- Dear Family and Friends,
-
- The phone starts ringing early in the morning in Zimbabwean
homes these days and always the calls are filled with questions. Do you
know if there's any petrol? How long is the queue for bread? Any chance
of sugar today? Have you heard of anyone that might be getting a maize
delivery? The search for food has become a nightmare and everyone is now
affected. Every day the list of things we can no longer get is increasing
and now includes maize, sugar, oil, salt, local biscuits, potatoes, flour,
bread, maize, petrol and diesel. The food that we can buy in the shops
goes up in price every week now, sometimes even every day. People talk
of minibus fares being one hundred dollars in the morning and a hundred
and fifty dollars in the evening for the same distance because the driver
has had to buy petrol on the black market.
-
- In Marondera all week there have been massive queues
outside every supermarket, grocery shop and kiosk. Everyone is desperate
to buy bread and the lines start shortly after dawn and long before the
shops open their doors. By as early as 8.00am the queue is 2, 3 and 400
people strong but most go away empty handed. Zimbabwe has run out of wheat
and maize and almost all the other staple foods that we have always taken
for granted. Few people can afford the rapidly dwindling supplies of protein
and carbohydrate foods that are still on the shelves. Eggs which were Z$350
a tray a year ago now cost Z$1060. Pasta which was $30 a packet last year
now costs over Z$360. 2kgs of potatoes which were Z$80 last year now, if
you can find them, cost $400.
-
- Everywhere you look you see people who are thin, gaunt,
tired and utterly desperate.
- While we all search desperately for something to eat,
the political insanity continues to escalate in Zimbabwe. Over the last
week hundreds of people have been beaten and had their homes and possessions
burned to ashes as countrywide council elections were held and the ruling
party used whatever tactics necessary to secure victory. Roy Bennett, the
Member of Parliament for Chimanimani came across a rural polling station
where great mounds of maize meal were available for voters to buy
at hugely subsidized prices if they put their X against the name of the
Zanu PF candidate. Roy videod the evidence of food for votes and was then
arrested, with his bodyguard and a friend and they were held in police
custody for 2 days.
-
- Roy's bodyguard was severely assaulted and Roy was
slapped around, kicked and told he was a "white pig" who should
"go back to Britain" by members of the CIO. In Harare an 18 year
old boy, Tom Spicer and four of his black friends were arrested. They were
held in police cells on trumped up charges and all beaten on the soles
of their feet and subjected to extreme violence. Tom was handcuffed, blindfolded
and had electrodes attached to his ears where repeated electric shocks
were administered. This is the 11th time Tom Spicer has been arrested.
-
- Food, violence and votes have become a part of daily
life in Zimbabwe. The rain clouds are gathering, the skies are darkening
and nature is waiting to pour life into our land but there is nothing to
plant. There is still no seed maize in the shops and arrests and evictions
of farmers is continuing with another 40 farmers evicted from their land
in Matabeleland this week. The crisis here is rapidly come to a head now
and both tempers and temperatures are rising extremely fast.
-
- Until next week, with love cathy.
-
- <http://africantears.netfirms.com>http://africantears.netfirms.com
- Copyright Cathy Buckle 5th Oct 2002.
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