It really sad when we learn that police officers manning road blocks lose their lives or get injured by drivers who fail to stop at their signal to do so. It is sad to lose life in such ways. This issue of how police officers man roadblocks needs serious attention because it can develop into an order of the day to hear such sad news. And I can bet that with ZINARA canceling its vehicle licensing deadline extension, there is likely going to be trouble on the roads as police officers try to check new license discs on each vehicle…as defaulters try to escape from these ‘points’ of check…as police officers try to make an ATM transaction with each defaulter.

If the truth were told our police force has turned into thugs on the roads. They sprout out on each road the ‘movie style’, I saw you and you didn’t see me kind of stuff, which is really silly and dangerous. Some of these ‘road blocks’ are located at blind spots and some police officers have a pompous way of putting themselves in front of moving traffic. What do you expect when every few minutes there are cops jumping from bushes or alleys into the road trying to stop cars?

What happened to the ‘Police Ahead’ signs? Have they been phased out by some new law or amendment? Wherever these are hiding they should be taken and made use of to avoid the loss of life of our police officers. It’s funny hey. Its like driving without a seat belt on, one is putting their life at risk. So can we safely say those officers who set ‘instant’ roadblocks (except in the case of speed traps) are placing themselves at risk?

We recently shared Takura Zhangazha’s blog about Harare City Council’s proposed bus plan, and we got this feedback from a subscriber. Seems like what drives some people crazy about kombis is exactly what makes other people love them!

We would love to have cheaper public transport (bus), but since we have had a taste of the infamous kombis, as long I can afford, the kombi is most favorable because of the following reasons:

• Kombis don’t have a bus stop, they can pick n drop anywhere but the bus always has a designated place to stop.
• Kombi is much faster since I am always late for work
• Kombi does not have a time table
• If there is congestion, kombis always get a way to avoid it
• Buses can only drop us at terminuses, in my case I come from Glen Norah, it will have to drop me at the market square, yet the kombi will take me down all the way to Rezende Street

Unless they want to introduce systems that are in other developed countries such as in the UK. You buy a ticket for the bus that lasts for a week, you use the bus to go anywhere you want as long as it is within that town.

When I saw The Herald headline Zinara deadline scrapped this morning, I assumed it meant they’d realised that they wouldn’t be able to process new vehicle license discs even within the extended deadline period, and had decided to give everyone even more time.

This made sense given the number of frustrated, queuing motorists who were reporting on their experiences – including on our blog here and here.

Silly, silly me.

Rather, Zinara has gone back on the deadline extension. On 30 May, realising at last that long queues and a shortfall of around 580,000 vehicles to license they announced the deadline would be extended to 30 June. Unsurprisingly, the queues began to dwindle as people had more time to get their vehicles licensed, and therefore could plan accordingly.

In a move that now punishes motorists for believing them, Zinara has retreated on the deadline extension, back dating the deadline to 31 May again, and has instructed Zimbabwe Republic Police to fine motorists found driving with an expired vehicle license disc.

Politics 101 teaches that public confidence in state institutions is fundamental to good governance. Punishing the public for believing you is a surefire way to breed an angry public.

Africa Day is a celebration of African unity across Africa. On the 25th of May every year Africans celebrate Africa Day knowing that they are free from the bondage of colonization and apartheid. I remember reciting the poem “Founding Fathers of the OAU We Salute You” when I was still in primary school. It was a wonderful poem.

In 1999 African leaders made a Declaration for the formation of the African Union with the view to accelerating the process of integration in the continent, to enable it play its rightful role in the global economy while addressing multifaceted social, economic and political problems compounded as they are by certain negative aspects of globalization. The changing of the organization’s name did not change African problems as right now the African continent is riddled with conflicts, famine, human rights abuses and under-development. Recently North Africa was at the epicenter of conflicts and the masses took to the streets denouncing poor leadership. Lives were lost on the streets and the African Union failed to come up with concrete resolutions. The intervention of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in Libya and Ivory Coast exposed the AU and left many people asking whether African problems should be solved with African remedies. The hard won independence by South Sudan was short lived as the battle for the vast oil reserves with Sudan rages on. Regional bodies like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has proved to be much more effective than the AU in trying to solve political impasses that had erupted in the West Africa region

Southern Africa has not been spared either as evidenced by the continued human rights abuses by the member states. Governments of National Unity are now the order of the day in Africa as the rule of law and the will of the people no longer counts. Most governments continue to rely on donor funding for sustenance and food aid to avert hunger.  The African Union’s new headquarters where the African leaders converged on the 25th of May was built using funds from the Chinese government. Africa has become the dumping of foreign products especially from our friends from the East. Sub-standard goods have flooded African markets resulting in the shutting down of local industries. Africa’s participation in the global village is facing challenges due to the fact that the continent continues to export unprocessed goods. Poor remuneration has resulted in massive brain drains across the continent. HIV and Aids has also taken its toll in Africa. Each year passes and more problems continue to affect Africa while the continental body loses its relevance.

“Zanu PF Politburo member Professor Jonathan Moyo on Wednesday said Africa was facing a serious deficit of leaders with true African values,” reported the Chronicle of 1 June 2012. Moyo couldn’t have said it better, but then he is the type of fellow who does not listen to what he is saying! In the same story he extolled the (rabid) nationalism of South Africa’s Julius Malema, naming him along your regular pan-Africanists in the mould of Kenyatta, Nyerere, Kaunda and Nkrumah. I wondered what these men would have to say about that, but then dead men tell no tales. But it is agreed that Africa faces a serious leadership deficit and we certainly do not have to only look at the troubles that spurred the toppling of Mubarak who has just being given a life prison term for presiding over the unnecessary slaughter of his compatriots. In fact, we have Moyo’s very own Zanu PF where his party’s leader has said he is not ready to leave his post (despite the Wiki revelations from non other than Moyo, Muzembi and many others that the old man has no place in contemporary power games) because there simply isn’t a suitable candidate within the ranks to succeed him. Not even Moyo apparently! Yet by “slamming” the new crop of African leaders, Moyo betrays Zanu PF’s disregard for the popular vote as these new African leaders came to power not by jambaja but by what would be electoral processes anathema to Zanu PF. After all, one cynical political science don has commented that Moyo’s party is rejecting the draft constitution because it is too democratic for Zanu PF’s liking!

Did you ever notice that when a politician does get an idea he usually gets it all wrong. – Donald Robert Perry Arquis, American poet (1933)

A little while ago we had the real pleasure of dropping in on the Open Studio Art Event in Athlone which featured artists like  Misheck Masamvu, Gareth Nyandoro, Aubrey Bango, Masimba Hwati, Tafadzwa Gwetai and others. There was such a good vibe with artists working in situ, as well as great entertainment and of course … The Art was amazing. Let’s hope there will be more of these creative artistic gatherings in Harare.