What this simply means it cannot be business as usual. We now more than ever need City Mothers, City Sisters and City Youths because the City Fathers have failed to prove the mantle of real fatherhood. Maybe let’s shout out for the real fathers to come out and arise. Real Fatherhood comes with responsibility, responsiveness, sensitivity, caring and presence at each & every nook, mishap, or need in the community/family of the urban environment.
- Eddington, Harare

Harare used to have public toilets situated at many suburban shopping centers. But these days the toilets are often locked. I guess the City of Harare doesn’t want people sleeping in them. The City also can’t supply water to them. So rather keep the toilets shut than have them stinking up the place. Of course this makes some sense but people passing through shopping centers or people vending in many of the vending communities that coexist next to shopping centers, shit and pee in the bush.

I’m convinced that the Mayor of Harare and the other head honchos don’t ever walk the streets of Harare. If they did they’d very promptly “vomit their gulls” as Tendai (below) suggests because the stench and dirt in our City has reached unacceptable levels.

Tendai makes a good suggestion when he asks private companies to put up refuse bins and fix the public toilets. But one has to ask why should private companies do this, and in so doing, let the City of Harare off the hook? If private companies have to step in time and time again to provide services that the City of Harare should provide, why do we have an expensive Mayor and his entourage?

It’s about time that a certified auditing firm audit revenue received by the City of Harare together with their expenditure. For example the City of Harare is going mad allowing a gross number of advertising billboards to be erected in Harare. But where does the rental money for these billboards go? These rentals can be used specifically to resuscitate public toilets.

Here’s Tendai getting things off his chest:

Toilets and refuse bins

It is high time City of Hare make a stand in 2011 to change the status of our city and bring sanity to the environment. Where are the refuse bins? Down town you hardly see one. Imagine, as our population increases I would think that in the City of Harare’s plans, toilets would increase according to the increased number of people. And with the few toilets we have can everyone afford 50 cents?

One is bound to vomit one’s gull. There is a strong stench of human waste especially when it is raining.

Please if there are companies or organizations reading this letter I appeal to you that you make your toilets available to the public and work on a program, or even build toilets to make all Zimbabwean cities better places. Even if each Zimbabwean organization can provide a litter drum painted with keep our city clean.

What nonsense is this? Is the MDC inflating their numbers, or is MT going the same way as Mugabe?  The man was just returning from holiday for goodness sake. Just now there won’t be a plane big enough for his ego:

On arrival at Harare International Airport on Tuesday, President Tsvangirai was met by hundreds of senior party officials and members. (MDC press statement)

I was listening to the radio in the morning in the kombi I was in, from home to town. The radio was tuned into Power FM where Bridget Gavanga (‘Bubbling B’) and Dr Zobha were on the morning show. Just before the 8 o’clock news Bridget hit us with some interesting news. She said that a Russian Orthodox Church had said that Russian women dress like strippers because they wear ‘figure-hugging outfits and full-on makeup’, and those who drink and wear mini skirts are to be blamed if they are raped. To cap it all she carried on to say that those who dress provocatively can’t find decent husbands! Read the story here.

Before Bridget could even finish reading this she was receiving some remarks from her co-DJ Dr Zobha. People in the kombi also started to comment. Dr Zobha asked an interesting question, “Akazviona kupi?” (“Where did the Orthodox see this?”). Which she chose to ignore. The story swiftly shifted to focus on Zimbabwean women. All the female people in the kombi kept quiet including myself.

One gentlemen noted that some women wear very short skirts and dresses, such that when they are asked to bend to pick up something, the skirt will ride down to the waistline and their under garments will be revealed. (“Ukati munhu akotame anonge pepa pasi, ka skirt kaya kanoenda kumusuna pantie rongosara rakadongorera”). All the men did have a laugh. It was quite sad that I went mute. I belong to the school of thought that believes one should wear what they feel most comfortable in, period. But all that I know of ‘body politics’ just ran out and I kept listening. Another man pointed out in the kombis as a female passenger is drooping off, you find them trying by all means to pull down their tops to cover their backs which tend to be revealed as one bends to get out of the kombi.

But the Orthodox did condemn men too. Those who wear ‘shorts in the city or team tracksuit bottoms with flip-flops’ but no one said a word about this. The whole conversation focused on how women dress.

Now I was wondering and asking myself, why were I and all the other ladies quiet? Is it because it’s the truth?

Below is an excerpt from a recently published Pastoral Letter from the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference:

We urge our political leaders to:

i) Prioritize poverty eradication by using proceeds from natural resources like diamonds, land, etc., for the development of the whole nation and all its citizens. In its final message, the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops noted that Africa is rich in human and natural resources but ‘many of our people are still left to wallow in poverty and misery, wars and conflicts, crisis and chaos. These are very rarely caused by natural disasters. They are largely due to human decisions and activities by people who have no regard for the common good … .’
(No. 5).

ii) Stop the active and tacit collusion of those undermining the fight against corruption. Corruption is a cancer destroying our nation.

iii) Prosecute wrong doers and widely publicize any disciplinary action so that no one is seen to commit crime with impunity.

iv) Desist from intimidating and mistreating members of the public, the media, civic communities, etc. Uphold human rights.

v) Uniformed forces should maintain peace and security for all citizens at all times and especially before, during and after elections, and do so impartially.

vi) We implore our political leadership in the coalition government to reflect deeply on the timing of elections bearing in mind the unhealed state of the nation and the fragile state of the economy. They shoulder a heavy responsibility to serve and save Zimbabwe. They must think and act in pursuit of the Common Good. In the event of elections, implement the SADC guidelines in full.

vii) We expect our members of Parliament to make an effort to spearhead the mitigation of the pressing needs of the people they represent and desist from being preoccupied with enriching themselves.