I watched Tendai Biti on TV the other night saying that if Morgan Tsvangirai had a motorcade that warned people of his approach and made them get off the road then the tragic accident in which Susan died wouldn’t have happened. And so he appealed to Mugabe to give Morgan the protection he needed. True, Susan might have been spared but maybe the police outriders waving at the lorry driver would have been killed. Morgan might be prime minister, and Mugabe a dictator, but this doesn’t mean that either of them should be put on a pedestal. The outcome of this tragedy shouldn’t be more motorcades, it should be better policing of our roads, improved infrastructure and defensive driving. This would make us all safer in Zimbabwe. At the very least Mugabe’s obnoxiously large motorcade should shared with Tsvangirai instead of adding to the arrogance of politicians our roads.

Imagine that you’re a teacher in Zimbabwe and that your wage, as agreed upon by the new Unity Government is US$100/month, and a relative passes away, and you need to organise the burial. Below, in a recent statement, the civic organisation Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) points out that the dying wage that many Zimbabweans are earning is not enough to bury a loved one.

The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) registers its utter disappointment and disapproval of the recently introduced burial fees structure by the City Council. The City council is charging US$460 burial fees for Warren Hills cemetery, US$350 for Granville and US$260 for Tafara. CHRA categorically declares that such fees are unaffordable and do not at all reflect the current socio-economic realities obtaining in the country where most civil servants are earning an average of US$100 per month. Furthermore, the city council arrived at such fees without prior consultation of the residents. The new burial charges come at a time when the 2009 city budget has not been approved yet the rates have been reviewed to astronomical levels of about US$130 (for low density areas) and US$25 to US$35 (for high density areas). While CHRA appreciates that the review of the service charges is meant to resuscitate service delivery, we are also worried about reports we are receiving to the effect that the council employees have awarded each other hefty salaries following the review of the service charges. CHRA is yet to confirm but has received reports that the least remunerated employee at town house is getting an average of US$300 per month. The Association urges the city councilors to review downwards all tariffs and levies against the residents. CHRA has since written to the City Council protesting over the new fees, levies and service charges structure. We have not gotten a response from the council, thus CHRA is currently consulting its membership over the next course of action. CHRA will continue to advocate and lobby for an accountable and transparent local governance system that provides quality and affordable service delivery on a non partisan basis.

In Harare we’ve had several downpours since Friday. Today is overcast with intermittent drizzle. And that’s where this weather report ends. So there’s water all around except here at work where there’s none in our taps. Usually we rely on a couple of rickety taps in the car park to fill two white plastic 5l containers but today even they’ve run dry. Apparently though we can buy water from a shop nearby for US$2 per litre. Remember all those Zanu PF election posters and T-shirts with the slogan . . . 100% empowerment . . . according to Bob the Birthday Boy, that means a Zimbabwe with no water, no jobs and barely a meal a day.

I have a subscription to a magazine called Monocle. In the December/January issue, the following piece of writing caught my eye. The suggestions are worth our “leaders” in Zimbabwe, and ourselves, reflecting on, and implementing.

Call me an optimist, but I believe we may have reached a time in history when our major expectation of leaders is that they talk to us intelligently, as adults. What this means is that information has to be provided to us in an honest, logical, non-manipulative manner, and then a course of action should be recommended based on the leader’s best reasoning – with a strong, inspirational appeal to our better human natures. The seriousness of the times demands serious dialogue. We need teachers, not demagogues, we need reason without apparent bias, and we need to be called to action by self-evident truths, not blind faith or what’s in the leader’s gut.
Excerpt from How to rule in 2009 by Paula Scher

The National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) recently issued the following statement. There’s a lot in it that we Zimbabweans need to pay attention to . . .

Long before the establishment of the “All Inclusive Government”, the NCA proposed a 3 point-plan for the resolution of our political crisis.  The plan had the following aspects:

a) Establishment of a transitional government.
b) Writing a new, democratic and people-driven constitution.
c) Elections under a new constitution.

The NCA position is that the All Inclusive Government is a transitional government whose life span must not exceed 18 months.  It is the NCA’s view that this aspect, which is the assumption of the overwhelming majority of Zimbabweans, must be accepted by the All Inclusive Government itself.  We note that there are many in the All Inclusive Government who want to have this arrangement last for a five-year period.  Zimbabweans must not allow this.  The NCA will, therefore utilize its usual methods of campaigns to ensure that the All Inclusive Government arrangement is regarded by all as a transitional government that must pave way to new elections under a new, democratic and people-driven constitution.

The position that the All Inclusive Government is a transitional government with a limited duration is not just a matter of principle.  Our country requires a legitimate and effective government.  The events surrounding the first two weeks of the inclusive government show serious problems. For example:

a) Political detainees and women’s rights activists remain in unlawful custody.  At his inauguration, the Prime Minister promised their release within “a day or week”.  Not only did this not happen, but instead more people were arrested, including Roy Bennett.

b) The size of the government is bigger than what is provided for in the current constitution as amended by Amendment No. 19.  The size is unsustainable for our country.  Most of the international aid being sought by the All Inclusive Government will be used to finance this huge infrastructure.

c) The parties in the All Inclusive Government continue to quarrel over appointments such as those of Permanent Secretaries, Provincial Governors, and the Governor of the Reserve Bank and the Attorney General.

Does this country deserve a huge, ineffective and quarrelling administration?  For this reason, the NCA wishes to mobilize the people to remain alert to the transitional nature of this arrangement.

The NCA is clear that the constitution-making process contained in Article 6 of the GPA is not people-driven and is meant to impose the Kariba Constitution on the people of Zimbabwe.  The NCA has developed an alternative proposal of a genuine process which has been endorsed by the majority of civil society.  We take this opportunity to present this proposal to the public.  We will engage the all-inclusive government over this proposal with a view to ensuring that as a country we adapt a new democratic and people-driven constitution.

If the All-inclusive government insists on the Kariba process that will be enough evidence that they are not interested in a democratic and people-driven constitution.

Where will Morgan Tsvangirai be on Saturday 28th February?

a) Pretoria round table to drum up aid
b) Watching football
c) Visiting Jestina and other Zimbabwean detainees
d) Having a braai (nyama goche)
e) Taping his first national address on ZTV
f) Going to Bob’s Birthday Bash