossed the border; the Zimbabwean border control stinks. He said it smelt like an overflowing sewer, which is probably exactly what it was. The building looked shabby and litter was strewn about the parking lot.
His car was greeted with a group of hustlers all claiming they could get him through very quickly and wanting to help. He declined, but almost changed his mind when he saw the queues snaking outside the builiding.

Inside the stinking building chaos reigned. The ordering system was little more than a few painted lines drawn on the floor to guide the queues. He saw the same hustlers moving among the crowds, whipping papers from weary travellors and boldly jumping the queue to give them to officials for stamps. My cousin hung on to his because we’d warned him to be careful. The hustlers are extremely helpful and effective, but at the end of it all it comes with a hefty price (in forex). If you refuse to pay the figure they quote, they get nasty and aggressive.

After hours of standing in lineless queues, tolerating people being constantly squeezed in ahead of him by the hustlers, my weary cousin finally managed to get his papers stamped and he left without any further hassles from the border. He said there must be some extremely wealthy officials working there, if they earn a bit of forex for each queue-jumping stamp going to a hustler and his ‘client’.

My cousin said there were at least three police road blockswith the first 15 minutes drive from the border post. He was stopped at each one and asked endless questions. He noticed many Zimbabwean cars driving through, and realised his SA number plates were being targeted. This pattern continued through the many other road blocks en route to his destination. At two of the road blocks he was forced to unpack his car on the side of the road and re-pack before he could proceed.

An exhausted cousin arrived and one of his first comments to us was “You guys have got to get out of here”. His story is fairly typical; in fact, we’ve heard far far worse. But there is something about seeing the same old story through someone else’s eyes to realise how far things are slipping in our country.
For now, I’m looking forward to Christmas with family we haven’t seen for a long time, and who have made an effort to see us in our home despite Mugabe’s best efforts to destroy everything precious to us.

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, border post, customs, Limpopo, South Africa, Christmas

Once again this week saw Business hesitating as the much vaunted “week of action” by the Reserve Bank came to nothing. It is now rumoured that the new currency is to be delayed further and the anticipated release of higher denomination notes (bearer cheques) did not materialize.

The shortage of cash is slowly grinding business to a halt and causing immense suffering in the community as, to this day, most retail transactions still take place in this manner.

The shortage of cash has seriously depleted fuel stocks as most of this cross border business emanates from a cash transaction to secure hard currency to fund the purchase in a neighboring country.

The Reserve Bank, is struggling to supply sufficient cash, the volume of which in circulation needs to grow by up to 150% per month just to keep pace with inflation.

The cost of producing cash exceeds its real value and this presents an enormous problem for the Central Bank economists. The shortage of cash has in turn created a shortage of currency which has forced up rates to new highs and the Old Mutual Implied Index now stands at 4.6 million to the US$. This is a good indication of the real value of the ZD$.

There have been new threats of yet other price blitz by the authorities and it is increasingly clear that the price of politics is too great for this fragile economy to sustain any further.

Click here to see all posts in the Business Watch series

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, Business Watch, economy, inflation, currency, hyperinflation, cash supply

Today’s mailing to our subscribers tells the story of Mandla Mpofu (not his real name). He is an eleven year old street kid living rough in Bulawayo. This is an extract of his story of survival:

How does he survive on the streets? By prowling the rubbish bins in the city centre, Mandla replies. And, giving the term “streetwise” a new dimension, the eleven year old explains that he finds “more, better and fresh pickings” in the bins outside the small restaurants than the big takeaways, like Chicken Inn. Of the latter he says, “I can see more customers going to these places, but I don’t know where they put their leftovers. Their bins are always tidy.” Ruefully he suggests that the larger restaurants and hotels deliberately keep their rubbish bins clean and empty in order to discourage street kids like himself, some of whom harass their clients with their constant begging. Lodges in the city centre lock the bins inside their premises for the same reason.

Read the full article on our website here. Subscribe to our mailing list to receive our articles by email.

A friend in the UK directed me to this story and it has really made my day.

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, is the second highest ranking cleric in the Church of England and a fierce critic of Robert Mugabe’s rule and record of human rights abuses. He appeared on a BBC TV programme in the UK this morning, and took off his clerical dog collar, cut it up into small pieces live on air, declaring that he would not wear a dog collar again until Robert Mugabe was out of power.

“As an Anglican this is what I wear to identify myself, that I’m a clergyman.

“Do you know what Mugabe has done? He’s taken people’s identity and literally, if you don’t mind, cut it to pieces. This is what he’s actually done to a lot of – and in the end there’s nothing.

“So, as far as I’m concerned, from now on I’m not going to wear a dog collar until Mugabe is gone.”

It is so refreshing to hear someone simply tell it like it is:

Dr Sentamu hit out at African leaders for not taking a stand against him.

“It is African leaders who seem to say ‘we are backing a revolutionary’. I’m sorry, that is a lot of nonsense. They ought to realise what he has actually done.

“It has become a scourge on the conscience of the whole of world.”

“Why aren’t we, as a world community, uniting against Mugabe?” he asked.

I thank him with all my heart for taking such a public stand.

Technorati Tags: Archbishop Dr John Sentamu, Zimbabwe, protest, action, Mugabe, human rights abuses, Anglican, Church of England, Christian

This banner, laid out directly under the flight path to Lisbon, greeted delegates and the media as they arrived for the EU-Africa summit. Image via press release from Zimbabwe Democracy Now. More information on this and other protests via SW Radio Africa.

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, protest, Lisbon, Portugal, EU-Africa Summit

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe (R) holds hands with Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir during the family photo of the EU-Africa summit in Lisbon December 8, 2007. (via Yahoo! News Photos)

Technorati Tags: Robert Mugabe, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Sudan, Zimbabwe, EU AU Summit, EU-Africa, Lisbon, Portugal

According to the BBC today, Mugabe received a tongue lashing from Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel. He is attending the EU/AU Summit in Lisbon this weekend.

Mrs Merkel has been tasked with expressing the EU’s concerns about the situation in Zimbabwe, where Mr Mugabe is accused of economic mismanagement, failure to curb corruption and contempt for democracy.

“The situation in Zimbabwe concerns us all, in Europe as in Africa,” she said. “We don’t have the right to look away when human rights are trampled on.”

The video on the BBC site – available via this link – contains footage of the Zim Vigil protesters in action.

The Zim Vigil website carries a press release information about a protest that had been planned for today:

Zimbabwean exiles gathered in Lisbon are to display a huge banner on Saturday (8th December) protesting against President Mugabe’s attendance at the EU/AU Summit. The banner reads ‘Mugabe you’d be more welcome in the Hague’ – a reference to the International Criminal Court.

The banner, measuring 100 feet X 30 feet, will be laid out in Centro Comercial Vasco da Gama outside Gare do Oriente. It will be signed by Zimbabwean torture victims and the public will be invited to add their names in solidarity.

SW Radio Africa carries an update on the banner today:

A giant banner has been spread out on a beach under the flight path into Lisbon, telling airline passengers about Robert Mugabe´s crimes against humanity. The ribbon measuring 30 x 10 metres reads, “Mugabe You´d Be More Welcome at The Hague.”

I can’t help wondering if, when Mugabe dozes off during one of the sessions as he tends to do, he may be dreaming wistfully of happier days when he and Grace would visit Europe and shop till they dropped in Harrods. Or maybe he’ll be dreaming of retirement? Or how about nightmares about the Hague…? (Or am I the person wistfully dreaming now?)

Technorati Tags: zimbabe, mugabe, lisbon, portugal, eu/au summit, Angela Merkel

Send this e-card from our website to everyone you can think of.

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, ecard, e-card, protest, action, Lisbon, EU/AU Summit, Portugal