“What I know is that at times we move three steps forward and five steps backwards because of the nature of the inclusive government. It is very difficult because we are pulling in different directions and the results translate to nothing.” Morgan Tsvangirai, who was secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions before forming the MDC in 1999, speaking at Workers’ Day celebrations at Gwanzura Stadium.
Source: Daily News

I was really pleased to see the Parliamentary Monitoring Trust (Zimbabwe) telling it like it is … their focus in their recently published Parliamentary Monitor is on Members of Parliament who don’t attend Parliamentary sittings.

According to the PMTZ, Heneri Dzinotyiwei, MDC-T, Budiriro hasn’t shown his face at 26 sittings. Whilst Jonathan Moyo, Zanu PF, Tsholotsho North has been missing for 31 and Jameson Timba, MDC-T, Mount Pleasant has been absent for 29 sittings.

Are there legitimate reasons for this high level of non-attendance? Where do ordinary Zimbabweans access information like this which will help them make informed decisions when an election comes around? It’s important that we vote according to performance. When ordinary people don’t do their jobs properly they get fired. Let’s fire MPs that renege on their duties.

Here’s an excerpt from the PMTZ’s bulletin:

Then as chance would have it, my mom attended a wedding in Harare and she came back complaining that she had seen very big houses. “And why would people build such big houses, covering this whole yard,” she said waving across our big rural yard. She then said that she had been told that politicians lived there. “This has made me realise that we vote them so that they become rich. As such, I will not vote again. I will get into the ballot box to spoil my vote. I will mark 3 times, I know how to do it as we were taught to vote.” The reasoning in my mom’s argument was an eye opener. The intellectuals may continue to argue it is going to be difficult to get that vote out. Maybe the two intellectuals were wrong. They may have been arguing in the abstract. But for my mother, it was a resolution she could have made. We may have apathy. Or more spoiled ballots. The two may be a result of lack of voter education. But using my mom’s argument, the spoilt papers are not out of ignorance but a protest.

Subscribe to the electronic version of the Parliamentary Monitor by emailing: pmtzimbabwe [at] gmail [dot] com

If you haven’t already seen it, get down to the Standard Theatre tonight to be entertained and charmed by the very quirky Third Person: Bonnie & Clyde (Redux). This show is completely refreshing both in terms of content and performance style. HIFA – more of this kind of theatre next year please! And if the gorgeous actress Gillian Lees is single, please get hold of me.

Later on I went to see Icons: Ziya Azazi. This was a provocative and challenging dance experience. Perhaps a bit too avant-garde for Zimbabwe judging from how many people left the performance. The changes in choreography were very subtle but beautiful and the music (or sound) was very ragged in places. I was completely thrilled to have had the opportunity to see this show.

Note: The only downside to today’s performances was the fact that women in this country seem to use toilet air freshener as perfume.

Zimbabwe’s Kubatana is very pleased to be represented by Brenda Burrell at UNESCO’s media gathering in Tunis this week. Brenda is one of 5 fellows invited to attend on behalf of the Knight Foundation. The other 4 fellows come from South Africa, Kenya, Argentina and Egypt.