People collect water from a borehole near Emakhandeni Township in Bulawayo. This was the 3rd consecutive day without water.

So, Minister Kasukuwere just woke up and realised that there are 144 colonial-era laws that “stifle the easy empowerment of our people.” Easy empowerment of course being the catch. He says he will be taking up the matter with Cabinet to have these laws amended or repealed. How noble. Of course this is the same chap whose same political party has used the very same colonial-era laws to suppress political activism and dance and stomp on civil liberties. But obviously the irony is lost as these crusaders have made political careers out of brazen double standards. This is yet another reason why sober-minded and progressive Zimbabweans must dispense with the Kasukuweres in the coming polls. Why? Because the same colonial era laws he is choosing not to complain about  are being used to deny you the right to support the political party of your choice. Nothing worse than tolerating a hypocrite doubling as a cretin!

But then, Zanu PF has insulted people’s intelligence for so long the party thinks it can get away with anything.

The growing media polarization between “pro-MDC” and “pro-ZANU-PF” camps has reached a toxic level as it is now difficult to distinguish journalists from political activists. The prevailing political situation in Zimbabwe has exacerbated the rivalry and the media is being used for political ends.

The Annual Media Stakeholders’ Conference 2012 was held in Harare yesterday at a time when the country is at a deadlock over the new constitution and the increasing uncertainty of whether there is going to be any constitution at all. The conference, which was hosted by the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ), brought together media practitioners and members of civil society from across the nation to take stock of media reforms, which have taken place so far under the coalition government operating the Global Peace Agreement (GPA). Article 19 of the GPA refers to a free and diverse media environment but not much has been done to address this as many journalists and media practitioners have been arrested and charged under Access Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).

According to a presentation by Andy Moyes of Media and Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ) the government has established the Zimbabwe Media Commission and since the establishment of the Commission the number of registered media organizations has risen to 65. However it should be noted that the Commission is still a government-controlled body as it still operates under the provisions of Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). The Zimbabwe Media Commission has recently come under attack from some sections of the media who view its establishment as an attempt to stifle media plurality, expression and press freedom. The same Commission has been criticized for lack of transparency in the awarding of licenses, which has resulted in a number of private radio stations crying foul. In what can be viewed as a deliberate move to stall reforms before elections no community radio station has been granted a license to operate to date.

Multiplicity does not necessarily mean the licensing of two radio stations can evidence diversity in content. The two stations, which came into operation recently after being granted commercial broadcasting licenses. One of the two radio station Star FM comes from a state run media house and the other one Zi FM is operated by a former Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation news anchor who has denied strong links to the former ruling party ZANU PF.

The continued use of hate language, fabrication of stories, biased reporting and publication of highly opinionated stories is another sign of the high level of unethical practices which some journalists and media houses practice. To some extent the increased invasion of privacy especially by state media related to the Prime Minister’s private life has left many wondering if there are still any ethics being practiced in the media profession. The standard of journalism in Zimbabwe has deteriorated to that extent that the content being produced is now regarded as being unreliable.

Limbikani Makani was chosen to attend the 2012 Young African Leaders Innovation Summit in the US and now he mentors young Zimbabwean technocrats. I attended a Food for Thought Session at the US Embassy Public Affairs section yesterday where Limbikani was speaking. I was blown away by his motivational presentation titled, ‘Quit complaining, Take responsibility’.

Limbikani who is the founder of TechZim, a technology news website in Zimbabwe shared his experiences from the Innovation Summit, the experiences of starting up a website and of being a student at a local college in Zimbabwe. He left a lot of the audience believing that anything is possible. He also shared the stories of winners of the 2012 ZOL Jumpstart Challenge, which he co-founded. These stories show how Zimbabweans have seen where gaps exist and filled them with technology based tools and applications. Limbikani challenged Zimbabweans who seem to be born complaining, believe that everything around them is wrong and that someone has failed them. He put it to Zimbabweans to take responsibility and solve the problems they encounter.

Lauren Nicklinson writes a moving tribute to her father Tony Nicklinson, the “public face of the modern-day right-to-die movement”.

I more than loved my dad – I actually liked him. Dad raised my younger sister, Beth, and me to be tenacious, independent young women, to face life’s hurdles with strength and courage and to voice our opinions with conviction. He taught us to enjoy life and to seize the day, just as he had done.

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