Zimbabwe is just emerging from its worst time ever and though people are not yet content, and are still in the air of uncertainty as to what the future holds for them, it is worth acknowledging that the previous year has been a great relief to many of us. In as much as we wish for the betterment of our country in every walk of life, it is sad to note that the qualities, attitudes, and tendencies that we developed during this negative time are still haunting us. Below are some examples:

- Every morning and evening as people come to and from work, transport operators who demand double the normal fair rob them of their dear dollars.

- Now that it is the season for selling tobacco, farmers are flocking into the city with their produce, and prices of goods in town have gone up.

- It is not even surprising to see people wasting production ours loitering in town, doing absolutely nothing. Yes it was possible to make money out of nothing during the past but now its different.

- If you lend money to someone you find it very difficult to get it back. Not because he/she does not have it, but only that one thinks one day it will be forgotten, just like that.

- If one needs to change from one currency to the other, the bank is the last resort. First people try the next-door, then the street.

- Towards month end it is common to see people spending to the last cent, because inflation scared them that far.

- Even national service providers are still charging speculative prices.

- Everyone has multiple bank accounts, but only a few use even one, fearing that if you deposit cash one day you might not be able to withdraw it. If you close the accounts: ” pamwe ku’burner’ kuchadzoka”.

- Every teacher’s home has a classroom.

- If you commit a crime you just share the proceeds with a policeman.

The caption from The Herald front page on Friday sums up more than this photograph – it seems sadly apt for the progress of Zimbabwe’s inclusive government as well: “Morgan Tsvangirai (out of picture).”

Writing in Business Day last week, Allister Sparks argues that Zimbabwe’s inclusive government is not working – and that it needs to be scrapped. Whilst there’s a lot about the inclusive government not working that I’d agree with, the solution Sparks outlines is optimistic – if Mugabe isn’t willing to see the inclusive government work, why would he consider internationally supervised elections in which all citizens can vote – without the ability to gate keep through the voters’ roll. And in the mean time, what about Zimbabwe’s dream of a new Constitution – and a new political framework that guarantees democratic elections which can usher in a government elected freely by the people?

It’s time for South Africa, as the leading power in SADC, to say, “Enough!” If President Zuma has any political balls at all, he should tell Mugabe so during his visit to Harare this week.

He should tell him the GPA is obviously not working, that it is clear Mugabe is determined not to allow it to work, and that the South African Government is therefore going to call on SADC, as guarantor of the deal, to declare it to have been irretrievably violated and so nullified — and to demand the holding of an early election so that a new government with a genuine public mandate can take over.

This election should be supervised — not just observed — by a large team of electoral specialists from the SADC countries, especially South Africa. Moreover it should not be run on the basis of Zimbabwe’s hopelessly defective voters’ roll but by letting all adult citizens vote as has been done with the first elections of all newly independent countries in Africa.

Zuma should tell Mugabe, too, that if he and his ZANU-PF cohorts refuse to accept such a process, South Africa will press for Zimbabwe’s membership of SADC to be suspended, and for any regime that might be unilaterally installed not to be recognised by SADC and the African Union. The country would then be isolated.

Only South Africa has the influence and power to do this. If necessary we could do it unilaterally. It’s time we acted on behalf of the people of Zimbabwe and the whole region, to say nothing of our own image as a nation whose internationally assisted rebirth surely imposes a moral obligation on us.

But don’t hold your breath. Decisiveness is not Zuma’s strong suit on any issue.

From one of Kubatana’s subscribers living in Glen Norah, Harare:

My dreams for Zimbabwe are to see a transformed nation. A nation where rule of law exists. A nation united and growing to be Africa’s power house. My dream for Zimbabwe is to make Zimbabwe the breadbasket that it is supposed to be. It is to see a Zimbabwe with freedom of expression and democracy. I mean real freedom, not talked freedom. To see the politicians respecting the human race; not treating them as their stools to stand on, and only to throw them away. – James

Is polygamy in 2010 still relevant? Is there still polygamy today, or it has it evolved into something else? These are some questions I’m asking after attending a discussion in town yesterday. Polygamy, one person said at the discussion, was very dignified in the times of our long gone ancestors. It was meant to build unity and strengthen family ties. Men did not do it out of malice, or for want of more sex. The women of old had a choice of who would become Mrs Number Two.

But polygamy today is actually doing the opposite of what it did a long long time ago. Where polygamy looked at preserving the society before, it is destroying it today. We have HIV/AIDS these days so if Mr. Bhuru has eleven wives no matter how much of a bull he is, his ashes are not going to meet all the needs of a dozen women, half of them old enough to be his daughters.

Polygamy is not dignified today because it is now called small houses. Today it solves nothing but promotes promiscuity that has been legalized by our tradition. Polygamy for me is not right. It degrades women because women most of the time have no choice but to do it.  I say this because women are still at a disadvantage because they are not economically independent. Allow me to ask a question: if women of old were the ones who had the cattle, would we have had polygamy? If women of today are working and owning their own things would we still justify polygamy?

From what I heard at the discussion polygamy involves double lives and lies. What’s your take on polygamy today?

The passing away of Sam seriously hurts me. That young man was the most down to earth person on earth. He was humble to the core. I appreciated his music and him so much and I guess I should have told him all that when he was still around. I attended his funeral and I was moved by the crowd that came just to bid him fare well. To all the people that came to support the Mtukudzi family I salute you. However I would like to point out that not nearly a half of the people at the funeral attended his shows. If all of you came and supported him while he was still alive, for me that could have been the Zimbabwe I wish to be an artist in and live in. Not to wait for an artists death or any person in general to die before you come in throngs to support him or her. In the hundreds and thousands of people that attended Sam’s burial how many of you had his debut album let alone knew the title of his album. How many of you went to his shows and supported him. And above all how many of you have a pirated copy of his music. I am just saying lets not be semi supportive of anything in life. If you are going to come to someone’s funeral at least be there during their joys and trials while at least they are still alive. Come on Zimbabwe lets not be neither here or there. I suppose just like the way I did not tell Sam I appreciated him it’s the same way people did not come to his shows or buy his CDs while he was still alive. For the sake of the coming generation lets socialize our children differently and teach them its OK to tell and show a person how much we appreciate them while they are still alive.

REST IN PEACE Sam and Owen.