Bulawayo Agenda have just issued this report:

Hwange
Teachers in one of the schools in the mining town of Hwange are reported to have been arrested for being in possession of wireless radios. The radios were distributed to the teachers by PTUZ. There are suspicions that the arrests may be politically motivated. However, PTUZ and the Hwange Human Rights Youth Forum have organized a demo for Thursday against Police brutality and harassment. The two teachers are still in police custody.

Victoria Falls
Gushungo buses are said to have resurfaced in Hwange. The buses are plying the Hwange – Victoria Falls route for free to the residents of Hwange and Victoria Falls. The resurfacing of the buses is thought to be an election campaign method by ZANU-PF. It is also alleged that Zanu PF is funding funerals and birthday bashes of residents in Vic Falls with one resident having benefitted 21 crates of beer and 25 crates of soft drinks on her 50th birthday bash.  It is also reported that Zanu PF is dishing out ‘loans’ of between $500 to $1000 to youths and women in various parts of the country while  government has run out of funds for other important issues such as grants for the elderly and the disabled.

By now, I expect that many of us are well acquainted with the expansive list of assets that Zimbabwe’s Minister of Local Government and his wife are fighting over in their divorce trial.  For the most part, people have been outraged by the flagrant excess and insatiable gluttony of it all and the suspicion is that it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

On my part, I have been surprisingly inspired by the whole episode. It is evident that over the decades there have been tireless efforts towards this vast accumulation of assets.  So encouraged am I that I have decided to share the pearls (or diamonds, if you prefer) of wisdom I’ve extracted.

- Have ambition and don’t settle for less. Why should you own only one stand in Borrowdale when you can have twenty, or be the proprietor of one company when ten companies are even better?

- Don’t get disappointed if you never get promoted and you’ve been stuck in the same post since 2000. With the right attitude you can still do well and get rich through the opportunities that your current job presents.

- Every part of Zimbabwe is important and deserves to enjoy development through decentralised investment initiatives. Next time you have some spare cash, consider purchasing a stand or two in Chirundu, Katanga Township or maybe even Binga.

- Just because you are a civil servant, doesn’t mean that you must remain as poor as a church mouse. You will find that there are substantial perks that come with your job.

- Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. She will make public your private affairs, expose to all-and-sundry what hard earned assets you have, demand half of these and still expect you to pay her maintenance ’til death do you part’.

·    Next time you see a car with the popular bumper stick “My other car is a Mercedes Benz and I also have Land Cruisers, Nissan Wolfs and Hard-bodies”, don’t laugh; believe.

- If for three years your husband does not live in the matrimonial home because he is sorting out some personal issues, know that he is not coming back.

- Don’t be limited by your schooling. You may have doctorates in adult and higher education, but that doesn’t stop you from pursuing interests in mining, hospitality, farming, retail, real estate etc.

- With a large percentage of Zimbabweans with no access to clean drinking water, it is clear that work performance has no correlation in achieving success. You definitely don’t have to work hard at your job to amass great wealth.

I was shocked that The Herald, that non-partisan, balanced missive, would report in such detail the extent of Minister Chombo’s wealth. Interesting that the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and Rural Development would own (according to The Herald):

2 Glen View houses
2 flats in Queensdale, A property in Katanga Township, Stand Number 1037 Mount Pleasant Heights
4 Norton business stands
3 Chinhoyi business stands,
4 Banket business stands,
1 commercial stand in Epworth,
2 residential stands in Chirundu
4 commercial stands in Kariba
1 stand in Ruwa
1 stand in Chinhoyi,
2 stands in Mutare
2 stands in Binga.
4 stands in Victoria Falls
1 stand in Zvimba Rural Chitungwiza (two residential and two commercial stands) Beitbridge (four stands),
20 stands in Crow Hill, Borrowdale
10 stands in Glen Lorne,
2 flats at Eastview Gardens (B319 and B320)
1 flat at San Sebastian Flats in the Avenues, Harare Number 79 West Road, Avondale. Greendale house Number 36 Cleveland Road, Milton Park Number 135 Port Road, Norton,
2 Bulawayo houses. Number 18 Cuba Rd, Mount Pleasant Number 45 Basset Crescent, Alexandra Park,
2 Chegutu houses
1 Glen Lorne house (Harare)
2 houses (Victoria Falls). Stand along Simon Mazorodze Road, Norton (one stand) Avondale (two stands)
365 Beverly House (one stand) Bulawayo (three stands), Mica Point Kariba (one stand)

Clearly this is a man who has taken the President’s third Chimurenga seriously. You have to admire such industriousness: Chombo has been a full time Minister for fifteen years and a civil servant his entire career. This surely is an example to all those civil servants who have been protesting their paltry salaries for decades that ‘yes they too can’.

To add to his assets the minister has a Facebook page. It’s a shame Facebook doesn’t have a dislike button.

If we are to have elections next year, we want UN and EU to come and observe the elections…what does it take for them to come and protect us? If it is money, we villagers in Muzarabani are prepared to sell our chickens and goats to pay them to come. We cannot have a repetition of 2008 where SADC observers were relaxing in hotels while we got beaten here!
- Mr Goto, during one of Heal Zimbabwe’s meetings at Machaya village Muzarabani

In his book, Keywords, Raymond Williams describes culture as “one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language”; yet I am going to have to rely on this word in my very short discussion, especially the second of the five definitions given in the Concise Oxford Dictionary (Ninth Edition): “the customs, civilization and achievements of a particular time or people”.  In my discussion I shall particularise the vague word “achievements”, first into the word “arts”, next into two names connected with the arts, both names currently in the news: Munyaradzi Chidzonga and Charles Mungoshi.

In my opinion, Charles Mungoshi is Zimbabwe’s greatest living writer.  This award-winning, internationally respected author of novels, poems, and short stories – in Shona as well as in English – is desperately ill, and almost destitute.  In cultural terms, he is one of Zimbabwe’s most precious jewels.  His voice, even in English, is quintessentially African, never pseudo-European.  He is our collective treasure.  And yet, the so-called guardians of our heritage, our culture – those in high government office – have done nothing, as far as I know, to assist Charles Mungoshi in his hour of need.

Along comes the handsome actor, Munyaradzi Chidzonga, who was outvoted in the finals of the peeping Tom television show, “Big Brother”; unfairly outvoted, according to some of our Government Ministers who watch the sordid programme on their plasma screens when they should be attending to potholes, and housing shortages, or reading Charles Mungoshi… along he comes, this born free son of the soil, trailing, not clouds of glory, but dreams of one day meeting His Excellency, the Head of State, First Secretary, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces…er… where was I?  Oh yes, this darling of ZANU PF heavyweights, bringing Zimbabwean culture to the furtive voyeurs of the African continent… what does he get?- a reception at State House where His Excellency etc, etc, shakes his hand and proffers him a cheque for an obscene amount of money.  No wonder Munyaradzi was over the moon.

None of this really has anything to do with culture.  It’s all about political opportunism and, God help us, it works.

This weekend, the Constitutional Parliamentary Outreach Committee (COPAC) held consultative meetings in Harare and Chitungwiza, after the first attempt to hold these meetings was met with violence and intimidation. But this second attempt again resulted in violence, with one participant hospitalised. Read the Crisis in Zimbabwe statement about the weekend’s outreach meetings below:

Participant attacked, seriously wounded as police detain MDC employee

A participant at a meeting held at St John’s retreat, Joshua Manyere (32) was beaten up and seriously wounded by suspected ZANU PF supporters. He is currently receiving treatment at a local hospital.

Details obtained from an observer stationed at the venue are that during the meeting, suspected ZANU PF supporters threatened Manyere with unspecified action after his contributions were regarded as inconsistent with the views held by the ZANU PF supporters. After the meeting, it is alleged that Manyere was attacked by a group of suspected ZANU PF supporters and seriously injured during the commotion. The Coalition is still awaiting more details on the incident.

Meanwhile, Ms. Diana Nyikadzino, an employee of the Movement for Democratic Change is currently being detained at Waterfalls Police station for reasons still to be established after her apprehension at Hopley Clinic, Harare South.

Details from other meetings monitored are as below;

Tadzikamidzi School, Chitungwiza

The meeting, which was initially marred by intimidation, went ahead well after COPAC intervened although there were isolated cases of intimidation.

Zororo Center, Highfields

• There was high security with approximately 20 police officers
• The meeting started around 1100hrs and was attended by approximately 300 people
• The meeting was temporarily disrupted following contributions by one participant who suggested that war veterans should not hold the nation at ransom because of their contribution to the country’s liberation. The contribution sparked outrage among some participants believed to be war veterans who threatened to take unspecified action against the participant after the meeting. The war veterans accused the participant of disrupting the meeting leading to his apprehension by the police. He was however released following complaints by other participants who told the police that the ejected participant had done nothing to warrant such treatment. Despite attempts to disturb proceedings, the meeting went ahead.

Kuwadzana, Crowborough Creche

• The meeting was attended by close to 300 people
• Police remained passive during disturbances by some participants who accused one respondent of attempting to disrupt the meeting. COPAC however managed to contain the situation and the meeting went ahead.