Julius Malema, an expelled former leader of the ANC Youth League in South Africa has launched a political party platform, Economic Freedom Fighters. Malema says it’s a platform for garnering support from the masses to demand economic freedom from the ANC. Analysts however say Malema is preparing to launch a party and is testing the waters with such moves. Some have likened his move to that done earlier this year by Agang leader, Ramphele, who set up a platform prior to applying to register the political party.

Malema in his launch speech outlines principles that will govern the consultations they will carry out around South Africa. The first two being expropriation of South Africa’s land without compensation for equal redistribution and nationalisation of mines, banks, and other strategic sectors of the economy. This has seen some readers likening Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters to a mini Mugabe state.

Ever since the day I watched a documentary called Wasteland on how a photographer changed the lives of rubbish pickers in Brazil by empowering them to make art with the recyclable materials they pick from the dump site my mind now forever boggles on how best people can make of the circumstances and scenarios they are in. The Friendship Bench at Harare Hospital is one of the many ideas across the country of how communities are being empowered.

I recently visited the Friendship Bench at Harare Hospital. An organisation created by Dr Chibanda to assist low-income people suffering from depression and anxiety. Patients come to the wooden bench for counselling from trained health workers. After realising that most of the people receiving counselling at the Friendship Bench had no source of income, the idea of Zee Bags was born. These women crotchet old plastic bags into colourful shopping baskets and fun handbags.

Now the women have been so empowered to make their own living. If you attended HIFA this year, you probably saw their stand, which was big and eye-catching. Being at HIFA and exhibiting was a great achievement for them and now they look forward to doing the same at the Harare Agricultural Show.

Being around this group of women you can see how this community development project has helped them to deal with their challenges with common mental disorders, depression and anxiety. During the interviews I gathered most of the women eluded that before joining this project all they could think of were their worries leading to stress, but now making these bags keeps their minds busy. And it’s also giving them some income to take care of their families.

Day 1, Saturday 11 May
Checked in at 9:30 and had to wait for two hours for the bus to come. We left after midnight and the highlight of the trip was when one of the guys in our group had a clash with the co-host. He was angry because of the delay and a bit drunk and they exchanged words. With him being a student activist and a former SRC president at MSU we were treated to words, which later became a hit on our trip. He would say: ‘foolish fool’, ‘deodorized bullshit’ and a whole lot of other words that are now synonymous with him!

Day 2, Sunday 12 May
We arrived just before noon and had a formal meeting to facilitate introductions. Met Louis and Brian, the trainers. It was a free day so we went out shopping. Six volunteers were asked to stay at a different location from the rest of the team because the lodge was full. I volunteered with the lady sitting next to me because no one was any showing interest in doing so. We were some lucky bastards as we got to stay in a hotel – not that fancy but far much better than the lodge! In the evening we were told a call came through from the lodge saying the training was starting at 7am instead of 9am!

Day 3, Monday 13 May
First day of the training, woke up early for 7am but little did we know it was a prank! Failed to find the culprit. We were given really great phones for our work towards the end of the day after we had grasped a lot of what Mobile Community Zimbabwe (MCZ) was. So MCZ is a community of citizen journalists who report on the stories not covered widely or at all in the mainstream media.

Day 4, Tuesday 14 May
The lessons and group exercises just made me miss my school days.  Did our first video assignment around the lodge. Interesting stories came up and we had a great laugh. We had a big discussion on media law and ethics. Most of the participants were wondering whether we were supposed to get accreditation like journalists. The local trainers explained to us that if we get accreditation then we lose the whole idea of citizen journalism. Also they reminded us they do not expect to get from us the hard-core news stories we read in the press everyday.

Day 5, Wednesday 15 May
Had a class assignment to work in groups of two. We went to ZAMCOM the largest school of journalism in Zambia. Made video stories there too. Did more outdoor playing around with the garden set up at the college and interacting with the students! After class, we all went out for drinks.

Day 6, Thursday 16 May
We were divided into three groups and we visited three different community radio stations. I joined the group that went to Radio Christian Voice; a Christian based community radio station.

Day 7, Friday 17 May
We went to the market where Zimbabweans sell various goods. Used Storymaker to do interviews. It was a lot like a market place in Zimbabwe because everyone around that area could speak Shona or Ndebele, though most were born in Zambia. Went for a mini bus tour around Lusaka on our way back to the lodge. We were given the afternoon off so we took a long walk to a local market place. In the evening we watched the videos we had made in the morning. Said our goodbyes.

Day 8, Saturday 18 May
On this day Intercape really insulted us! We got up early preparing for the journey, checking in time was 9:30am. When we got there we were told the bus was going to leave at 1pm. We left after 2pm but fortunately we managed to get by the border before they closed. Arrived in Harare just before midnight.

The Women’s Trust in 2007-2008 ran the Women Can Do It! Campaign, which saw many women contesting Parliamentary seats. The campaign, which ran smoothly and was synonymous with the song, ‘Ndi mai vanogona’ spread to all corners of the country. On the 2nd of May, The Women’s Trust launched the SiMuka Zimbabwe Campaign that encourages women to take part in elections with three main objectives. The campaign wants women to register to vote, to vote and to vote for other women. The campaign’s promotional materials include four different coloured t-shirts, which convey various messages in three languages Shona, Ndebele and English to accommodate every Zimbabwean.

Simuka Zimbabwe is not only for the new voter but for women who have voted during the past elections too. To these women, the campaign encourages them to check that their names still exist in the voters roll. The Director, Memory Kachambwa during the launch clearly pointed out that the campaign has various strategies to target the different women in the country. It is with interest to note that Simuka Zimbabwe is of a dynamic and broad spectrum as it not only encourages voter participation but goes a step further to give a wake call to men and women of Zimbabwe to get up, wake and rise ‘n’ shine.

A booklet is available that empowers women to make better informed decision when voting. The words of founder and Board Secretary Luta Shaba sum up all what Simuka Zimbabwe seeks to achieve, “If you have seen what you want then go and shop for your leader.” The Women’s Trust through their campaign continue to try and develop a critical mass of women who can articulate issues and effect changes.

I attended university during a period where going to school seemed like wasting one’s precious time and adding more strain on family’s financial budgets. This was the period of 2006-2010 where Zimbabwe went through a major economic downfall, the 2008 elections and the dollarisation of the currency – a very difficult period. It did appear much better for one to quit school and cross the border to a neighbouring country as they would be guaranteed of access to their needs and wants. It is during this period that corruption within the various systems in the university grew like it was growing in any other sector in the country. You could see how people would manipulate the system because of a certain commodity they held, which was in demand. You would be shocked to hear what a lecturer would do when promised a bag of maize. As the economy got better with goods and commodities available, corruption, like cancer, still existed.

Students in Kenya and Uganda have established an anonymous website, Not In My Country which seeks to expose acts of corruption within universities in these two countries. By acting as whistle blowers, students rate their lecturers’ performances and have an optional field to explain their ratings. These are crowd sourced to provide ratings. In South Africa, university students at Wits are using the university newspaper, Vuvuzela, to expose lecturers who engage in misconduct in their work through sexual harassment. Students all over have been using various media to expose corruption within their universities but these are only effective if the university’s authorities take up their responsibility by investigating matters reported. Systems run by students often fall short as university staff protect each other as investigations or follow ups on reported cases are not made.

It always been said women are better at telling their own stories, but one South African guy has defied all odds to take readers on a journey of a female university student. Please note that the identity of the writer was only revealed towards the last chapters on the blog, Diary of a Zulu Girl. I came across this blog a few weeks back and have been addicted to Thandeka the main character whom I thought was real and telling her own university experience story. Thandeka according to the writer, is making the transition, ‘from mud huts and umqombothi (African beer) to penthouses, expensive weaves and Moet”. I have only read a few of the first chapters but learning that the writer is male will not deter me from continuing with my interesting read.

I fell in love with Thandeka, not just that my best friend in primary was named Thandeka, but because in some scenes I could easily relate to her. For instance her first night of going out, not that my first night out happened as fast as hers, in the first 24 hours of her university life. But in the sense of how easily girls fall to ‘peer pressure’ in universities by the ones they trust. In the story, Thandeka had a ‘cousin’ S who was already enrolled at the university and whom her parents entrusted her to. It’s therefore easy for such people to influence whoever they have to watch over in campus be it in a good or bad way. On heir first night out, Thandeka dressed in her best clothes but according to her ‘cousin’ S the clothes were not suitable for going out….

…At 1030pm S came to my room to check if i was ready. I was wearing my hip-hop outfit (trend back home), skinnies with sneakers etc. You know the teen high school uniform for going out. We all look like lil Wayne wannabes. Looking at her i felt stupid! …She laughed and said we are not in Mooi River anymore I will have to change. I told her I did not have any such clothes and she said don’t worry i will hook you up…I had a weave on which back home we commonly call “razor” you know the one which short and is flat but curly at the back. She told me that by the end of the week this must go because here it was called “kasi weave”. She told me to rather stick to braids or my hair if i didn’t want weave. i was an eager student and dint wanna look rural so i absorbed it all…

The writer through the chapters that I have read so far, portrays real characters whom people can relate to out there. In an interview with The City Press, he says he drew his inspiration ” from years of giving advice on Facebook to his friends.” At least its not from the movies, its from real girls he interacts with no wonder he was able to portray the real life of a typical university girl. What really left me pleased with Mike and all the characters in his blog, is that his blog was entirely written on his mobile phone! The blog has been running for three weeks and ends with Chapter 51.

A comment made on the log reads: “I would like to start off by thanking you for opening our eyes as the youth. I am a 21yr old journalism student from Durban and I must say this blog really touched me. I am set to leave for JHB in the next two months and I will really be the “Zulu girl going to JHB” LOL…I feel that you have prepared me for what is to come and you have encouraged me to really take a look at myself and really check where my values stand.”