I stood for an hour on the side of Chiremba Road on Wednesday. Police pulled me over, for not displaying something, somehow. Or something was displayed incorrectly. Then again, maybe something was incorrectly displayed. Whatever. I showed my triangles. I showed my fire extinguisher. (I discovered I have a tin of beans under my seat!) I had a license plate. And license disk. And license sticker. All in order. I think it was insurance. Whatever.

“Come with me,” and he has my drivers license so I really have no choice. We cross the road to the woman constable with the fine receipt book. “$20 spot fine.”
“But I only have $4,” and I show my wallet with all my money in it, which turns out to be only $3.
“But it is a $20 spot fine.”
“Well, I only have $3, I cannot pay $20, either give me a ticket, or take me to jail.”
“It is not a criminal offense for what you have done.”
“Well, it is not a criminal offense to only have $3.” At least I hope it is not, or most Zimbabweans would be in jail.
“Park over there.” So I cross the road and park the truck over there.
“Come with me”, and we cross the road again. In an hour we cross the road four times. With puzzlement and wonder … “How can we write a receipt for $3?” “I don’t know, but $3 is all I have.” “But the spot fine is $20.” “So write me a ticket.”

And in amongst the standing around, crossing the road, picking my nose and the same questions and same answers to the same person, different persons, random persons, and more, I watch plenty of folded and crumpled and filthy (toll gate special) bills be passed from ‘offenders’ (who have committed the offence of driving down Chiremba Road) to ‘enforcers’, and not many receipts being issued. Eventually, “you can go”, but I can’t really, as they still have my license, and once we find whose hand it is in, there is the barrage of the same questions and answers over and over again – “$20″, “only got $3″, “can’t write receipt of $3″, and I finally get my driver’s license and drive off.

So, what has happened here?

Obviously, if I had handed over my remaining $3 (lunch money!) for a receipt-less ‘fine’ I could have gone much sooner, and we all could have ridden the corruption gravy train much faster. With whatever my offence was completely un-corrected.

And what are the ZRP, the guardians of Law and Order in Zimbabwe, doing for the economy of Zimbabwe? They are making it ‘work’ in their own personal regard. In terms of the national fiscus, even if I had paid $20, and received a receipt, how much difference would that have made towards the justice system, the attorney general, keeping dangerous vehicles off the road, making Zimbabwe a safer and better place for us all to live in? And how many hours were spent – and productivity lost – by everyone I watched processing receipt-less fines. How much did those costs add to the underground economy (since there are no receipts, they cannot be accounted for in the taxed economy), swelling it and making it bigger?

Zimbabwe is to co-host next year, with Zambia, a big, international tourism event. How far does this attitude from the police (and all the ruling, and former ruling, apparatus) percolate through the country? How many ‘visitors’ will get this treatment?

But it is that attitude – I have power, you have money, and I want your money (without earning it) – that is at fault. This attitude needs to be changed if we are to get ahead.

A sunset. A dog walk.

To commemorate World AIDS Day 2012, The Kubatana Trust of Zimbabwe sent a text message to our subscribers, asking them to share their positive prevention messages.

Our three winning responses:

• Sexy legs, lovely smile. Stop. Stirring in loins. Stop. Bed beckoning. Stop to ponder: Do we have rubbers? Stop.
• Put a helmet on your soldier and you won’t die young!
• Open your eyes before AIDS closes them! Wear a condom – every time.

And all 563 responses in a word cloud:

Job vacancy

Projects Officer: Highview Community Initiative
Deadline: 17 December 2012

Duty Station: Nkayi

Applications are invited from suitably qualified and experienced applicants for the above position that has arisen at Highview Community Initiative, an NGO based in Nkayi District

Job Specification and description
Under the direct supervision and guidance from the Field Coordinator, the Projects Officer will be responsible for the implementation of the technical activities and programs, monitoring and reporting activities.

Among other duties he or she will:
-Act as the focal point and coordinates technical activities.
-Facilitate community workshops and meetings on technical courses such as agriculture, building, welding, garment making, food science, hair dressing and other women and youth activities.
-Facilitate activities at community level through leaders, women, farmers and youth groups.
-Produce activity monthly and quarterly monitoring reports to the Field Coordinator.
-Helps youths to identify income generation activities.
-Facilitate proper planning of programmes and projects to improve results.
-Participate in surveys, assessments, baselines to ensure effective targeting.
-Provides technical support and supervision to project volunteers.
-Coordinate and supervises all project activities at community level.
-Prepare project briefs for management and donors.

Qualifications
-A diploma in agriculture, community development, social sciences or equivalent is essential. Project management training will be an added advantage. Knowledge of the local language is a distinct advantage.
-A clean class 4 or 3 driver’s licence is a requirement.

Work experience
-At least 2 years experience in a similar environment.
-Basic analytical skills and ability to develop data collection tools and data bases.
-Good interpersonal skills, tactic, negotiating skills, effective working relations, ability to cope with situations.

Applications should be addressed to:
The Board Chairman
Highview Community Development Initiative
P.O.Box 20
Nkayi

Or by email to: snmoyo260 [at] gmail [dot] com

Funding

Unlocking the Potential for Groundwater for the Poor (UPGro)
Deadline: 10 January 2013 (16:00 UK time – GMT/UTC)

Outline proposals are invited for a major new research programme on Unlocking the Potential for Groundwater for the Poor in sub-Saharan Africa funded by DFID, NERC and in principle ESRC.

This £10m programme is an international programme funding interdisciplinary research, generating evidence and innovative tools to enable developing countries and their partners in sub-Saharan Africa to use groundwater in a sustainable way for the ultimate benefit of the poor.

This call is for outline Catalyst Grant proposals which will provide an opportunity for the world’s best researchers to develop and test new innovative ideas for addressing the programme’s aim of enabling sustainable use of groundwater for the benefit of the poor. It is also an opportunity to facilitate the development of new interdisciplinary teams that bring developing and developed country scientists together.

Proposals are invited for funding of up to £150,000 (FEC). This call has a total available budget of up to £1.5m. Projects will be funded for a maximum duration of one year.

More information here

Fellowship

The Echoing Green Fellowship
Deadline: 7 January 2013

Through our two-year Echoing Green Fellowship program, we provide start-up capital and technical assistance to help new leaders launch their organizations and build capacity of their social enterprise. We offer:

-A stipend of $80,000 for individuals (or $90,000 for 2-person partnerships) paid in four equal installments over two years
-A health insurance stipend
-A yearly professional development stipend
-Conferences led by organizational development experts
-Access to technical support and pro bono partnerships to help grow your organization
-A community of like-minded social entrepreneurs and public service leaders, including the Echoing Green network of nearly 500 alumni working all over the world

For more information and to apply please click here

I quite like this:

Several Commuter omnibuses in the CBD had their tyres deflated by the police after they were caught operating at undesignated areas, as the war between the two parties continues. – From a Community Radio Harare newsletter

A man walked into my office the other day. I know him, wasn’t like he’s a stranger or anything. He started talking to me, then stopped, looked around the office, eyes scanning the walls, and asked me if it was safe. Safe presumably from bugs, the recording kind. I said I didn’t know. What else could I say? I’m reminded of a visit from an American friend a few years ago and every time she asked my opinion on something situational, I’d say “it depends”. One thing you can be certain of in Zimbabwe is unpredictability. Very little is certain. You think you’re going to be arrested, and someone else is. You think you’re not going to get funding, and you do. You think the power will come back on again at 8, and it doesn’t. Many of us have normalised this state of uncertainty and we get on.