- Dear Family and Friends,
-
- The school holidays have started in Zimbabwe and there
was an almost audible nationwide sigh of relief. It's been a chaotic three
months of school for parents when every day we've struggled to find
bread to put in the lunch box, battled to afford the most basic of stationery
let alone replacement items of uniforms or school shoes. Talking
to other mums on the last day of term it was tragic to have
to say final good-byes to yet more black and white families who
are emigrating because they simply cannot afford to support their families
and educate their children here. Some are going to the UK, others to Botswana
and South Africa and some to Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Living
with shortages of basic foodstuffs and surviving a 220% inflation rate
is a nightmare. Things that we always took for granted are either not
available or have become luxury items and it gets harder and harder to
keep our children healthy, let alone provide them with occasional treats.
The stress of living like this, day after day wears you down so much that
in the end it's easier to just leave. The skills drain from the country
is now very noticeable and has affected every aspect of our lives - from
teachers, doctors, vets and lawyers to engineers, electricians and plumbers.
-
- For me the biggest relief of the end of the school term
was finding the petrol to actually get Richard there every day. Fuel shortages
throughout the country have bought us almost to a standstill. Yesterday,
with my car running on the smell of an oil rag, I joined a massive petrol
queue in Marondera town. It's the first time there's been a queue for over
two weeks and people are getting pretty desperate. I don't know how far
back I was in the line but I couldn't even see the petrol station and guessed
at about 50 cars ahead of me. Usually I find things to amuse myself with
in the queue but after 4 hours I'd written my newspaper column, read two
magazines from cover to cover and got hotter and hotter until sweat dripped
out of every pore. It wasn't the usual friendly queue either because when
people get desperate the law of the jungle takes over. At least ten vehicles
pushed into the queue during my four and a half hour wait. You feel like
a helpless pawn when a car just pulls up alongside you , blocks your path
and then pushes in. It doesn't matter how close you get to the car in front
- these queue jumpers are professionals, they get a man to stand in
front of you and short of physically running him over you have to sit and
watch as a car pushes in front of you. There were a lot of angry voices
and one exchange which almost ended in physical violence but it seems if
you use the name of the ruling political party you can get away with
anything in Zimbabwe. I never did reach the front of the queue, the petrol
ran out and I got home hot, exhausted and extremely depressed just
before dark.
-
- Like the rest of the world we've been watching the Iraq
war and cannot help but compare the situation there with that
in Zimbabwe. When a political party infiltrates every single aspect of society,
ordinary people become completely and utterly helpless. The government,
either directly through their Ministers and officials, or indirectly through
their secret police, war veterans, youth brigades or security personnel
control almost everything in Zimbabwe. They control the telephones and
television, the railways and airport, the food supply and it's distribution,
the electricity and water, the fuel and gas. They now occupy and control
almost all of the land, nature reserves and conservancies. Anyone who gets
in their way is simply stamped on and the Minister of Information just
goes on and on peddling his propaganda. Seeing TV images of underground
cells and torture chambers in Baghdad and hearing people tell of their
relatives who were tortured, disappeared or died in the bowels of these
state institutions is chillingly familiar. Of particular interest to us
here is what happened to all those Iraqi Ministers and state agents and
supporters when they finally realised their time was up. Where did they
run to, where are they hiding, will they ever be made to answer for their
crimes against their own brothers and sisters. Or will they be given
sanctuary in other countries like Mengistu is in Zimbabwe or Idi Amin
- wherever he is?
-
- Zimbabwe hasn't got oil or any other vital natural wealth
so we don't expect anyone to come roaring in to help us but still we cry
out for help - what else can we do.
-
- Until next week,
-
- with love, cathy.
-
-
- Copyright cathy buckle 12th April 2003. <http://africantears.netfirms.com>http://africantears.netfirms.com
- "African Tears" and "Beyond Tears"
are available from <http://www.exclusivebooks.com>www.exclusivebooks.com
and <http://www.kalahari.net>www.kalahari.net.
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