- Dear family and friends,
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- I hope some of you got my letter last week, and others
that I have sent out recently. Yet again my email has clearly been the
subject of scrutiny by people who have nothing better to do. When I phoned
my server on Monday to ask why my online connection kept getting switched
off whilst downloading, I had the most incredible conversation where the
facts changed rapidly depending on how loudly I banged on the table.
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- First they told me they had no record of my name on their
data base. As my voice raised, they told me that I didn't have an account
with them and then that I was using the wrong password. When my language
became choice and un-repeatable, they told me someone had changed my
password
and that I should write a letter, on headed paper requesting a new password
- this would take a fortnight to effect. Twenty minutes, many swear words
and a number of threats later I was back on line but an average load of
80 incoming mails a day has dwindled to a dozen so I guess the sunglasses
boys have been busy and will relocate to a more professional server this
week.
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- I sat on the edge of my chair this week to watch the
screening of what was to be a "live, phone in" debate with the
Minister of Information on the Abuja Agreement. According to the state
run media, this programme had been lengthened to an hour and re-scheduled
twice due to "overwhelming response."
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- Well, I guess most people had popped out because for
the first 27 minutes there was not a single phone call and Minister Moyo
went on add nauseum about how all was quiet on the farms, how the police
said no reports were being made and that the Zim government was upholding
its side of the bargain. He peppered his monologue with the usual gobbledy
diplo talk and explained at length the difference between government and
governance; could not bring himself to use the words MDC and instead
refererred
to the official opposition party which has 57 seats in parliament as
"this
party you are talking about". He referred to the leader of the
opposition
party as "that non graduant". Oh dear, how childish that a
government
minister should talk like this and on such a critical subject too. The
programme only ran for 45 minutes and not once did we hear the voice of
a live caller or see a switchboard light flashing so who was fooling
who.
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- Regardless of the repeated and very vocal asurances all
week by a number of government officials that law and orderhad been
restored
on farms and that the police said no reports had been made, all hell has
continued to break loose.
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- * Farming officials say that 900 farms are now completely
unable to work.
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- * In Chinoyi, dogs have been poisioned, fig trees ring
barked and 'war veterans' are forcing farm workers to pay rent to them
in order to be allowed to remain in their farm homes.
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- * In Karoi, Police refused to sign affidavits from a
local clinic stating that farm workers had been beaten by 'war
veterans'.
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- * In Norton, army personnel forced farm workers to beat
out a fire using their bare hands and feet. In Marondera farm workers have
been forced out of their homes.
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- * In Beatrice, army trucks are loading and removing gum
poles from a farm, an Arabian stallion was shot with a bow and arrow and
died.
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- In Somabhula, cattle were driven onto a railway line,
three were mown down by a train and a fourth so badly injured it had to
be destroyed. And so it goes on, and on and on.
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- Police continue to refuse to give report numbers, to
sign affidavits or to attend the scenes of crimes. It seems that as long
as they do not officially acknoweldge the crimes then they are not in fact
occuring, or that is what our government want us to believe. Who is fooling
who?
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- The cancellation of the Brisbane meeting of Commonwealth
leaders again leaves Zimbabwe temporarily un-accountable but I am sure
that outside pressure will continue to mount as we get nearer to
Presidential
elections.
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- This week two incredibly positive things have happened.
The first is that Mr Van Hoogstraten, a well known and very big financial
backer of our government, has been arrested in England and charged with
murder. Mr Van Hoogstraten, although an absentee landlord, owns substantial
farm land in Zimbabwe and has, for many years, been assisting our
government.
I would think his support will be sorely missed by our leaders.
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- The second piece of encouraging news is that the first
travel ban has been imposed on a senior Zimbabwe government official.
Intending
to travel to the USA for a conference, the Permanent Secretary for Mines
was denied entry. The letter said: "Due to the Administrations serious
concerns about recent events in Zimbabwe, it would be inappropriate at
this time to support his travel...." So, perhaps we are not as alone
as it seems and the terror in Zimbabwe has not gone un-noticed or been
excluded from President Bush's world campaign to stamp it out.
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- The prices of all goods continues to go up in the shops
and this week the Independent newspaper carries a front page story on how
"war veterans" are demanding an increase in their monthly
pensions.
They want their monthly handout increased by 300% and are also demanding
that they be given Title Deeds for the farms they have invaded and seed
maize and fertilizer, too. They have given the President until December
to address their concerns.
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- This does, however, raise a very interesting point -
that of Title Deeds and future land ownership. If 35 families are resettled
on a seized farm - who gets to hold the Title Deeds? Undoubtedly it will
be the same as it is now in communal lands across Zimbabwe. No one holds
the Title Deeds, borrowing cannot therefore be effected, improvements
remain
minimal or non existent as only a fool would pour money into land which
he does not own. The whole fiasco of land re-distribution cannot work in
this way and the sooner people realise that this is about politics and
not race or land, the sooner it will be over.
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- I leave you with this little snippet of useless
information
which illustrates the complete disintegration of all Zimbabwe's systems.
On an emergency dash to our Marondera hospital last night, only 8 street
lights were working on the 4.1km route through the town. Until next week,
sorry if I haven't answered your letters. As all our politicians in
Zimbabwe
say: Sorry for that, I am not the one! Blame my server and the sunglasses
boys!
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- Love,
cathy
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