In repeated patterns
the planet turns

- it is that time again
when skeletal-dark branches
that space the beige of winter
bud into copper and gold
and the bougainvilleas bloom
in flowers of fire

at sunset we sit in the stillness of twilight
as the earth holds her breath
approaching the time to dream
collecting our vital force to cross the invisible canyon

news this morning reports that 2 days of SADC meetings
‘have met with no resolution’
the death of thousands on their hands

and still the old man holds us in his grips
as we watch our people starve

the street child stands on the corner
street worn
bare feet in a carpet of crimson
fallen petals
of the lucky bean tree

Hey, here’s something for you to do on a Friday afternoon. Join the Avaaz action and send Mugabe a red card. You can learn more about Avaaz at www.avaaz.org . . .

Click here to send a red card.

Hopes are slipping away for a deal to resolve Zimbabwe’s political crisis. Yesterday, Robert Mugabe announced plans to ignore the ongoing negotiations with the opposition MDC party, form a sham “Government of National Unity” with a breakaway opposition faction, and open parliament next week.

This weekend, when Southern Africa’s 15 leaders, including Mugabe, meet at a major summit in Johannesburg, they will look out upon a sea of red. Thousands of Southern African trade unionists and other citizens will march to the summit waving red cards — the football penalty symbol for expulsion — and call for Mugabe to go. The organisers have appealed to Avaaz for international support, and will carry signs at the march representing the “red cards” sent by Avaaz members.

The region’s powerful trade unions have threatened that unless Southern African leaders take action now, they will refuse to handle goods coming to or from Zimbabwe and will squeeze Mugabe out. A massive march this weekend backed by 100,000 supporters from around the world will be a overwhelming signal to Southern African leaders that they must act now before the crisis becomes even more desperate — to announce that the Mbeki-led negotiations have failed, and to launch a new and fairer negotiating process immediately.

Four and a half months have passed since the people of Zimbabwe voted for Morgan Tsvangirai and the Movement for Democratic Change on 29 March. Hyperinflation has exploded to an unimaginable 40,000,000%, and millions now face starvation. The EU, US, and UK have pledged a $1.9bn financial aid package to stabilise Zimbabwe’s economy, feed the hungry and combat hyperinflation — but only if Mugabe is removed.

Meanwhile, distribution of food aid by local and international humanitarian agencies has been prohibited by Mugabe’s government. Torture camps remain in operation, political violence continues in some rural provinces, and 12 opposition MPs languish in jail on trumped-up charges. The Mbeki-led talks are collapsing, as Mugabe and his military high command insist on retaining control.

The people of Zimbabwe need strong allies willing to take bold action. Already, more than 300,000 Avaaz members — including tens of thousands in Africa — have signed petitions, donated funds, and written to their leaders in global campaigns for democracy and justice. After Avaaz flew a 280-square-metre banner over an Mbeki-chaired United Nations meeting, South Africa finally called for the release of elections results. In April, trade unions and civil society groups including Avaaz led a successful campaign to block a Chinese arms shipment to Zimbabwe. Now, as the crisis accelerates, our voices matter more than ever — we can send an electronic wave of red cards to Johannesburg and bolster the efforts of on-the-ground advocates pressing for change.

Join the global outcry now.

I believe that men and women of integrity and high moral standards still exist in our police force in Zimbabwe but there are some certain unruly elements in it as is the case in any part of life.

I can no longer trust the police because they don’t deal with the situation how they are supposed to. African police always need bribes instead of helping and saving the lives of those who need help.

The police have the constitutional mandate to provide security for the ordinary citizens of the country. However, they extort, intimidate and rob the same people they are mandated to protect. People no longer feel safe or have the patience to wait for the police to arrive at the scene of accident. Instead they settle on their own after an exchange of harsh words and sometimes fisticuffs.

The taxis that ply our roads hardly ever have all their papers so the drivers resort to tipping the officers at police road blocks to escape prosecution. My neighbour owns a Tuck-shop and sells bread. Instead of fining him for overpricing, the police take the bread away and share it amongst themselves.

And how can the police be trusted when drugs/mbanje kept in their custody goes missing among the police force itself?

To increase the effectiveness of the police force in Africa the conditions under which they do their duties must be improved, for example, transport to and from work, accommodation, and protection from physical, social, political and mental harm. Incentives and performance-based rewards can also be introduced.

The police force urgently needs to be policed by another independent body.

As we now approach the rainy season people are preparing their small pieces of land, or A3s as I heard someone saying, around the suburbs of our cities.

I think this is the right time for the Harare City Council to address this – the earlier the better. The council must have a clear-cut policy on urban agriculture that takes into consideration the need to conserve the environment while acknowledging the contribution urban farming makes towards household food security.

Haphazard urban farming has negatively impacted on the environment and in some instances has affected protected conservancies, forests and wetlands. For example, along Mutare road just after Jaggers or 11 months as it is popularly known, the Cleveland Dam is now exposed and the whole plantation of gum trees and the indigenous trees through to Mabvuku turn-off is now history. So it is time for the city fathers to act and protect this area before it is turned into these A3s again.

Urban agriculture, as part of a poverty reduction strategy, needs to be regulated and areas where it should take place should be well defined according to boundaries. There have been cases where the local authority has clashed with residents over urban agriculture, especially where it concerns maize growing. Some residents have had their maize crop slashed because it was grown on unauthorised land.

The Harare City Council should recognise the role urban farming plays in providing food to families and, as such, it should be promoted and not discouraged as long as it is conducted in a manner that does not impact negatively on the environment.

Therefore the council should put big sign boards up advising that the practice of urban agriculture is not illegal and that it only becomes illegal when it is not authorised, or when it is implemented along stream banks and in protected wetlands. This is the best time for the City Council to make this announcement since people are starting to prepare their fields and clearing their small pieces of land.

It’s been quite awhile since I’ve gone to see a movie in Harare. My last memory of a movie outing was going to the 7 Arts where I found one of the ushers frying fish behind the sweet counter. I wasn’t charmed. The smell of fish mixed with popcorn doesn’t quite do it for me. Maybe there’s a renegade working at the state-controlled Herald newspaper because while I was browsing the movie listings last night I saw the title of a film that singularly sums up how many Zimbabweans feel about Bob.

No Country for Old Man is playing at the Elite 100.

On a recent visit to the US, my family and friends were not only happy to see me, they also got a kick out of seeing my 50 billion dollar notes.  There were some dropped jaws at the site of all those zeroes. And laughs with stories I told about how confusing it can be to pay for things and receive change.  Importantly these reactions were combined with inquiries and concern surrounding an economy which requires 100s of billions to buy a loaf a bread.  What I find unsettling are the places where the concern seems absent.  Where interest in Zimbabwean Dollars has inflated into hyper-insensitivity.  This got me thinking about the dark side of the internet.

Let’s start with eBay.  I thought maybe the sale of Zimbabwean Dollars on eBay was an urban myth.  Not the case. I found an economist/blogger who identified three on-going auctions with prices ranging from US$49.72 to US$71.  He also reproduced an interesting graphic from The Economist showing that 100 billion is the 4th highest-denomination banknote in history.  The highest is the 1946 Hungarian 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 Pengo (one quintillion I think).  Other sites reported 100 billion notes going for AU$87 and US$152.50.  I see the benefit of eBay as a way for people to unload their junk onto someone else and make a little money.  Nothing wrong with that.  But this, I think is too much.  Selling Zimbabwean Dollars on eBay for profit is not right. Particularly if seller and buyer have no knowledge of the situation in Zimbabwe.

In addition to this insensitive free-for-all on eBay, I shake my head in confusion and anger over the places sales are being discussed/advertised.  One site is called Boing Boing: A Directory of Wonderful Things. What world do the creators of that website live in if they think hyperinflation in Zimbabwe is a wonderful thing?  And next, the comments people make.  On a site called ask.metafilter.com there is a post where the person is seeking Zimbabwean Dollars with the reason given: I wanna pose for pictures on my myspace page with my billions of Zimbabwe dollars on display, just stacks and stacks of it… maybe even make a little youtube movie where I flash my Zimbabwe dollars in my hands and yell, I’m rich, bitch!

I wish I knew the dockworkers instrumental in stopping the Chinese weapons from being unloaded in South Africa.  If I did, they might have some advice as to how to shut down the sale of Zimbabwean Dollars on eBay.  Perhaps it’s not neatly parallel or fair to compare the sale of weapons to a dictatorship with a few people making money on eBay.  However, there are similarities in the underlying end results.  In both cases, a set of people are operating (consciously or unconsciously) with seemingly no concern around the difficult and unjust realities for a much larger set of people.