- Dear Family and Friends,
-
- Zimbabwe's rainy season is coming to an end and although
85% of the country have had above average rainfall, it's been a difficult
time with some long, dry and very hot stretches and then prolonged periods
of incessant rain. We've had a few very heavy storms, one of which left
streams of water pouring through my ceiling and running down the walls.
Rushing around in the terrific noise of a big storm, trying not to slip
in the puddles which grew and crept across the floor, I spread old newspapers
on the ground to soak up all the water. One of the newspapers, dated October
2001, carried a story with a bold headline which read "Mbeki to act
on Zimbabwe". That was two and a half years ago and this week South
African President Mbeki was still promising that something dramatic was
about to happen in Zimbabwe. Speaking at an election rally in South Africa,
President Mbeki again said that informal talks were going on between Zimbabwe's
two political parties. Mbeki promised that when the leaders of our country
announced what had been agreed at these talks, everyone would be shocked
and that Zimbabwe's problems would be solved much sooner than anyone expects.
-
- Quiet diplomacy, talks about talks and promises of action
have been going on for so long that not many people have taken much hope
from our neighbouring President's electioneering words. As each month passes,
daily life here just becomes harder and harder to bear. No one has enough
money to keep up with the 620% inflation and at the bottom of every bill
are printed the most outrageous statements. The electricity bill this month
says: " Domestic Tariff increase: 140%." Another bill says: "All
charges will go up every three months until further notice." At the
post office the prices just seem to go up unnoticed and a letter to America
which cost two thousand dollars to send last year, now costs fifteen thousand
dollars. Tucked into our purses we all have bank notes that buy nothing
and stamps that are useless. A year ago when you gave a beggar one hundred
dollars you were giving him a meal, now that same one hundred dollar note
does not even buy a single box of matches. People who have got jobs are
struggling to cope and the 7 out of 10 people who are unemployed in Zimbabwe
seem to have given up and they simply sit around, waiting for world food
aid to be dished out every month.
-
- A year ago if you saw a queue it was for bread, sugar,
bank notes or petrol. Now we hear only of queues for world food aid. A
year ago when you asked a farmer what his problems were, he said lawlessness
and drought. Now when you ask a farmer what his problems are, he says lawlessness
and labour. Farmers, old and new, cannot find enough people to work for
them. It is easier to sit under a tree all day knowing you will get world
food aid then to work for a wage which you know will never support you
and your family for the month. Maybe there are informal talks going on
and maybe there is going to be some sort of dramatic solution sooner than
everyone thinks in Zimbabwe but the problems are so vast now that it is
very hard to see the wood from the trees or the maize cobs from the world
food trucks.
-
- Until next week,
-
- with love, cathy.
-
- Copyright cathy buckle 20th March 2004
-
- http://africantears.netfirms.com
-
-
-
- My books on the Zimbabwean crisis, "African Tears"
and "Beyond Tears" are now available outside Africa from: orders@africabookcentre.com
; www.africabookcentre.com ; www.amazon.co.uk ; in Australia and New Zealand:
johnmreed@johnreedbooks.com.au ; Africa: www.kalahari.net www.exclusivebooks.com
|
