The planet tipped north
celebrating equinox in a pink flush at dawn and dusk

Already the sun sends shafts of rainbows through the crystal on the A-frame
and cold fingers reach out and touch
my cheek in the early morning the manikins have returned to the seed holder
the bush babies to the fruit tray
the tall summer  grasses begin to fall

It has been some time now, to find words to speak of the present

We watch our own chaos with a strange compassion
who else could understand all is the same all is different

The dictator still waves his fist
takes the last farms with brutal violence
arrests the opposition
controls the media
the army
the police

and the new ministers drive their Mercedes
in a show of wealth
in the face of the people who voted them in

there is no currency below 1 US$ (R10)
change is bartered and bargained
given in eggs or sweets

SADC tells the west to pay for our salvation
despite the evidence of continued abuse and corruption

Noel and his small family have been evicted from their one room
Wadzi and her children have been evicted from their cottage

rents are exorbitant as landlords try to make a living out of small rooms
hundreds of dollars beyond what is possible
dignified and hard working people back on the street – without jobs

the intensity and immediacy in which life unravels
shakes the system

so we wait in a stunned silence
still with dignity
where there should be devastation
still with humour
where there should be despair

counting the rainbows

A battalion of government ministers, deputy ministers, permanent secretaries and other various hangers-on start a retreat in Victoria Falls today to get to know each other and set some benchmarks for progress in the next 100 days of the unity government.

Apparently the World Bank is supporting this weekend away. I’m wondering what on earth the World Bank is thinking when it invites and supports such lavishness in the face of Zimbabwe’s extreme humanitarian crisis. Just look at the photograph below and consider that while the Zimbabwe government can’t afford to feed the prisoners they incarcerate, they are happy to wine and dine on retreat.

In the World Bank’s rush to wank the boys in suits they fail to acknowledge the extreme injustice they perpetuate with their donor dollars.

Stop feasting mr ministers and start feeding

I recall how President Mugabe and ZANU-PF invoked national sovereignty at every rally and in every campaign message and managed to retrieve the phrase from relative obscurity to national prominence. Virtually the entire nation had heard about sovereignty, albeit, without necessarily knowing what it meant. Sovereignty was indeed ZANU-PF’s mantra.  It was the magic word that would instantly send supporters into frenzy. ZANU-PF repeatedly warned the electorate to use their votes to defend Zimbabwe’s sovereignty and make sure that ‘Zimbabwe will never be a colony again.’

By sovereignty President Mugabe and ZANU-PF probably meant the right to be left to do as they please with Zimbabwe without the international community being able to say or do anything. On a number of occasions President Mugabe publicly declared something along these lines, “Blair, keep your England and l will keep my Zimbabwe.” And recently, President Mugabe (at some function during the worst cholera crisis in Zimbabwe’s history) simply and matter-of-factly declared, “Zimbabwe is mine…”

Now it appears all this talk about national sovereignty was disingenuous; meant only to hoodwink the (quite often) gullible electorate. At present all talk about sovereignty has suddenly become irrelevant and has been replaced by pleas for international assistance to fund Zimbabwe’s economic recovery program. A country that elevates and celebrates sovereignty now has to rely on international aid to pay its security forces and diplomatic missions (along with everything else). Government coffers are empty and l am reliably informed that Zimbabwe’s diplomats and diplomatic staff have not been paid a cent in ages!  Money to pay the diplomats, soldiers, police, prison officers and CIO is expected to come from international aid! The so-called defenders of Zimbabwe’s sovereignty will get their salaries from international donors. At least ZANU-PF has finally realized that people do not eat sovereignty. Or maybe this is a new form of national sovereignty?

The security forces must now realize that in a globalised world, there is no such thing as absolute sovereignty where a country can do as it pleases without some action from the international community. They must also realize that, since the international community is paying their salaries, they have a legitimate reason to expect the forces to conduct themselves in a professional manner. Zimbabwe has a responsibility to act responsibly and the international community expects each State to do its duty. Without a serious commitment to a respect for human rights by Zimbabwe, the international community runs the risk of being accomplices in human rights abuses in Zimbabwe when they pay those who perpetrate a reign of terror.

And finally, to the Honourable Prime Minister, Morgan Richard Tsvangirai, please do not prematurely declare that Zimbabwe has reformed before there is evidence in hand. I hope your attitude to ZANU-PF is not in any way being influenced by the saying: “if you can’t beat them, join them.” The struggle for democracy, freedom and human rights did not end with the consummation of the inclusive government, it is just beginning. And so the struggle continues unabated.

Lynde Francis Zimbabwean AIDS activist and founder of The Centre, died yesterday from AIDS-related complications.

I had the privilege of interviewing Lynde in 2007, and found her to be one of the most stimulating, thought provoking, passionate and committed people I have ever met.

Keith Goddard, director of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) shared some of his memories of Lynde:

I learnt with deep sadness yesterday that Lynde Francis had died that morning. It was almost unbelievable because Lynde was always a great fighter. She had lived with HIV for decades and pulled through a serious illness, probably caused by a spider bite, which left her unconscious for days.

I first met Lynde as a dynamic member of the Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ). She didn’t fit into any conventional category or define herself as gay, lesbian or bisexual. She used to say she was polysexual and then laugh.

In the early 1990s GALZ had no offices and Lynde’s home was open house for many of our meetings and even interviews with journalists.

Lynde was the first member to receive sponsorship through GALZ to start counselling training with CONNECT and her home phone was the hotline for the GALZ Counselling Services. In 1995, Lynde’s dining room became the interim offices for GALZ until we moved to our present address.

She was also with us at the 1995 Book Fair which had as its theme that year ‘Human Rights and Justice’. Despite the title, government illegally banned GALZ from participating and the President, on opening the Fair, issued the first in a series of vitriolic attacks on gays. Despite the ban, we were there and I can remember standing next to Lynde and others day after day at an empty stand talking to members of the public who had come to stare at and mock the homosexuals. At the end we all went back to her house for a glass of white wine exhilarated by our success of having put gay and lesbian rights firmly on the national agenda in Zimbabwe. I remember Lynde describing it as a coup.

But Lynde’s association with GALZ caused her difficulties when it came to setting up and finding funding for The Centre. Government’s disapproval of GALZ made many AIDS Service Organisations nervous about being linked to an organisation which might incur the wrath of government. But, in true style, Lynde refused either to deny her links with GALZ or to give up the struggle to realise her dream of setting up The Centre.

She won through and in 1998 even spoke up at a meeting of ZNNP+ in support of the application for membership by GALZ. It was largely through Lynde’s efforts that GALZ became fully accepted and respected as a member of the AIDS movement in Zimbabwe.

Lynde gave hope to thousands of people living with HIV especially at a time when ARVs were unaffordable to most. She always took on too much and always placed herself second. She was a wonderful mother to us all and we will miss her dearly.

According to the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, there will be a viewing for Lynde at the Doves Chapel, 157 Harare Street on Thursday 2 April from 11:30am – 1.00pm.  All those who would like to pay their last respect to Lynde are welcome to come and part take in this service.   Her body will be taken to Mutare for cremation. On Monday 6 April from 11:30 – 1.00 there will also be a Memorial Service at Celebration Centre in Harare to celebrate her life. Thereafter all are welcome at The Centre, 24 Van Praagh Avenue, Milton Park from 2.00pm-5pm.

If you knew Lynde and would like to share your memories of this amazing woman, please leave your comments here.

A friend recently wrote a beautiful account of his time in Mana Pools, a magnificent national park in Zimbabwe. In his piece he gave some advice: get out from behind your desk and go out into the world whenever you can. So on Monday I did exactly that. My foray wasn’t into the bush, it was to St Johns Prep School in Harare where my youngest nephew was taking part in the public speaking finals. Fourth in line to speak on a set topic was a little guy with a blazer down to his knees. He took the stage. His start was strong but he lost his way on a couple of occasions. Finally his face puckered up, his mouth widened, and then, floods of tears. He stood there with his arms rigid against the sides of his body until the teacher in charge led him away. As he sat down I noticed a boy in the row behind him pat him gently on the shoulder. But there was still another round to go. Each boy had to do 30 seconds on a surprise topic. I held my breath as the little guy got up again and made his way to the stage. I think everyone else did too. But he launched into The Problem With Pets with confidence and vigor. He wasn’t the best but he’d gotten up and tried again. The applause carried him home. We learn our best lessons where we least expect them; often not from behind our desks.

On Monday, 30 March 2009, SADC leaders converged at Lozitha Royal Palace in Mbabane, Swaziland to consider a US$10billion economic recovery aid package for Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe was represented at the extraordinary summit by President Robert Mugabe of ZANU-PF and Finance Minister Tendai Biti of the MDC.

On the face of it, this was a very unusual meeting; the size of the aid needed and the targeted potential donor (SADC) made the whole affair strange. Firstly, Zimbabwe needs about US$10 billion in its begging bowl; SADC simply does not have that kind of money to throw around. Mozambique, like several other SADC countries, relies on donor funds for more than 80% of its own national budget needs. Most of the SADC member states themselves are beggars to whom another beggar, Zimbabwe was now turning. The only country with some financial muscle to speak of is South Africa. However, at the end of the meeting South Africa pledged just US$30 million to be disbursed in batches of $10 million over the next 3 months.

The extraordinary summit, as expected, failed to come up with the much needed aid. Instead, the summit did three highly significant things. First, it pledged support for Zimbabwe’s fundraising efforts. Second, the summit ‘urged the developed countries to lift all forms of sanctions against Zimbabwe as these sanctions will undermine the country’s and SADC efforts to normalise the situation in that Member State’. And, finally, the summit ‘established a Committee of Ministers of Finance comprising South Africa, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Botswana, Zimbabwe as well as the Executive Secretary of SADC to coordinate SADC support to the Zimbabwe recovery process.’

It was clear from the outset that SADC would not have the kind of money Zimbabwe was asking for, so that could not have been the main objective of the extraordinary summit. This was, l submit, not just another fundraising summit. It was a carefully planned manoeuvre by President Mugabe and ZANU-PF to neutralise the MDC and steal the limelight. It was a desperate attempt on the part of ZANU-PF to revive its propaganda and disguise it as a SADC position. Such a revelation would explain why President Mugabe travelled to Swaziland in person. How, one might ask, would a SADC summit that fails to give aid neutralise MDC?

We need to understand that the inclusive government in Zimbabwe is made up of rival political parties that are already looking to the next elections and scheming accordingly. Zimbabwe’s economy is in the intensive care unit and urgently needs to be revived. The only way to revive the economy is to get aid from external sources. The party that secures aid, and therefore revives the economy will get the credit in the eyes of the electorate. It is common cause that MDC is widely viewed as having friends in the international aid community and that ZANU-PF has burnt all bridges with the international donor community. Therefore, ZANU-PF’s political challenge would be how to secure aid without giving credit to MDC. And this is where the SADC Summit comes in.

The SADC Summit’s true purpose was to get SADC to collectively accept and endorse ZANNU-PF’s rhetoric and propaganda that Zimbabwe’s economy was destroyed by the ‘cruel sanctions of developed nations’ and that continuation of such ‘sanctions’ would undermine any efforts by Zimbabwe and SADC to normalise the situation in Zimbabwe. The SADC Communiqué at the end of the Summit embraced this view and by so doing achieved two things; it explained both the past failure of Zimbabwe’s economy and the potential future failure to revive the economy as a direct consequence of sanctions. We all know very well that this is nonsense. The so-called sanctions that exist are travel restrictions targeting ZANU-PF politicians that were put in place for reasons not yet addressed; reasons such as absence of rule of law, wanton human rights abuses and bad governance.

The SADC Summit Communiqué further proclaimed support for Zimbabwe’s fundraising efforts and immediately set up a ‘Committee of Ministers of Finance comprising South Africa, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Botswana, Zimbabwe as well as the Executive Secretary of SADC to coordinate SADC support to the Zimbabwe recovery process.’ This is a classical diplomatic coup that ZANU-PF pulled. It means MDC is no longer responsible for fundraising for Zimbabwe, but instead, SADC has that mandate, and necessarily, MDC cannot claim to have rescued the country and brought it back from the brink of collapse. Looking to elections ahead, l can predict ZANU-PF will be quick to dismiss the contribution of MDC and give all credit to ZANU-PF and the SADC Coordination Committee tasked with fundraising in Europe and the United States. The mandate of the SADC Coordination Committee is to ‘visit major capitals in Europe, Asia and America as well as major financial institutions to mobilise support for Zimbabwe’s economic recovery programme.’

The other purpose that the SADC Summit serves for ZANU-PF is that it gives ZANU-PF opportunity to save face and justifies going to the west to beg under some twisted logic that in fact ZANU-PF has not changed its stance, but rather, it is the west merely lifting sanctions. It would be interesting to find out from ZANU-PF what became of their glorified ‘Look East Policy.’ One would have expected China to be the knight in shining armour riding to Zimbabwe’s rescue. The problem with President Mugabe and ZANU-PF is that they are in denial. They are in denial about the huge role they both played in destroying the economy through mismanagement, cronyism, corruption and use of knee-jerk reaction policies such as the ill-fated look east policy. They are in denial that they have failed to deliver and as such must necessarily step aside and allow fresh brains and fresh blood to try new policies. Therefore, the driver who refused to take directions from anyone and landed us in this ditch, still insists on (ostensibly) driving us out of the ditch, and again, believes he knows the right direction! God have mercy on us.

The unfortunate part of it all is that for the past ten years of struggle for democracy in Zimbabwe, ZANU-PF has managed to run circles around SADC with the result that SADC has become a mere appendage of ZANU-PF unable to independently and objectively come to the aid of the people of Zimbabwe. Quite ironically, the same SADC, in the same Summit Communiqué, had quite strong language for Madagascar where a military coup took place two weeks ago. SADC leaders said they, ‘condemned in the strongest terms, the unconstitutional actions that have led to the illegal ousting of the democratically elected Government of Madagascar and called for an immediate restoration of constitutional order in the country’. SADC suspended Madagascar, with immediate effect, from participating in any of its organs until it returns to normalcy. Talk of double standards!