Christmas decorations are up in most supermarkets indicating that the festive season is just around the corner and that mindless spending on food, drink and gifts can begin.

Had I the financial means I would add onto my Christmas shopping list Hugh Masekela’s song ‘Send Me’ and mail a copy of the track to every politician in office. This idea was inspired after reading Tawanda Chisango’s glowing review about the track’s rich Afro Jazz sound and moreover, its positive message. Describing the song as “spiritually uplifting” my immediate thought was that it would surely have some impact in reviving our seemingly lifeless statesmen to some noticeable action.

Primarily, I am hoping that the mere title of the song ‘Send Me’ will remind politicians that they have mandates to fulfil, as given by their constituents. All too often, it happens that public servants develop amnesia once elected into office and they forget that national, and not personal, development is paramount. In bestowing ‘Send Me’ as a gift perhaps our elected office bearers would remember that they were indeed sent, by us and for us. Maybe then we could get a bit more from them than ribbon cutting or the signing of yet another memorandum of agreement with ambiguous benefits for the masses.

Chisango writes: “The song is about someone … who is asking … to be sent so that they may be there when all the problems have been solved”. I imagine how nice it would be to have elected officials who actively find solutions to problems (or challenges, if we must use the more politically fashionable term), and not the more usual case where the politicians are the problem. Masekela’s song could inspire those in office to stop the tirades and the finger pointing in a westerly direction. After all, the purpose of putting politicians in power is not so that they can list the problems obvious to us all, but that they can find solutions to them.

But to fix a problem, you have to know that it exists and to do this you have to be in touch with the situation on the ground. Chisango explains that the person in the song is willing to go everywhere to assist the situation – to the railways, taxis, shebeens, buses, and the whole country. I admit that this is a tall order for our honourable representatives, who typically only visit their constituencies during election periods when they are garnering votes. How does one keep in touch with reality when they are surrounded (and shielded) by beefy bodyguards, heavily tinted car windows and nine-feet thick concrete walling? However, I believe that a new political norm is possible where statesmen actually live in the real world, amongst their constituents and assisting to better all our lives.

Although Masekela’s song is centred on being sent to tackle the HIV/AIDS pandemic, its message makes it relevant to all difficult circumstances that require the intervention of a champion or advocate. Elected officials take note. Being ‘honourable’ is not only a title that comes with the job; it indicates that there is a job to be done. The honour comes from being chosen and sent as a reliable campaigner for the people, to confront every difficulty no matter its size or its source and to improve circumstances for all of us.

You can download Send Me here

Giving this year’s Lozikeyi Lecture, the Minister of Education, Arts, Sport and Culture Minister David Coltart quoted Picasson on the role of art: “We all know that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realise truth”.

Impressively Coltart used the lecture to make a powerful argument against censorship, and in favour of artistic freedom of expression. In particular, he argued against the banning of Owen Maseko’s art on Gukurahundi, and described the ban on a more recent piece, in the interest of “public morality,” as “patently ridiculous.”

Whilst he didn’t go so far as to argue that the Censor Board itself be disbanded, or reconstituted, he was none the less far more outspoken about the issue than the MDC-T’s co-Minister of Home Affairs, Theresa Makone was on the same issue. For his troubles, Minister Coltart is now being threatened by war veterans who are insisting that he retract statements he made in the speech, suggesting that Gukurahundi was akin to genocide.

Read the full lecture here – it’s worth it!

The above two notices in Friday’s Herald caught my eye. The first makes a lot of sense to me. Harare has a huge water problem – as evidenced by the lack of water in our three-storey office block this week, as just one example. As the notice points out, “the city’s water supply infrastructure cannot satisfy the current demand. This is further worsened by infrastructure breakdowns and power outages.”

Surely, then, the city would recognise the need to fundraise and invest in infrastructure and power maintenance, repairs and development?

Meanwhile, a second notice warns suppliers against providing fire equipment without a SAZS Seal of Approval (Standards Association of Zimbabwe). This, the notice explains, is “aimed at protecting the public from substandard fire equipment that has found its way into the country.”

But why has this substandard fire equipment suddenly found its way across our borders? Because of a mad rush by motorists to get fire extinguishers, among other items, in time for the 1 December deadline of the new Road Traffic Regulations.

We’ve been looking for a month and have yet to find an SAZ approved fire extinguisher at any local hardware. How is the City of Harare going to warn suppliers of this issue? How will it enforce it, and if they do collect fines, how will that revenue be allocated?

I’m reminded of Thandi’s waste not, want not blog. What about fining people for using hose pipes, using that money to invest in water supply requirements, and dropping the whole fire extinguishers in vehicles issue altogether?

SW Radio Africa this week launched Question Time – “where listeners get a chance to ask politicians direct questions,” hosted by Lance Guma.

The first guest this week was co-Home Affairs Minister Theresa Makone of the MDC.

One listener asked why the pivotal Home Affairs ministry had been shared between the MDC and Zanu PF, and how the sharing of this with Zanu PF’s Kembo Mohadi was going.

Makone replied: “On a personal level, and on a professional level, I can work very well with Comrade Mohadi. We’ve got absolutely no problem with each other and with the way we see things and the way they should go.” Listen here

Oh really?

Kembo Mohadi has been Minister, or co-Minister of Home Affairs for such incidents as the:

• Violent induction for police recruits
• Arbitrary and prolonged detention of diamonds campaigner Farai Maguwu
• The ban of Owen Maseko’s artwork on Gukurahundi
• Numerous arrests of human rights campaingers such as Women of Zimbabwe Arise, and their continued harassment
• Judicial harassment against GALZ staffers Ellen Chademana and Ignatius Muhambi
• Enforced disappearance of Jestina Mukoko and dozens of other human rights defenders

Some of these incidents, including the arrest of GALZ members, the banning of Maseko’s artwork and the detention of Farai Maguwu on specious charges for over one month have occurred since the signing of the Global Political Agreement, and the sharing of the Home Affairs Ministry. Does Minister Makone – and by implication the Movement for Democratic Change – really have no personal, or professional problem with of these actions?

Other questions asked the Minister by our SMS subscribers included:

• There was violence during COPAC . What is the stance during election period ?
• What’s being done on police officers demanding money on road blocks?
• Are we going to see free elections next year?
• I still note that long ques stil exist at passport office.what measures have u taken so far to improve situation considering that we are going into festival season and lots of pple need 2 travel?
• As the Minister of  Home Affairs what measures have u put in place to help the city dwellers from the tranpsort operator s exorbitant fares?

Listen to the full programme here

Participate in Question Time

Using new media tools Facebook, Twitter, Skype, e-mail and SMS, listeners are told in advance who the guest is and using the same media tools they can then send in questions for the presenter to ask on their behalf. On Facebook, Twitter or Skype you can reach Lance by typing lanceguma. On e-mail lance [at] swradioafrica [dot] com and in Zimbabwe text +263 772 643 871.

This update from Veritas (below) impressed me – the MDC is demonstrating in action what it means when it says it “won’t recognise” appointments like the Provincial Governors.

The part about the Senators “singing, dancing and whistling” brought to mind this image from Anton Kannemeyer’s Alphabet of Democracy series.

For the second day running MDC-T Senators brought the Senate to a standstill in protest against the presence of “intruders”.  Immediately after the opening prayer MDC-T Senator Tichaona Mudzingwa rose to object to the presence of Thokozile Mathuthu, David Karimanzira, Jason Machaya and Faber Chidarikire in the House.  [These are persons who the MDC-T say are no longer ex officio members of the Senate, as they were illegally and unconstitutionally appointed as provincial governors by President Mugabe.]  The President of the Senate refused to accept the objection, whereupon the MDC-T Senators starting singing, dancing and whistling and made such a noise that the President of the Senate rose to adjourn the Senate until February.  No business was conducted.  MDC-M Senators present did not join in the demonstration.

Today’s events were a repeat of yesterday’s adjournment without business being conducted, after MDC-T made a similar protest against the presence of Thokozile Mathuthu. The MDC-T position is that MDC-T Senators will continue to prevent the Senate conducting any business until the issue of provincial governors’ appointments has been resolved.

If the issue over the provincial governors is resolved before the 8th February, it will be possible for the Senate to be recalled early.  Senate Standing Order 187 empowers the President of the Senate, at the request of President Mugabe, to recall the Senate for an earlier meeting if the “public interest” so requires. The Senate could be recalled at any time, even if the provincial governor problem is not resolved, but this is unlikely to happen as it would, no doubt, lead to further incidents.

I woke up today to a gentle shower falling outside. It was a slow and steadily falling rain; the kind that nourishes the earth. The warm, life sustaining shower that slowly sinks into the ground, soaked up by a parched earth, ever falling even as the sun peeks through. When the time is right, these showers produce the most amazing rainbows. Rainbows so colourful and so vibrant you thought you only had to reach it to touch it. I have spent countless hours amazed at this phenomenon. Growing up, our mothers knew, this was the perfect rain to plant your sweet potatoes in. For the younger tots it was in such showers that you spent countless fun filled hours, playing while mothers watched with mock indignation. The rain was so gentle, so warm, a caress on our skins.

As l opened the windows, my senses were assailed by that sweet, illusive aroma that wafts from the earth at the start of the rains. You can smell it, but it defies description. You just want to go outside and roll around in the wet grass and hope you absorb it through every pore of your being. You open your mouth and take it in in large gulps. You still can’t take in enough. It is the promise of new beginnings. It speaks of renewal and rebirth. It is the sweet smell of hope. It is the reward of months of faith. It is the earth exhaling in thanksgiving. It promises tender juicy mealies; so tender you eat the corn with the cob and sweet, sweet pumpkins.  It’s the promise of mounds of hot sadza and pumpkin leaves in peanut butter sauce. It says to the watcher, watch and wait, the season of plenty is nigh.

This shower is not the violent thunderstorm that so often occurs at the start of the rain season. The storm that is often full of sound and fury and at the end leaves a trail of death and destruction. This violent storm leaves gullies in the ground and tears up the trees from their roots. The lightning incinerates homes and leaves people stranded with only the clothes on their backs. The rain from this storm does not sink into the ground; rather, it sweeps across the land, taking away crops and livestock. Destroying when it is supposed to nourish. Taking life when it is supposed to give it. Our people knew not to plant their crops by these rains. Rather, you watched and you waited. You tilled the land and you prepared your seed for soon it would be time to plant under the nourishing rains that came after the storm.

And so it is with the affairs of Zimbabwe. We have experienced the sound and fury of countless violent storms. Entire families and communities have been uprooted and displaced. Storms of violence have left a trail of death and destruction. Yet still the gentle showers come, with the promise of renewal and rebirth. We open our lungs and take gulpfuls of the sweet illusive scent of new beginnings. We prepare the ground and we ready the seed and then we watch and we wait; because since time immemorial, these showers have said, the season of plenty is nigh. For however violent the storm, it soon wears itself out.