Well, this is really the third and fourth days in my quest for nomination compressed into one, but it is the third installment for your learning curve.

Friday morning, about 0930, I went down to Avondale School (yes, it is in Ward 7) to inspect the voters’ roll. There, I met a young policeman who told me he had been there since 0700, and no one was there with the voters’ roll, and he had no information as to what had delayed them.

So I went to work. Left work early, and went to Morris Depot CID HQ, and collected my police clearance at 1630. Had to search through a pile of papers, and another policeman, also very nice, assisted me. Mine was in the pile of papers he searched through.

Then back to the voter’s inspection station. There are now two police, and one woman in civilian clothes. No, I am not on the voters’ roll. We check under Laban, then under Michael as a last name, all to no avail. So I produce papers, and we fill in a form. My papers are proof of residence (a ZESA bill), National ID (which says citizen), passport, original voters registration certificate (dated 20/07/99, number 343465), payment receipt that quite clearly says “restoration of Zim Cit” (dated 1 Dec 2005, number 432513 JJ). The officials are friendly, and very helpful, and cannot see why I am not on the roll (I have lived here, in this block of flats since 1995!) and make me double check the form before signing it, and that is done for the day. Come back tomorrow and we will have a response.

Saturday, I am back. No, no response. Market Square is not working – it is a weekend, although the officials at Avondale School are there all weekend, and feeling bored, so go check and give them something to do! Come back Tuesday, so Market square will have Monday to work on it and give a response.

Fine, I will be back on Tuesday. Before I go to work (and I will get to work late). “But what if there is a problem? There will only be until Friday to sort it all out?” “There will be no problem,” I am assured.

The hours disturb me though. People coming home from work, after 1630, are going to have trouble getting to see the roll before they pack up for the day at 1700. And with only one team at each place, they do not get there before 0800, when the few of us with jobs have to be at them.

So, next installment will be after Tuesday.

Zvakanaka!

On the second day of my quest for nomination I went to a bookstore, (in Ward 7 of course) and bought 2 fingerprint forms. $1 million each.

I then got to the police station (still in Ward 7!) at 1130 and got fingerprinted. Not even very messy with the black stuff all over.

Then down to Morris Depot, CID HQ (which is just outside Ward 7). “Come back after 1400,” says the gate cop. I sit there and read. After 1400 I go in, and join the queue. Finding the queue is confusing. I start by trying to join the front of it; since I do not know which way it is going. Ask lots of people, whoa are all as lost as me, but eventually I join it, on bench seats in the shade!, shuffle along the benches, and go to the right window. Pay $5 million, and am told, “tomorrow, 1600″.

So I move off with my receipt.

Short and sweet. It just disturbs me; a Zimbabwean has to pay (and in cash) to stand for election. Not a direct fee, but under the law, we all have to pay to go through the administration to get nominated. Strikes me as not very democratic – “some animals are more equal than others”, Orwell’s Animal Farm style. Even if the fees are very little, you still have to have money, to get elected. By law. Isn’t this a bit like the Smith regime’s qualified voting system?

Zvakanaka!

More stuff from Former-Councillor Laban . . . over the weekend, we had the announcement of the election and nomination court dates.

So, on Monday, I arranged to be away from work (as I am one of the few Zimbabweans who has a job).

Tuesday, 29 January 2008 – up and off to do the task. First stop, Makombe complex. After visiting three offices (and the gate guard, door guard, photocopy man), I am told, “ZEC Office, Fourth Floor, Cecil House – Corner Jason Moyo and Third.”

I get there, walk up the stairs (the lift does not work), and search for anyone in the offices. The reception and two adjoining offices are empty, but someone on the stairs helps, and eventually two people come by. “Am I a from a Party, or Independent?” – “Independent” “Councillors’ papers are with the local authority. You must go to Town House. I sent the papers there yesterday.”

Off I go to Town House – I remember where it is, and am greeted by all sorts of people! Quite nice. People ask of my health, and I ask after old friends. However the Chamber Secretary (along with many others) is away at a memorial for the dead firemen. “Can I come back in the afternoon?” “Yes, I can.” In the afternoon, she is still away.

Wednesday 30 January 2008 Next morning, she is around. (More old conversation.) I get in to see her and fill in a form to say I have the forms. I ask for, and she will prepare, “a written certificate of clearance in terms of section 125 of the Act from: b) the relevant council.”

Then, off I go. I get to work at 1200. And leave early, to go home (because it is right beside my local police station, in fact, from my kitchen, I can look into the holding cells). I need to deal with another aspect of the forms. “a written certificate of clearance in terms of section 125 of the Act from: a) the Zimbabwe Republic Police.”

At the police station, I am informed, “you must go to a bookstore, buy two finger print forms, then come here and get fingerprinted.” This is only done between 1000 and 1200. Then, I will have to take the forms to Morris Depot, and get clearance.

As for the rest of the form, it requires a birth certificate and Nat Registration card (photocopies) (we guess for identification and to show you are over 21), a passport size photograph, and then nominators. There are spaces for 6, but you can add more on a separate sheet of paper if you want. The nominators must be registered to vote in your ward, and provide Nat Reg number, address, signature and date, and be witnessed by you or your agent/representative. You must sign a declaration, and there are more papers included (Party authorisation forms, and such like.)

So tomorrow it is back to the quest. Anyone out there registered in Ward 7 who wants to nominate me? Let me know, I will come by.

And I am still not sure if I should stand or boycott. The election will not be free and fair (if Zanu PF thought they might lose, they would not hold it), but the campaign will be a chance to bring up the issues (like refuse collection), and make people think about what they want, instead of what they do not want. If I get elected (and there is definitely a chance of that) can I make a difference in Council? Is there a danger I will be overwhelmed by Party people who only know how to say what their party tells them to say? Even with that danger (an others) do you still want me to give it a go? Or can I achieve more by campaigning, and then withdrawing before the elections. If nothing else, the process of getting nominated will, I hope, be a learning process that I can ‘share’ with you all.

Zvakanaka!

I think it’s high time that our city fathers in Harare, if they still exist, engage some clean up campaigns because our city is getting so dirty. Youths have got nothing to do other than drink beer, loiter at the street corners for prostitution and other illegal activities, drugs etc.

The youth should be involved in the clean up activities, which is one area they (city fathers or local government) can reduce the percentage of unemployment and restore order in the cities and small towns around Zimbabwe. Litter is everywhere, and its even worse with this rainy season.

Some years ago, we used to see tractors cutting down grass along the roads. Youths are crying for jobs out there, why not save that diesel you don’t have and employ these youths to cut the grass and keep Harare the Sun Shine City clean!

Why can’t we do what they are doing in Freetown, Sierra Leone where the last Saturday of every month has been declared “Cleaning Saturday” by the government.

Call me a pessimist or whatever you may, but the government never ceases to amaze me each time it rolls out newer, albeit ill-thought-through measures to ease the prevailing economic crunch. As March 29th quickly approaches, it figures that the government should suddenly be so concerned about “disadvantaged, low income earners” who are failing to access basic commodities whose prices are ever escalating in shops now mostly selling imported goods.

The Minister of Industry and International trade, Mr Obert Mpofu was quoted in the Herald of 29 January, 2008 saying that the people’s shops will provide basic commodities aimed at low income earners for “it is our belief that the disadvantaged and less privileged community should access basic commodities. The shops will be useful in beating rampant price increases, shortages and monopolistic tendencies in the market.” So the government is under the illusion that everyone else who falls outside their bracket of the ‘underprivileged’ is somehow easily accessing basic goods and commodities.

From the little economics I understand, there is a shortage of basic commodities because local manufacturers are failing to produce for obvious policy and economic reasons, albeit the government would like to believe and make believe it is simple sabotage. Wouldn’t it be more practical for government to first seek to resuscitate and stimulate production that will see the locally manufactured goods come back onto the market, as well as find ways to mend the dent in foreign investor confidence? As a matter of interest, I am anxious to know where the ‘cheap’ goods that will stock up the people’s shops will come from.

Does the government honestly think the so-called pauper’s – er – people’s shops will make life any easier? You know what’s most likely to happen? More queues and more hoarding for resale (especially if the goods will be cheaper) by those with the time, ability and energy to spend a whole day in shop queues. I’ll tell you what’s more, civil servants will probably get first preference, just like what was/is happening at most bank queues. Just come in your uniform, or take out your pay slip or whatever it is they present in order to jump the queue.

Lastly, the government substantiates its new idea by conveniently mentioning the fact that the concept was taken from Angola, whose government set aside US$1,5 billion and ” has been successful in implementing the project.” People, I hate to burst your bubble but, take a look at this picture taken outside one such people’s shop then you know all is not rosy in Angola. While the long queues that have become a common sight, if not an eyesore seem to be disappearing from most banks, it seems our government really loves seeing them and cannot wait to introduce something else that will make queues re-appear.

People’s shops? What a laugh. There are some people’s shops already in this country – zhing-zhongs – which are supposed to sell the cheapest quality products but still expensive as hell. And people of all walks of life, no matter what they earn, converge there. For God’s sake, let market forces control the prices of goods. Unusually or exceptionally cheap products will only be hoarded, quickly disappearing from the shelves to reappear on the black market at inflated prices.

Zimbabwe’s education sector has been hard hit by the political and economic crisis of recent years. As schools opened for the new year, teachers are so poorly paid, some couldn’t afford transport back to their schools. Parents, meanwhile, are struggling to afford the school fees, uniforms, and supplies their children need.

Last week, Kubatana sent a text message to ask our members what could be done to resolve the challenges in the education sector in a way that improves things for parents, students and teachers alike.

In addition to Dennis Nyandoro’s blog on the subject, here are some replies from our subscribers:

The situation is a nightmare. It’s not only teachers, what of health professionals? Where is NSSA & NAC fund going to? ARV’s coming from NGO’s cover 3 quarters of patients.

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The crisis in education must be unmasked by us in conjunction with the media. Once parents understand the depth of the crisis, they can stop their children attending school unless there is an overhaul. Teachers seem to be satisfied with their earnings. If not, they should not have attended until they got reasonable amounts in their accounts.

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Nothing can be done to the education sector in Zimbabwe until the bankrupt regime goes on the 29th of March & the new government goes back to the drawing board. Everything needs cash.