Day full of drama at the shopping centre today after a group of soldiers were beaten and chased away from Intermarket bank by the military police earlier on. The selfish sods get their salaries all at once in hard cash back at their barracks, and they still want to jump the queues.

Then there was an accident on Enterprise road outside our office. An elderly woman was bumped by a blue Mercedes Benz whilst trying to cross the ever busy road. The loud screech of braking tyres and a thud drew people from their offices. The police were there in a blitz because Morris Depot is just round the corner. You’d think that with so many sophisticated looking people plus the Merc owner and the police gathered around, something would be done for the poor woman expeditiously. Although she showed no visible signs of hurt, she was clearly in shock and kept rubbing the side of her belly. She must have been hurt internally and from what I understand most accident victims die from the shock than the wounds.

The two policeman on the scene promptly got to work, one taking down a statement from the Merc owner, the other vacillating between alerting and diverting traffic and making some markings around the Merc. He had no chalk and ended up using pieces of red brick to do the job. Clearly no easy task.

Meanwhile the elderly woman sat quietly, only her eyes betrayed the pain she felt. If I didn’t know better I’d say she felt more uncomfortable from all the attention than from the pain she felt. More onlookers gathered around her, someone asked the others if she was all right, what happened and was the Merc driver speeding? Why did the foolish woman not cross the road at the traffic lights? She ought to thank her lucky stars a Merc hit her. There was an unspoken consensus that the woman was to blame. Accusatory eyes pierced at her all round.

There was also a mysterious lack of a sense of emergency; nobody bothered to ask why the woman wasn’t being rushed to hospital and when I did, I got the kind of astonished, irritated stares only a loud fart would elicit. There was lots of silence, eyes shifted momentarily to the Merc owner, and then everyone refocused their attention on the poor woman. Time was being wasted on trivialities; the one policeman continued with his show of taking a long statement while the Merc owner fidgeted with his cell phone. Dark sweat rings grew under his armpits. The people made him nervous so did the police. This was an emergency and all he needed to do was get the woman into his car and drive to the nearest hospital. But no, protocol and bureaucracy required that statements be taken, marks be established around the vehicle and papers be signed before any help could be afforded the ailing woman. Whoever said there is no rush in Africa has never been more precise.

This is exactly how it feels to be Zimbabwean of late. Africans stood by and waited for the ‘authorities’ to deliberate over the impasse in Zimbabwe. A lot of statements were issued while the rest of the world gawked as Zimbabwe burned. Did they perceive Zimbabwe was all right because she remained quiet? They assumed everything would be sorted in talks because the revered SADC was there. Whenever Khama or the late Mwanawasa – bless his soul – pointed out the emergency of the situation, they were hushed by silent stares. It was almost as if they were disturbing the silence in a movie theatre populated by voyeurs.

Shall it not baffle our children when they reflect on history, that SADC was there, so were the UN and the AU but Zimbabwe died while they all watched?

Jumped into my car today and went off to do two chores in town. Pretty much all the traffic lights weren’t working. There’s litter everywhere. The Sunshine City is decidedly grimey. I saw a large pod of riot police sauntering down Julius Nyerere Way and my heart skipped a beat. Maybe WOZA were around the corner. You can’t keep good women down. A couple of street kids were scooping water from a pipe on Samora Machel Avenue. I’ve never seen the city center so full of people. The banks are being besieged by people trying to get their hands on THEIR cash. Tsvangirai and the Movement for Democratic Change don’t need to bus anyone into Harare for the mother of all protests. They’re there already. It’s leadership that’s missing.

As many of you know, Kubatana uses a variety of communication tactics to reach out to inform and inspire Zimbabweans. We have a great web site (a self pom pom if ever there was one), weekly email newsletters, SMS alerts and notifications, postcards, Freedom Fone, and printed materials like (gasp) the occasional newspaper.

We also have a little black board outside our office door and the Kubatana team, and sometimes complete strangers, pick up the chalk and express themselves with a cheeky slogan.

Recently we asked Zimbabweans to text us their solidarity messages for the two Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) leaders, Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu, who were detained by the Mugabe regime. Get your head around being detained for demanding an end to hunger – I’m still trying.

Below I share some of the messages that came rolling on in.

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We salute u gels big up.

Hope the women of iron are fit and strong. Thank u for yo bravery and courage.

We appriciate your courageous campaign, we pray that you do not tire until we are free. We are in this together.

Woza new zimbabwe new president and new generation for young people with fresh minds.

Makorokoto madzimai kunyange zvichirwadza kurema kana kuoma!Rambai makashinga!We are ralling behind you in every endevours, tinokudai makadaro.

Zim is for us all. It’s not for 1 man or a clique. Aluta continua. The end’s nigh.

woza`..yu have bn dnied justc by mugabe, justic delayed is justc denied dont loose hpe keep on fighting 2show mugab that we ar fed up wit him ..u ar heroes 4real u are freedom fighters for the day fighting against a gurilla liberator who turned oppressor..zanu must go .

Welcme bek brave woman of zimbabwe!we r with u in yo suffering!victory iz certain and nt vry far.we luv u!

Al things cme 2 an end and I hope that the election of obama wil force a rethink in zanu pf because their world continues 2 shrink day by day.

You are admired beyond words . So brave.

WOZA proud of u.grateful 4 yo rls.were on knees 4 u daily.can’t lv wthout pple lyk u. kp standing 4 yo ground.

The other day I woke up and my phone didn’t work.  I’m a lucky Harare resident who’s had next to no problems with my line; thus, I’m not used to having a non-functioning phone.  I was sure a big mess and stress would ensue to get the line working again.  But it was also a troublesome feeling, this idea of being used to the possibility that basic services can come to an end.  I didn’t bother to wait it out and had no luck phoning because ironically Tel One’s phones never seem to work.  Instead, I marched myself down to Tel One so I could start my lobbying to get my line fixed.  Once there, I was told it was a city-wide problem being fixed and that my line would be working soon.  I so did not believe this.  Having gotten used to the fact anything and everything might stop working at any given point.  Having gotten used to the fact that people such as Tel One representatives might stretch the truth and tell customers what they want to hear.  But alas. When I got home, my phone was working. I was happy about that, but sad about what I’ve gotten used to.

One encounter during the walk home strengthened my thoughts around accepting what I’ve gotten used to.  A pedestrian engineered himself into my route. As expected the same old ridiculous conversation came my way.  Not even a greeting from this man, just the usual.  Where do you stay?  Can I get your phone number? I want you to marry me.  A persistence occurs that is out of this world unbelievable.  No matter whether I provide polite, engaging, rude, witty, silent, or whatever response, some men believe it’s ok to ask random strangers these questions and if they’re asking, I guess they’re holding hope that one day a random female pedestrian will say:  Yes, let’s go now to the chapel and get married, but first you better tell me your name.

I’ve gotten used to this.

So there it is.  Two vignettes.  One where what I’m used to did not come to be. And another where what I’m used to did come to be.  Everybody navigates all the possible outcomes concerning what one is used to, but for Zimbabweans seems it’s become a more complex navigation, one which disrupts the patience and confidence to assert rights around what citizens are entitled to.  In turn, potentially disrupting the ways people understand and practice the broader concept of entitlement.  Citizens are entitled to services such as phone lines, running water, and electricity.  For the many Zimbabweans who don’t regularly receive these services, this can brew into frustration and anger. People become complacent and get used to things.  I can’t help but wonder where the frustration and anger goes?

Certainly the male pedestrian I encountered is operating in a deeply historical, layered cultural, and unjust mind set which makes him feel he’s entitled to have power over women.  Yet I have this sneaking suspicion there’s a link with respect to the degree to which basic services (or entitlements) are denied and the persistent pursuit of at least being or feeling entitled to something.  This is to suggest that perhaps, to a degree, some men subconsciously feel that something such as having to just shrug your shoulders and accept a broken phone line becomes a threat to their masculinity because what they are entitled to has been taken away.  In turn, the frustration and anger is misplaced and this propels even greater desire to assert entitlement for something, such as power over women.

We have a serious problem with our health delivery system in Zimbabwe. It has stopped delivering health. It has been delivering death. Between February 08 and August 08, 120 people have died as a result of cholera. Everyone acknowledges that this is a direct result of the breakdown in the system. The latest evidence of the breakdown is that most major hospitals have stopped admitting patients. This is because of a combined shortage of medicines, other medical supplies and staff to administer these. This disaster has been presided over by David Parirenyatwa. He is a medical doctor. I am strong proponent of people taking responsibility for their actions or omissions. I have been doing some digging in relation to the ethical responsibilities of doctors. I would guess that most if not all of them take some form of oath when starting their practice. My assumption is that  David Parirenyatwa at some point in his life took an oath pledging the following or at least a variation of the following:

• To consecrate his life in the service of humanity

• To practice his profession with conscience and dignity, with the health of his patient being his first consideration

• To maintain by all means his power, the honor and noble traditions of the medical profession

• Not to permit considerations of religion, nationality, race, party politics or social standing to intervene between his duty and his patient

• To maintain the utmost respect for human life from time of conception, even under threat

The Minister of Health has been at the helm of the Ministry for a number of years now. During this time, the health system has declined to the point where today, hospitals are turning away patients or have become dens of death.  To make it worse we now hear allegations that some US$7.3 million from the Global Fund meant for HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and other communicable diseases has been misappropriated by the Reserve Bank. I know definitely that presiding over a crumbling health delivery system is not in the service of humanity.

The oath exhorts medical doctors not to permit considerations of religion, nationality, race, party politics or social standing to intervene between his duty and his patient. Has the Minister not violated all that? Health in Zimbabwe is now a preserve of the rich. That is permitting social standing to come between the doctor and his patient. ZANU PF and its faithful have worked to amass wealth and power at the expense of the sick. Their direct policies and actions have led to the collapse of the system and the flight enmasse of doctors, nurses and lab scientists. During the recent elections, those wounded and requiring medical attention were denied it on the grounds of suspected party affiliation. Now has the good doctor not allowed party politics to come between him and his patients?

Now given that he has been in ZANU PF for a while, l find l cannot say what his conscience is telling him about the state of hospitals and the many deaths recorded and unrecorded in this country as a result of the collapse of the health system. I am not sure what his conscience has been telling him about the misappropriation of Global Fund money meant for the vulnerable of this country. I’m sure if he had been practicing his profession in good conscience and with dignity, he would have resigned from office before now. The honour and noble traditions of his profession demand no less.

Just for interest sake, is the Minister a member of the World Medical Association? Their website tells me that “Active members or employees of organisations and organisations which undermine the basic human rights with their intentions or in their practical activity cannot be members of the WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION”

A domestic worker earns who earns the equivalent of USD10.00 per month was paid by her employer Z$100,000,000,000.00 (100 trillion dollars at the parallel market rate).

With October’s cash withdrawal limit of $50,000.00 per day she would need to go to the bank 2,000,000 times (that’s two million days) in order to access all her salary.

With the current withdrawal limit of $500,000.00 per day she will have to go to the bank 200,000 times (that’s two hundred thousand days).

We do not have that many days in a year.

Now we all know that Mumbengegwi and his Prime Minister Gono (aka Governor of the Central Bank of Zimbabwe) have failed. But what l want to know from Hon Tendai Biti, who is the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Secretary for Finance and Economics, is this, what do you think about this situation and in the first 100 days in office, what will you do to change this? I really would like to know what concrete plans the MDC has to get us out of this mess as they go for the weekend talks in South Africa.

And please, enough of touting the “unlocking donor funding” spiel.

This is just ridiculous.