Katie the Duchess of Cambridge is up in arms with media houses that published naked photos of her whilst she was sun bathing on holiday in France with her husband William. Their lawyers are said to be pursuing the matter through French courts with the aim of preventing further use of the images and to seek damages. To them their right to privacy has been infringed since these pictures were taken using a long lens by someone in the street near where the royal couple was staying. Back at home, Locardia the PM’s ‘estranged’ wife is a big sucker for encouraging journalists into her private life. Today the Herald’s front page carries a picture of her and her lawyer discussing the way forward. Yes – her lawyer’s office – I wonder how a journalist had access to that meeting! She has always struck me as a media attention seeker. She surely knows how to get journalists inside her camp and get them well equipped with details.

I recently stumbled on a report online about sterilization of HIV positive women. I was baffled to learn that three women in Namibia had been sterilized without their consent. I have to admit that I haven’t heard of any such cases in Zimbabwe. All I see are means of educating HIV positive couples on ways of having healthier and possibly HIV negative children. Thus there is more talk of the mother to child transmission programmes and no talk of sterilization. The three women took the state hospitals to court for sterilizing them, making them barren on the basis that they are HIV positive. Now these women cry that they are going to be outcasts in their societies because of their barren nature. In African societies a woman is defined by being able to bear children. They say they have lost out on this ‘womanly definition’ against their own will.

“Do you fall in love often?”

Yes often. With a view, with a book, with a dog, a cat, with numbers, with friends, with complete strangers, with nothing at all.
Jeanette Winterson, Gut Symmetries

In what could be a genuine job action the situation has been hijacked and manipulated by politicians who are trying to play saint and take advantage of the poor? Protests by mine workers in South Africa have given a new lease of life to the country’s political spent forces such as the former ANC Youth league leader. The expelled African National Congress Youth League leader Julius Malema has been addressing striking miners, urging them to go on work stoppages so that the government can hear their demands. The former youth leader has been on record calling for the nationalization of mines in South Africa. After getting the boot from the youth league Malema has been working tirelessly to destabilize the government of President Jacob Zuma.  Recently he addressed a group of soldiers in move that can be deemed to be treasonous acts in other countries. One wonders whether the South African constitution allows any civilian to be called in to listen to armed forces’ grievances and comment on the government. Or maybe Malema and the soldiers were just exercising their right to freedom of expression and assembly as enshrined in the constitution. The precedent set by Malema when he addressed soldiers set alarm bells on the need for security sector reforms on the African continent.

Dodged by controversy throughout his political career, Malema was quoted in the press in 2008 saying, “”We are prepared to take up arms and kill for Zuma.” But in a turn of events it seems like he is now plotting to use the arms against a democratically elected government. This should be seen as an example to young people to be wary of politicians who would use them to perpetuate violent acts for personal gain.

The most solid advice for a writer is this, I think: Try to learn to breathe deeply, really to taste food when you eat, and when you sleep really to sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell. And when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough. – Ernest Hemingway

On Saturday, I saw a brand-new Range Rover with Zambian Embassy number plates. Yesterday, I was overtaken by a posh sporty Mercedes Benz, also with Zambian Embassy plates, speeding down a residential road. So people of Zambia, if you ever wonder where all of your money is, it is here in Zimbabwe, invested in cars for your Embassy.