A country on its knees

37 years after independence and the country is a mere skeleton of what it used to be....Zimbabwe is dying. The land has been stripped bare of its mineral resources, the infrastructure and the economy are slowly collapsing. Who is to blame for this destruction?

I have heard numerous speeches from president Robert Mugabe and his cabinet over the past couple of years blaming the West for all the problems that Zimbabwe is currently facing. Our Zimbabwean government is very adept at passing the buck and they overlook the fact that they are the ones who have been running the show for the last 37 years. When we gained independence all the systems and infrastructure were in place and Zimbabwe was a very successful country to the extent of competing with the US dollar where the rate of exchange was one $1 Zimbabwe dollar to US$1.47 dollar. I am not an economist but to my layman knowledge this is a clear indication that Zimbabwe was very competitive on the international market. All the government had to do was maintain the systems that were in place when we gained independence and build on that. The foundation was well set but they have failed to build on top of what was left and have even gone as far as destroying the very foundation that was left for them.

Greed and corruption is the order of the day and whilst people are starving and dying of disease those in power continue to pat themselves on the back in congratulatory pride for doing a great job of running the country. What is it going to take in order for these selfish people to see that they are slowly killing the country and everything that it stands for? Zimbabwe is a living testament to the adage from the bible that says, 'The love of money is the route of all evil'. In the name of governing the government has committed such atrocities against its people that it doesn't bear thinking of and they continue to intimidate their citizens to garner support. If this is not evil, then I don't know what is.

From as far back as I can remember Zimbabwe has taxed its citizens an additional tax of 3% of income to cover for the Aids Levy. This money on top of financing a wide range of HIV and AIDS related programmes is also supposed to help the children orphaned as a result of this disease by paying for their school fees. A majority of those children are not benefiting from that fund and yet people continue to get taxed. Millions of dollars have been disappearing from the government coffers for decades and still they blame the West. How stupid do these people in government think that that we are?

This is what has become of our beautiful city Harare. People queueing for endless hours to get their hard earned money out of the banks, pavements on the high street filled with goods to sell and unemployed graduates playing football in the streets because there are no jobs to be had. It is the government's duty to ensure that the country has a thriving economy where everyone who is willing and able to work is employed, where the health and well-being of the population is a priority and where systems are in place to ensure that the population does not go hungry. The government continues to fail on all these fronts and yet they tenaciously still cling to power and refuse to acknowledge their failure. In my mind it is very clear on who is to blame in this Zimbabwe debacle...who else but President Mugabe and his ruling ZANU PF party. 

Who will save our children

I find it unbelievable that a government cabinet that boasts of such well educated people can support stupid decisions that endanger the future of not only the country but also future generations. Great leaders are leaders who lead by example and are also people with great vision, who think not only of today but also of tomorrow. Zimbabwe is governed by a selfish people who think nothing of tomorrow and their focus is only on themselves and their families.

When I look at all those in power, they have ensured that their own children have received the best education that money can buy whilst the children of the majority of the population are barely receiving an adequate education. They have safeguarded the future of their children whilst completely ignoring the plight of the children who do not come from well to do families. A vast majority of the Zimbabwean children are living in abject poverty and this is leaving them wide open to sexual exploitation as they fight to survive. It is the government's duty to ensure that our children are protected and that there are social systems in place to ensure that children's needs are put first. Obviously the Zimbabwean government does not see the protection of our children as a priority, because if they did we wouldn't have all these children out on the streets fending for themselves.

According to UNICEF approximately 100 000 of Zimbabwe's 1,3 million orphans survive on their own in child headed households.

In order to put food on the table these children are resorting to prostitution so that they can look after their siblings. Girls as young as 12 are resorting to prostitution just to buy the basics like food. Men as old as their fathers and grandfathers are taking advantage of the vulnerability of these children and offering them money in exchange for sexual favours. The government is watching whilst the innocence of thousands of children's lives are destroyed and what makes me so angry is that all these people watching are themselves parents. These children are ending up with various STI's including HIV but they feel this is a risk that they must take because they have no choice. A generation of the young children and young adults is being slowly wiped out as a result of HIV/AIDS.

If the protection of the rights of children is not a priority then what on earth are the following ministries doing? Ministry of Health and Child Care, Ministry of Youth, Indgenisation and Economic Empowerment, Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. Surely its a mockery to have all these staffed departments of paid people and yet have thousands of children exploited on a daily basis without any one of them intervening.

I say to our Zimbabwean government save our children. Be people of integrity who uphold the constitution that you swore to uphold when you came into power. If you continue to watch as our children perish and do nothing then the blood of our children and the future generations is on your hands...

Oppression masquarading as Good Governance

What kind of man do you have to be to continue accumulating wealth at the detriment of your brother...that is the story of our Zimbabwean government. I grew up hearing about the liberation struggle and how the blood of the people was shed to set the black people free from the white man's rule of oppression. Blood was shed so that the rule of oppression would never have to hang around our necks again and that we would be our own people. When our forefathers sacrificed themselves for us, I don't think they envisioned that the Zimbabwean people would yet again be under the yoke of oppression, but now at the hands of their fellow black brothers. When people live in perpetual fear for their lives, from the very people who are supposed to protect them...that is not freedom. When hundreds of people are evicted from the homes that they have built to make room for one person who wants to add to their wealth...that is not freedom. When parents cannot afford to send their children to school...that is not freedom. When our friends and families are dying because we cannot afford to pay the hospital fees...that is not freedom. Where is this freedom that are forefathers died to give us?

The constitution of Zimbabwe states as some of its founding values and principles the following: supremacy of the constitution, the rule of law, recognition of the inherent dignity and worth of each human being, recognition of the equality of all human beings and good governance.

On Wednesday the 26th of March 2017 people were evicted from Arnold Farm in Mazowe despite a court order outlawing the evictions. These are families with children who were subjected to the indignity of watching as their homes were destroyed and not be in a position to do anything about it. In my eyes this is not recognising the inherent dignity and worth of each human being. When a person's precious possessions are strewn around like rubbish, where is the dignity in that? It is alleged that these evictions are to make way for the expansion of the First Lady's business empire...how much more wealth does she need? As a mother herself how can she justify seeing another mother cry for the plight of her children and not be moved to compassion? The constitution clearly has a different meaning to those who hold office in government to the one that they lord over the rest of the population. The government does not view the equality of human beings as it is clear that one person's interests far outweigh the interests of hundreds of people.

A picture says a thousand words and these pictures break my heart. This is the worst kind of oppression because it is being perpetrated by the people who have always told us that they would never allow the Zimbabwean people to be oppressed again. My mind cannot comprehend the heartlessness that it takes to leave families stranded and their possessions left out in the rain. The residents of Arnold farm have since written to the SADC for them to intervene and stop these evictions. In a country that has a government in place and where the rule of law is said to be maintained should it really be necessary for its people to ask for help from outside the country? These violations are inhumane and show that the government has been negligent in its duty of care towards its people.

In starting this blog I found myself personally challenged because the temptation is always towards self preservation and that state of mind always prevents one from being involved in anything that causes discomfort. I am a Christian and when I look at Jesus' life here on this earth, He never shied away from controversy and He always stood up for what was right. Isaiah 1:17 says, 'Learn to do right, seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.' If God is against injustice then my mandate here on this earth is also very clear to me...to stand up against injustice.