Yesterday I spent close to 2 hours in and out of a bank queue trying to withdraw my $1000 for the day. I stood so long I began to shiver slightly from both hunger pangs and exhaustion. Soon as I got my one leaf, I proceeded straight to Libby’s and bought myself hot chips for exactly $1000. They were the cheapest meal on the menu. I told my partner and since then he won’t stop making fun of me. He says it’s a whole new meaning to the term hand-to-mouth. It’s simply ridiculous and defeats logic that I spent so long to get such little cash and when I did, I immediately used it all on lunch. The reasoning was had I not spent so long in the queue, I wouldn’t have felt faint in the first place. Which makes me think of the way South African politics work. When they feel someone is not doing their job properly, they shout from the rooftops if they have to and actively advocate having that person removed with immediate effect. Currently, that is what’s happening to President Mbeki, despite his so-called victory on the Zimbabwe mediation.

Recently the ANC mass mobilized to demand that all charges against Jacob Zuma be dropped citing unfair treatment by the NPA. They went out of their way to demonstrate in front of the courts, they even threatened to ‘crush’ anyone who blocked Zuma’s path to the presidency. Frankly it was my first time to witness a group of people actually advocate for a criminal to be set free. The courts probably gave in and acquitted Zuma, and now the heat has been turned onto Mbeki. The ANC is blatantly and unashamedly using the ANCYL President Julius Malema to communicate the fact that Mbeki is no longer wanted within the ANC and to demand his resignation. Although Malema does this under the banner of representing the position of the youth league even those with half a brain can figure out that the silence of the ANC whiteheads speaks of their collective opinion.

Although I do not completely subscribe to the ANC strategy of doing things I sometimes wish we had similar kinds of behavior in Zimbabwe, more so within the ruling party. That’s the way a democracy should be, for the people, and not the individual to be in control of things and to decide who stays and who goes. But in Zimbabwe, it is taboo and even if some members of the politburo were disgruntled about the leadership, they would never dare to explicitly register their disapproval. I guess it’s a question of socialization and this culture of inherent resignation threatens to prevail over all deliberations in this country as long as Bob lives.

Right now barely 48 hours after the contentious signing of the agreement, another deadlock has been reported over the allocation of Ministries and who gets what portfolio. Those clowns squabbling about whether or not the key ministries of Finance, Agriculture, Foreign affairs, Local government, Justice and Information should still be under Zanu PF patronage or not is the last thing we need. It has been as plain as day that the previous cabinet, which by the way, Mugabe himself called the worst ever, failed to run this country and its clear that for any economic progress to prevail, such posts must exchange hands into those of younger, more capable ones.

As long as Mugabe and his people retain these key positions, this will not only be egg in Tsvangirai’s face but there is absolutely no way this country will turn around. The international community has indicated it is not prepared to inject any funds where there is a likelihood of them being squandered again by the chefs in their insatiable appetite for self-enrichment while intended beneficiaries, who are ordinary Zimbabweans, continue to live in abject poverty. I would suggest that as long as selfish interests still prevail over practicality and simple humanity, Tsvangirai must just call it quits. If he decides to give in to Zanu PF’s impossible demands, then we know we’ve got ourselves another wolf out to fatten his stomach – at the expense of the poor taxpayer.

It worries me how people can spend so much time arguing over what obviously needs to be done when the country is at an advanced state of emergency and needs serious economic rehabilitation. Haven’t these ruling party politicians made enough hay while the Zanu PF sun still shone brightly, especially in the years they looted from the whites under the banners of land reform and reclamation of sovereignty? Have they not stolen enough, even from the mouths of the poor – to last them a lifetime? We desperately need a change of tactics and Tsvangirai and his people are our only hope so far. Only the selfishness of an egotistic few now stands between Zimbabweans and the road to economic renewal. This arrangement will only work when individuals involved are prepared to do without unnecessary opulence and to work together for the benefit of the majority.

Where can I get a picture of the honourable Prime Minister? I need one, we all need one, to go up beside the picture of the honourable President. After all, it was never the law (I have been assured by several lawyers) to hang a picture of the President up in public rooms. Therefore I must assume people did it from patriotism (not fear). And now that we have two leaders, and we are still patriotic, we must have pictures of both our two leaders up. For to have only one picture up would indicate that we did it because we wished to be involved in partisan politics. Now that we have two parties and two leaders ruling us, (long live the signing of the agreement!), both pictures would indicate patriotic support. While one picture would indicate partisan support. And no pictures would indicate . . . you like a clean wall and are waiting, along with the rest of us.

In response to one of our Kubatana electronic newsletters where we asked our subscribers for their opinions on the deal between Zanu PF and the MDC, here is what Reuben writing from Harare shares with us:

The step taken is the right step. However implementation will be very crucial to judge its effectiveness. I foresee a possible grey area in the operation of the Council of Ministers and Cabinet. It is not clear which institution will have decisions executed. To me Cabinet headed by the President will be the supreme organ, and may decide to delay implementation of certain policies from the Council. I need to be corrected.

I think that the priorities of this new, inclusive government should include:
1. Affordable food on the table for everyone. Allow any donor to provide healthy and unexpired food to the people.
2. Availability of affordable seed and fertiliser for the new planting season.
3. Procurement of reasonably cheap fuel for industry and homes.
4. Rehabilitation of Kariba and Hwange to have enough electricity for industry and homes. No more load shedding.
5. Availability and Provision of clean and healthy water. Import/produce the chemicals to treat water.
6. Eliminate sewage overflows in all towns. No more bad smells and spilling.
7. Provide affordable communication systems and rehabilitate our road and rail networks.

What I want to see this new government do:
1. Weed out corruption systematically.
2. Resuscitate viable agricultural production.
3. Arrest those who killed people between 29 March and 31 August 2008, including notorious Comrade Chinotimba.
4. Assure the nation that money supply will be revisited as a matter of urgency.
5. Force the RBZ Governor to resign before end of November 2008.
6. Support sport from grassroots to senior levels.
7. Account for all our minerals being mined and exported.
8. Revamp the Education and Health Care systems.

The list is massive. However I should end here.
Reuben

So. They have finally agreed to something.

Like everyone, I am just waiting to see the viability of the DEAL. I am just finding it a bit hard to be optimistic momentarily because for starters I know too well the people we are dealing with. I know there is a chance of somebody reneging on their role in the agreement simply because they have done it before and that is my biggest worry. Like President Tsvangirai (doesn’t yet smoothly roll off the tongue); we are gonna have to trust Mugabe.

Well, since this DEAL is supposedly in the name of the ordinary people, I have a few things that I’d like to see evolve from this agreement. Some of them are touched upon and promised in the agreement:

-A practical and sustainable economic recovery plan and fiscal policies that will gain back the trust of international donors and investors and see an end to food shortages plus restoration of public services. They can start with booting out Mr Gono, if the rumor that he’s quitting is not true. It would also be nice to have a reasonable daily cash withdrawal limit that actually takes you to work and back.

-Cessation of intolerance of divergent political orientation and the respect and upholding of the rights to freedoms of speech and association.

-An end to chaotic land grabs by so-called chefs and a plausible land audit to hold anyone sitting on idle land accountable. We need farmers who know what they are doing else we’ll continue to starve and beg.

-The setting up of a Truth commission should be in the offing to bring justice for victims of traumatic violence that characterized the contentious elections. This may only be done after more immediate needs like economic revival, but a lot of Zimbabweans hope for justice in a new Zimbabwe.

-A complete overhaul of the health sector with a possible replacement of the long-serving Minister of Health Dr Parirenyatwa. This time we’d appreciate a minister who is more focused on saving lives instead of threatening to take lives for political gain.

Those are a few among my many wishes, and I have a couple of smaller, more specific ones, like having ZINWA booted out for instance They have failed us miserably and we are just sick (literally) and tired of dirty water.

Above all, I wish that all parties keep their side of the bargain, cooperate and comply with the provisions of the agreement. Otherwise this DEAL is not for me. It would have been all just usual pomp and fanfair for an egotistic few.

Being the miserable pessimist my friends say I am, I’m glad in a way to find that there are several of us out there who just cant trust anymore and are concerned about any equation that equals Bob. History of the 1987 Unity Accord taught us that much. I find a number of people are agreeable to the deal; BUT with conditions. I’ve also heard a couple of whispers that if the MDC did not have something up their sleeve, they wouldn’t have signed. This remains to be seen.

Could it be that possibly the only way of ousting a tyrant is to do it from the inside?

Newlands Shopping centre in Harare, where we have our office, is unusually quiet today.

The bank queues are shorter, the vendors are fewer and the streets emptier. From various shops I can hear the drone of Mugabe’s voice. People are huddled around radios listening to the signing ceremony speeches. Out in the car park I’ve just walked past a couple of guys mimicking Mugabe . . . “We will not have regime change”.

Last night a group of us gathered to talk over a couple of beers. Most of us have been in the pro-democracy struggle for many years but none of us were feeling optimistic about today. We shook our heads saying that we never thought it would end like this, in a bloated government of unity. Or an arrangement that simply accommodates two political parties. Sure, like many people say, this is at least a shift. And if the MDC have their wits about them they’ll use this opportunity to take full control rather than continue to be maneuvered and choreographed by Zanu PF.

Most likely this small struggling nation of ours now has the largest government in Africa. This certainly isn’t anything to boast about. Are we looking down the barrel of two of everything: two motorcades, two portraits, two macho men commandeering our national airline? How much money will get gobbled up by this power sharing arrangement while politicians like Morgan crow for aid to come in and resuscitate our economy?

The average person on the street in Zimbabwe only welcomes this expedient political arrangement because they want their life to improve. But will it? Just recently we read about the new swathe of MPs getting brand spanking new cars to the tune of US$9 million whilst the majority of their constituents do not have access to a regular clean supply of water. Of immediate importance is the need to hold these politicians accountable. To make sure that they deliver on improving the abyssal conditions that Zimbabweans are surviving under. As many ordinary Zimbabweans have pointed out, whilst it is important that we work on issues such as a new constitution, we can’t eat a constitution.

And, by the way, people are dying of hunger.

Is Morgan more than the power and the glory? Before he jumps on a jet plane and tours the world let’s see him, with his supposed new powers, focus on improving the everyday lives of Zimbabweans.

When Robert Mugabe opened Parliament last month, he was jeered and heckled by the MDC’s Members of Parliament. Some thought this was a positive sign – an act of defiance on the part of a long-suffering opposition party. A few people, however, thought the MDC was stooping too low in a childish act of name calling.

The exchange was shown once on national television before the state broadcaster yanked that part of the footage. But CNN got a copy of it, and the clip has since been posted online. In our email newsletter yesterday, we sent people the link to the footage, and asked them for their feedback.

So far, the responses have all been positive, for example:

There is nothing wrong with that kind of behaviour. Mugabe after stealing the vote several times, beating and murdering his own people, how can he expect people to respect him. People have been oppressed for very long and that is the only platform they had to express sentiments from their constituencies.

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Fantastic. They reflected the exact sentiment of the people they represent. That is their mandate is it not?

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Jeering and heckling in Parliament is the stuff of lively democratic debate the world over and a test of the temerity, wit and strength of the representatives. And puhleese, they have the arrogance to puff up and bluster about the heckling whilst our equally important honorable Members of Parliament are being hauled off and clapped in irons and being subjected to the degradation of our ever so proud government’s filthy prison cells. Pride comes before the fall. The critics of the heckling are also past masters of equally derrogatory behaviour in Parliament – they must now step up and get ready for some of their own medicine and prove their worthiness to the people of Zimbabwe – or are they all a bunch of wimps?

Watch the footage here or here and email info [at] kubatana [dot] org [dot] zw to let us know what you think.