Our congress of MDC which was held over the weekend, came to an end with Tsvangirayi retaining the presidency of the 6 year old party. He used his address to the congress to call on the 15000 strong party faithful to brace themselves for a long season of peaceful demonstrations. Some of the fellow members who attended the congress had to sell goats sacrificing their last millions despite the dire shortages of basic commodities in Zimbabwe.
President Tsvangirayi's call for peaceful demonstrations could not have come at a better time than now. The events in Zimbabwe alone precipitate a revolution. The country is on its death bed with acute shortages of food, fuel and foreign currency, as well as with unemployment of more than 85% and the highest inflation rate in the world at 800%. This alone spells danger for Zanu PF who can surely sense that the time is up. Imagine the spectre that looms ahead if President Tsvangirayi is successful in mobolising ordinary Zimbabweans to Revolution that will herald a new era for Zimbabwe.
It will be hard to rise against this regime, Zanu PF has used all the tactics in a dictatator's handbook to thwart an uprising. There is the issue of CIO infiltration such that any planned demonstrations will be known by the enemy before it has taken place. Even Archbishop Pius Ncube scorned before the MDC congress an idea of a revolution saying one in every three Zimbabweans is a spy. The presence of spies in a party is an issue Tsvangirayi will have to grapple with, like all political parties more so those that fought for independence were fraught with allegations of spying.
No matter how much Tafataona Mahoso the former Mass Media lecturer who now heads the dreaded Media Commission will try and stifle the flow of information in Zimbabwe. Having been able to shut down Daily News, sabotage the broadcast of SW Radio Africa, they are now threatening The Zimbabwean a newspaper owned by Trish Mbanga, published here in UK and flown to Zimbabwe. With the availability of internet and email both at work and in private homes it will be difficult for Tafataona to stop 1465 recipients of this blog from spreading the word that TIME IS UP FOR ZANY PF!
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Friday, March 17, 2006
All Roads Lead To The Real MDC's Congress
Harare's City Sports Centre is a hive of activity as MDC delegates gather for the most anticipated MDC congress. The Pro-Senate faction having already held their own congress in Bulawayo that attracted 3000 delegates and catapulted former students leader Arthur Mutambara to President of the pro-senate faction. This congress will formalise the official split of MDC as delegates will elected to positions which were held by the runaway pro-senate faction. If as analysts point out the faction that attracts a huge following will undoubtedly be poised to lead Zimbabwe against tyrannical government led by Mugabe.
MDC has come a long way its six years since a workers convention agreed to form a political party. We have surely leant our lessons along the way on how to deal with Mugabe. Its only after 5 years that the MDC leadership saw the political merry-go-round that Mugabe has been enganging them for years since he lost the referendum in 2000. Mugabe made MDC's existence very intolerable. People lost their lives, including my very own brother some were maimed for life, families were dispersed just for supporting MDC. When MDC would not go away, trumped up charges, bogus plots to eliminate Mugabe were thrown in to derail the people's movement. Last year Tsvangirayi correctly judged the mood of the country when he said that people were tired of piece-meal type of politics were participation in meaningless elections would never result in removing Mugabe.
I have always felt all along that my party MDC gave the present tyrannical government its legitimacy. I have always argued that after Mugabe rigged the Presidential elections in 2002 that meant any government which he went on to appoint was illegal on the basis that he was not a clear winner therefore lacked the mandate to form a government. Which in turn subsequently meant that any paliamentary elections called there ever after were null and void. Yet the MDC continued to participate in meaningless elections held at the expense of the tax payer with a foregone conclusion that Zanu PF would win. I wondered at some point whether the MDC had been lulled into submission after all the MDC legislators are being paid the present despotic government. It could have been a statement of substance had the newly elected MDC members had boycotted the parliament refused to be paid salaries by Mugabe and demanded fresh Presidential elections. However MDC joined the Zanu PF gravy train and the faction led by Ncube and Mutambara could not live without it hence the split.
I hope that Morgan Tsvangirayi is ready to lead an uprising against this tyrannical government, as he said time is over for piece-meal politics. I also hope that MDC leadership can take leaf out of all revolutionaries world over of actual leading and uprising rather than just make rhetoric statements to grab media headlines. Its time for MDC to walk the talk!
Chinja Maitiro, Maitiro Chinja!
MDC has come a long way its six years since a workers convention agreed to form a political party. We have surely leant our lessons along the way on how to deal with Mugabe. Its only after 5 years that the MDC leadership saw the political merry-go-round that Mugabe has been enganging them for years since he lost the referendum in 2000. Mugabe made MDC's existence very intolerable. People lost their lives, including my very own brother some were maimed for life, families were dispersed just for supporting MDC. When MDC would not go away, trumped up charges, bogus plots to eliminate Mugabe were thrown in to derail the people's movement. Last year Tsvangirayi correctly judged the mood of the country when he said that people were tired of piece-meal type of politics were participation in meaningless elections would never result in removing Mugabe.
I have always felt all along that my party MDC gave the present tyrannical government its legitimacy. I have always argued that after Mugabe rigged the Presidential elections in 2002 that meant any government which he went on to appoint was illegal on the basis that he was not a clear winner therefore lacked the mandate to form a government. Which in turn subsequently meant that any paliamentary elections called there ever after were null and void. Yet the MDC continued to participate in meaningless elections held at the expense of the tax payer with a foregone conclusion that Zanu PF would win. I wondered at some point whether the MDC had been lulled into submission after all the MDC legislators are being paid the present despotic government. It could have been a statement of substance had the newly elected MDC members had boycotted the parliament refused to be paid salaries by Mugabe and demanded fresh Presidential elections. However MDC joined the Zanu PF gravy train and the faction led by Ncube and Mutambara could not live without it hence the split.
I hope that Morgan Tsvangirayi is ready to lead an uprising against this tyrannical government, as he said time is over for piece-meal politics. I also hope that MDC leadership can take leaf out of all revolutionaries world over of actual leading and uprising rather than just make rhetoric statements to grab media headlines. Its time for MDC to walk the talk!
Chinja Maitiro, Maitiro Chinja!
Monday, March 13, 2006
Mugabe's alleged Coup Another Zanu PF Red Herring
The only news from Zimbabwe dominating the global headlines is not of a village in eastern province who are fighting to survive starvation but it is the alleged coup on Mugabe during his birthday celebrations in Mutare. The alleged coup has seen the arrest and charging of Giles Mutseyekwa an MDC MP, MDC youth chairman in Manicaland province Knowledge Nyamhuka, activists Thando Sibanda, Wellington Tsuro, Edwin Chekutya together with two other people.
An sane person except those at Zimbabwe's State Broadcasting Corporation and those loyal to this evil regime will bat an eyelid to these allegations. The alleged coup is another red herring thrown in by this desperate illegal regime on the onslaught of total collapse of Zimbabwe. This alleged coup was engineered to bury the bad news i.e inflation spiraling at 800%, the broken urban infrastructure, the runaway prices of daily goods, the starvation facing nearly 3 million people.
At first they painted it as a neo-colonial plot involving ex-Rhodesians when they arrested Peter Hitschmann, an ex-Rhodesian soldier at the centre of the “arms cache”. They now have changed their story after discovering that Hitschmann is actually a licensed arms dealer and a hunter. Now its was a coup to kill Mugabe on his way to his 82nd birthday celebrations in Mutare. According to Zanu PF script writers "the group agreed to spill oil on Christmas Pass highway when the motorcade would be approaching so that the motorcade would slip and get involved in an accident,"
Everyone knows the real issue in Zimbabwe and that Mugabe's time is up coup or no coup! For those comrades that are being continually harrased by this regime KEEP YOUR HEAD UP, YOUR STRUGGLE IS NOT IN VAIN!
An sane person except those at Zimbabwe's State Broadcasting Corporation and those loyal to this evil regime will bat an eyelid to these allegations. The alleged coup is another red herring thrown in by this desperate illegal regime on the onslaught of total collapse of Zimbabwe. This alleged coup was engineered to bury the bad news i.e inflation spiraling at 800%, the broken urban infrastructure, the runaway prices of daily goods, the starvation facing nearly 3 million people.
At first they painted it as a neo-colonial plot involving ex-Rhodesians when they arrested Peter Hitschmann, an ex-Rhodesian soldier at the centre of the “arms cache”. They now have changed their story after discovering that Hitschmann is actually a licensed arms dealer and a hunter. Now its was a coup to kill Mugabe on his way to his 82nd birthday celebrations in Mutare. According to Zanu PF script writers "the group agreed to spill oil on Christmas Pass highway when the motorcade would be approaching so that the motorcade would slip and get involved in an accident,"
Everyone knows the real issue in Zimbabwe and that Mugabe's time is up coup or no coup! For those comrades that are being continually harrased by this regime KEEP YOUR HEAD UP, YOUR STRUGGLE IS NOT IN VAIN!
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
A Country On Its Death Bed
Cry for Zimbabwe a country which is slowly being killed by Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs. Events in Zimbabwe continue to deteriorate albeit at a faster pace, which only spell death of once a very beautiful country. Take a look at the events as they unfold daiy in Zimbabwe its shocking that nothing positive is ever being reported about my country other than depressing news.
Amongst the hardest hit in Zimbabwe are the 2.5 million that have managed to hold on to their menial jobs despite Zimbabwe's galloping inflation disappearing with their wages. Just before the start of this year I wrote a piece on this blog lamenting how bad a year 2005 had been. I thought this year things can get better but the problem in Zimbabwe has become chronic. Take the latest price increases then you can just begin to see the picture. An average family of three would need ZWD$30 million just to survive while on the other hand the average salary of an ordinary worker in Zimbabwe is ZWD$3 million. Those in rural areas are starving there is no grain, no wheat,no aid is reaching them. Its a really sad state of affairs that Zimbabwe would be reduced to this. Its also been reported that court officials can not perform their duties because their are hungry. Sometimes there is no fuel to transport prisoners from jail to court. In Chitungwiza courts are frequently closed due to shortage of water.
Waterborne disease is the new scourge in Zimbabwe so far it has claimed 28 victims. The urban infrastructure has collapsed due to years of neglect, causing water shortages. Operation Murambatsvina which Mugabe purports was to clear overcrowded urban areas of slums that were exerting an extra weight on the urban infrastructure has failed to solve the problem. Garbage goes uncollected for months, sewage breakdowns are frequent and are ignored as the local council lacks the transport nor the money to repair the problems. If that's not enough imagine a new spectre facing businesses in Zimbabwe and urban dwellers, a 560% increase in energy bills. I think a revolt is in the making any day now that ZESA (Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority) announces the price increase that will be this government's unmaking. The new proposed price increase will come just on the hills of 100% increase just a year ago. ZESA will never be a viable entity as long as Mugabe remains in power, it owes World Bank US$334 million.
The world witnessed the chaotic takeover of commercial farms by Zanu PF thugs in the name of land distribution. Which in turn crippled the agricultural sector of the country's economy which was its bedrock. Brace yourself for another episode of nationalisation which is now targeting the US$20 billion mining sector. On the 6th of March 2006 Mugabe's regime which holds the two thirds majority that allows it to amend the constitution without opposition passed the controversial Mining Amendment act. Its an act that enables it to purchase 25% equity in any mining company at its price that it wishes and grab another 25% without compensation. This is a foolish move which will hamper growth, decrease foreign currency earnings and reduce investor confidence.
Didymus Mutasa has come out threatening to kill opposition members that threaten what he calls national security. Those are not idle threats, this is a government capable and desperate that anyone who opposes this government should take good care more so if they are based at home. I speak with authority on this subject because I lost a brother to the violence that Zanu PF can unleash, I was forcd to flee Zimbabwe because of political persecution. So when I hear these threats by Didymus Mutasa I shudder to think what will happen to those trapped in Zimbabwe.
It took Malawi 30 years to come out of the clutches of Banda, 27 years for Zambia to liberate itself from the yoke of Kaunda. How long will it take for Zimbabwe this is the 26th year?
Amongst the hardest hit in Zimbabwe are the 2.5 million that have managed to hold on to their menial jobs despite Zimbabwe's galloping inflation disappearing with their wages. Just before the start of this year I wrote a piece on this blog lamenting how bad a year 2005 had been. I thought this year things can get better but the problem in Zimbabwe has become chronic. Take the latest price increases then you can just begin to see the picture. An average family of three would need ZWD$30 million just to survive while on the other hand the average salary of an ordinary worker in Zimbabwe is ZWD$3 million. Those in rural areas are starving there is no grain, no wheat,no aid is reaching them. Its a really sad state of affairs that Zimbabwe would be reduced to this. Its also been reported that court officials can not perform their duties because their are hungry. Sometimes there is no fuel to transport prisoners from jail to court. In Chitungwiza courts are frequently closed due to shortage of water.
Waterborne disease is the new scourge in Zimbabwe so far it has claimed 28 victims. The urban infrastructure has collapsed due to years of neglect, causing water shortages. Operation Murambatsvina which Mugabe purports was to clear overcrowded urban areas of slums that were exerting an extra weight on the urban infrastructure has failed to solve the problem. Garbage goes uncollected for months, sewage breakdowns are frequent and are ignored as the local council lacks the transport nor the money to repair the problems. If that's not enough imagine a new spectre facing businesses in Zimbabwe and urban dwellers, a 560% increase in energy bills. I think a revolt is in the making any day now that ZESA (Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority) announces the price increase that will be this government's unmaking. The new proposed price increase will come just on the hills of 100% increase just a year ago. ZESA will never be a viable entity as long as Mugabe remains in power, it owes World Bank US$334 million.
The world witnessed the chaotic takeover of commercial farms by Zanu PF thugs in the name of land distribution. Which in turn crippled the agricultural sector of the country's economy which was its bedrock. Brace yourself for another episode of nationalisation which is now targeting the US$20 billion mining sector. On the 6th of March 2006 Mugabe's regime which holds the two thirds majority that allows it to amend the constitution without opposition passed the controversial Mining Amendment act. Its an act that enables it to purchase 25% equity in any mining company at its price that it wishes and grab another 25% without compensation. This is a foolish move which will hamper growth, decrease foreign currency earnings and reduce investor confidence.
Didymus Mutasa has come out threatening to kill opposition members that threaten what he calls national security. Those are not idle threats, this is a government capable and desperate that anyone who opposes this government should take good care more so if they are based at home. I speak with authority on this subject because I lost a brother to the violence that Zanu PF can unleash, I was forcd to flee Zimbabwe because of political persecution. So when I hear these threats by Didymus Mutasa I shudder to think what will happen to those trapped in Zimbabwe.
It took Malawi 30 years to come out of the clutches of Banda, 27 years for Zambia to liberate itself from the yoke of Kaunda. How long will it take for Zimbabwe this is the 26th year?
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
SA Council of Churches Confirms The Obvious
The South African council of churches met and asked Mbeki to impose sanctions on Mugabe's illegal government to force to adopt political change. They have confirmed what I have always said here on this blog that Mbeki lacks the political will to do what is necessary to bring change in Zimbabwe. My argument has always been the same. Mbeki and Mugabe belong to the same school of political thought. Just as Mugabe did not support Chiluba after beating Kaunda in Zambian elections, Mbeki feels that supporting MDC would give rise to labour unions driven politics. If you look at it, the most powerful partner within the ANC triumvitite its COSATU the largest trade union body in Africa and it wields so much influence. On the other hand COSATU held a protest over the human rights abuse in Zimbabwe at its consulate in Johannesburg.
Its impossible to tell how Mbeki will hold on to his quiet diplomacy as the refugee crisis begins to threaten his decision. Zimbabwe has less than wheat for two weeks, its facing a maize deficit of 1.3 million. Mugabe actual briefed the state police to brass themselves for a barrage of demonstrations and riots over increases in food prices. Recently a refugee NGO based in South Africa admitted that they were already grappling with the refugee crisis in the northern South Africa.
In Zimbabwe the Zanu PF dominated parliament are putting the last touches to the NGO bill. Its aimed at stopping some organisations working in Zimbabwe at what Zanu purports want to overthrow the illegal government.
Its impossible to tell how Mbeki will hold on to his quiet diplomacy as the refugee crisis begins to threaten his decision. Zimbabwe has less than wheat for two weeks, its facing a maize deficit of 1.3 million. Mugabe actual briefed the state police to brass themselves for a barrage of demonstrations and riots over increases in food prices. Recently a refugee NGO based in South Africa admitted that they were already grappling with the refugee crisis in the northern South Africa.
In Zimbabwe the Zanu PF dominated parliament are putting the last touches to the NGO bill. Its aimed at stopping some organisations working in Zimbabwe at what Zanu purports want to overthrow the illegal government.
Monday, March 06, 2006
Nothing Much Has Changed
I have been away for a lengthy period due to inaccessable to the net, for I rely on the free service offered by the local library.Its good to be back, a lot has happened it terms of events in Zimbabwe however nothing much has changed.
MDC is wounded any organisation that is expected after the departure of dissidents but do not underestimate us you will do so at your own peril. MDC is still the only viable alternative to Zanu PF. Even as Zimbabwe's economy continues to deteriorate Zanu PF still believes that its their god given right to rule.
Economically and socially Zimbabwe continues its decline. We face a maize deficit of 1.3 million tonnes all is not due to drought.
I will be back regularly to update the blog. Thanks for all your emails.
MDC is wounded any organisation that is expected after the departure of dissidents but do not underestimate us you will do so at your own peril. MDC is still the only viable alternative to Zanu PF. Even as Zimbabwe's economy continues to deteriorate Zanu PF still believes that its their god given right to rule.
Economically and socially Zimbabwe continues its decline. We face a maize deficit of 1.3 million tonnes all is not due to drought.
I will be back regularly to update the blog. Thanks for all your emails.
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