WhatFinger


Crisis in Zimbabwe has completely destroyed the economic, social and moral fabrication of the country

When getting food becomes a preoccupation overriding other human rights



At Sunday school in the early 1980s, we used to sing the following verse with glee,

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“Smile, don’t you know God loves you. Come to think of it, I love you too. Take the time to smile at someone, And before you are through Someone will be smiling back at you.”   That was way back when Zimbabwe’s economy was not only a regional but a continental and global envy. There was reason to smile. 1980 was the year Zimbabwe gained its political independence from British colonial rule. The emancipation extended to undisputable high standards of living. From a monthly salary, workers could afford to buy household property. They could make savings, purchase cars and houses.   During those years nobody prioritized food. It was just there in abundance. It was unheard of to have breakfast without eggs, sausage and bacon. Beef, fish, beans among other delicacies constituted people’s daily diets.   Now 28 years after the country was liberated to become Zimbabwe (in local language Zimbabwe means “house of stones”), the house is collapsing on its inhabitants. Employee’s salaries can only buy a bar of soap or three loaves of bread. Formal employment has been reduced to a circus.   There is a political crisis in this Southern African country. That crisis has completely destroyed the economic, social and moral fabrication of the country. There is acute poverty. Zimbabweans have been stripped of their dignity. Most people’s diets have been reduced to thick porridge and boiled vegetables. In drought prone rural areas, many are surviving on wild fruits. People are preoccupied with putting spirit and flesh together. Only those engaging in corruption and parallel market activities live like kings.   Prior to the June 27 presidential run-off, humanitarian aid agencies were given a three-month suspension on June 4, with government accusing them of using food aid “as a campaign tool” for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The recent lifting of the suspension has been hailed by some non-governmental organizations (NGOS) as a step that can help alleviate the food crisis gripping many parts of the country.   The state media quoted Plan International Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Deepah Khanna, as saying, “We are pleased that the Zimbabwe authorities have decided to reopen the humanitarian space. “The move reflects a positive step forward in the spirit of a close relationship that Plan and other NGOs are seeking to enhance with our stakeholders in Zimbabwe, particularly children and women.”   As you move in the streets, particularly in the high-density suburbs and rural areas, you are met with empty faces. You attempt to put on a smile but people reciprocate through frowns. Most communities are no longer conscious of what happiness entails. The rising of the sun is the beginning of a daily struggle. A fight to put something in the tummy and possibly see the next day. The impoverishment is just intense.   Zimbabweans are resilient by nature, a patient and hopeful lot. It is that virtue that keeps them going with great expectations that one day everything will be fine. That food will be readily available, health facilities fully functional, clean water is easily accessible, education is not compromised and the right to freedom of expression is a right.   The much publicised power sharing deal between Zanu PF’s Robert Mugabe and Movement for Democratic Change’s Morgan Tsvangirai brought much relief in its initial stages. Now that there is no consensus on how to divide executive powers between Mugabe, as President and Tsvangirai Prime Minister, there is fear that the negotiations face imminent collapse. The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) appointed a mediator in the inter-party talks, South African President Thabo Mbeki's expected trip to Zimbabwe this week to make an effort to ensure that the power sharing deal is finalized has reportedly been rescheduled to next week.   A cabinet is yet to be set as the power-sharing dispute between Zanu PF and MDC continues.   President Mugabe was quoted in Lusaka, Zambia where he had gone to attend the funeral of President Levy Mwanawasa, as telling journalists, “We are a government and we are a government that is empowered by elections. We should form a cabinet. We would not allow a situation where we will not have a cabinet.”   Tsvangirai, however say Mugabe’s opening of parliament on Tuesday last week and subsequent talk of appointing a cabinet is a breach against the “spirit of talks.”   The economic situation worsens by the day. Year-on-year inflation is officially at a world record of 11.2 million percent. House rentals and even more seriously some basic foodstuffs like mealie-meal are charged in foreign currency. They are beyond the reach of many. People have lost faith in their own currency. The popular song in the streets is “the Zimbabwe dollar has no value and if you “sleep” with it, it's either you or it is “dead.”   Zimbabweans still pin their hopes on the power sharing deal. But the big question is: Will people ever put on a smiling face in this beautiful African country ever again? If so, when?


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Stephen Chadenga -- Bio and Archives

Stephen Chandega is a journalist in Zimbabwe


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