The African National Congress under the leadership of President Zuma today stamped its authority by suspending the ANC Youth League executive.

Julius Malema the most controversial African National Congress Youth League leader has been suspended from the party for five years for provoking divisions within the ruling party and bringing the organisation into disrepute.

Malema popularly know for his reckless statements especially with the one he made in the media advocating for regime change in Botswana had his other executive members also receiving suspensions. Julius and his team recently led marches in Johannesburg, South Africa under the disguise of economic freedom for the poor yet he is living a lavish lifestyle. Just after leading the economic freedom marches Malema flew to Mauritius to attend a friend’s wedding leaving his supporters wondering whether the marches were for a real cause or just a way of diverting attention from hearings which were on going during that time.

Malema’s political career has been marred with allegations of corruption involving the awarding of tenders worth millions of rands.

The suspension of the ANC Youth League executive should be an example to other political parties in the region on how to discipline unruly party members.

If stuck for conversation or just wanting to start a spirited discussion with complete strangers, just say “ZESA yanyanya!” (in English “ZESA has taken it too far!), and instantly, you’ll all begin to sound as unified as though you had known each other for years.

The issue of power supply is one of the few issues, which does not discriminate. All across the country, rural and urban, high density and low, new neighbourhood and old, ZESA continues with the indiscriminate power cuts. Whether one has a generator or inverter, gas or paraffin stove or firewood, we are all feeling the pinch of the incessant power outages.

Short of solar power, all the alternatives to ZESA electricity are so dangerous. In the past month, I have heard of at least 5 separate incidents where children have been seriously injured or killed by alternative power sources and fuels. One child got burnt by a fallen candle, while another’s eye was burned beyond repair by sparks from a fire lit for cooking and warming bath water. Another child was burnt by hot water from a pot who’s handle suddenly broke, after being weakened by prolonged exposure to the heat of a fire.

I will not even go into the issue of the daylight robbery they call reconnection fees, which in itself is not a one-off fee, as customers also have to “tip” ZESA technicians and pick them up for them to come and reconnect. We have all heard enough of the stories about the Nampower debt and the upgrade of the Hwange sub-station and blah, blah, blah! The question is not why is power supply so bad. No! The question is what are you going to do about it? Maybe it’s time for us as a nation to admit that we are living beyond our means and can no longer afford electrical power. Why not give solar a try ZESA? Apart from the panels, it is FREE!

Zoe Williams writing for the Guardian discusses how many “real” friends most people have in the age of Facebook and Twitter and shares the Portuguese saying, “You have five friends, and the rest is landscape.” More here

The cholera outbreak of 2008, which claimed the lives of thousands, was devastating. Sadly, as soon as the situation was under control, and fewer and fewer people died of the disease, we all took on an attitude that the crisis had been overcome and that the worst was over. Not much has done to put systems and infrastructures in place to prevent Zimbabwe from ever being riddled with the infectious disease again.

It therefore comes as no surprise that we are now reading news reports about typhoid fever infections. What preventative measures are being taken to ensure that Harare’s cholera-friendly atmosphere, (poor water supply, garbage collection and sanitation facilities), does not contribute to or result in another deadly outbreak? Prevention is better then cure! Is it possible to nip typhoid fever in the bud, as it were, before it becomes cholera?

See the related story in The Zimbabwean.

Traffic across Harare was worse this morning thanks to a city-wide power outage, and it sounds like must of the rest of the country would have also been affected.

The statement issued this morning by the Chairman of the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) helps to explain:

Dear Stakeholder/Customer

It is with regret that I advise of the sudden “shut down”" of both our major sources of generation at 0625 hours this morning (Wednesday 9th November 2011).

This was caused by a major system disturbance (system instability) on the transmission network. Early indications are that this disturbance originated from the transmission line from Mozambique. It would appear that this was a severe shock as it also impacted on the Kariba North Bank station (Zambia)

When the stations are subjected to these exogenous shocks the first step is to look for collateral damage before sequentially bringing units back on line.

It its hoped that units at Kariba can be brought back over the next 24 hours. Hwange takes a  few days and this period may have  be extended due scarcity of diesel in the country.

Thank you

R. Maasdorp
Chairman ZPC

Note: Update from ZPC Chairman 2pm 9 Nov 2011 – Kariba has all units back on the grid – record time, well done to the team there. Hwange now ready to bring the first unit back.

U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Ambassador Charles A. Ray, gave a talk at the embassy’s public affairs section in commemoration of Veteran’s Day, which falls on the 11th of November annually. A US veteran himself, having served in the military from 1962-1982, and as one who has been making the effort to completely transition from military to civilian life for the past 29 years, the Ambassador’s credibility on the issue was unquestionable.

“They say a leopard can’t change its spots. Well, each year thousands of military veterans change their spots, and they make the transition back into being civilian,” the Ambassador said. He addressed the transition under the following 3 topics:

1. US govt contributions – GI Bill of rights
The government has taken a legislative approach to helping soldiers, especially through the 1944, Serviceman’s Readjustment Act, which sought to make reintegration into civilian life easier for returning soldiers through providing:
Education
Job training
Job location
Low interest home loans – contributing to the housing market boom in the 60s.

2. Return of Vietnam veterans and eventual recognition of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
The Ambassador emphasized that the reception a soldier receives on his return home, also has an impact on their readjustment to civilian life. The Vietnam war generated a lot of frustration, protest, anger in American society, which affected the way people treated returning soldiers. This frosty welcome, coupled with PTSD, (mental illness resulting from exposure to combat trauma), meant that these veterans did not do as well at readjusting to civilian society.

Ambassador Charles stated that approximately 20% of the 2,700,000 who served in Vietnam experienced PTSD, which could be very incapacitating flashbacks, extreme anxiety, which affect the soldier’s reintegration. The eventual recognition and establishment of treatment services for PTSD has helped the war vets. Currently, the US Army takes great care to treat and inform soldiers and their families of PTSD in order to combat it.

3.Personal Perspective
“While my story might be easy to read on paper, I can tell you from personal experience, that the transition is something that is accomplished with no small amount of difficulty.” Ambassador Ray said this before explaining some of the things that affected his, not-yet-complete, adjustment to civilian life.

He explained that the military is a highly structured environment where each person has a place with heavy emphasis on discipline, planning, preparation and training. He also explained that there was a sense of camaraderie in the institution, unlike any other in the world and a strong sense of respect for authority and each other. Ambassador Ray expressed his difficulty with the casual way civilians relate to and address each other and even with calling people who are senior to him in the hierarchy by their first name, as this was unheard of in the military.

“In the military, you never have to worry about what to wear”. An everyday task in civilian life, such as, deciding what to wear proved a challenge to the Ambassador for several years. He still maintains a military haircut that he gets cut at a military barber and still wears military shoes.

Many of the skills attained in the military he says have often helped him in his professional career. Though he has come a long way in his transitional journey, the Ambassador admitted that he is still not quite a civilian.

Through his contacts with military and former military people globally, both from regular (military) and irregular forces (rebel forces, child soldiers), the Ambassador says the problem of readjustment are pretty much the same.