Bemoan? Surely that should read REJECT. Here’s a statement from Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association:

Residents bemoan ZBC licences

BULAWAYO residents have expressed dismay over Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) Television licences that they are required to pay annually. This comes after ZBC employees, have in the last few weeks, been going around informing residents that they owe the broadcaster US$50 in unpaid licence fees for this year and an additional US$20 in penalties for late payment. What has irked residents most is that most of them no longer tune into ZBC, preferring broadcasts from outside the country that they access through satellite television providers such as Multi Choice. Most Zimbabweans in urban areas have been resorting to satellite television due to poor programming by ZBC. In addition, residents have argued that the television licences are steep taking into account that most people are unemployed while the few that are employed are earning paltry salaries that are below the poverty datum line. Residents also believe that it is unfair for them to financially support ZBC when it is well know that the broadcaster is a state broadcaster as opposed to a public broadcaster and therefore propagandistic in nature. They said there was a need for ZBC to improve its programming, be converted into a public broadcaster and licence fees to be reviewed downwards to cater for residents with low incomes.

The recent Worker’s Day commemorations held in Zimbabwe were packed with demands for better wages and working conditions. With high hopes for a better life since the introduction of the US dollar, most workers still find themselves living below the poverty datum line. With surging prices of minerals on the world market there is still little to show for an improvement in the lives of mine workers in Zimbabwe.

Most mining towns in Zimbabwe have turned into ghost towns. A good example is the asbestos mine in Zvishavane. Shabanie mine used to provide employment to hundreds of workers and the town was vibrant but now it has turned out to be the opposite. Mine workers in this town have been reduced to mere beggars, vendors and destitutes. Just like the land reform where many farm workers were left without means of survival, little is being done to address the welfare of mine workers.

A lot of companies last week were in a rush to beat the deadline for the submission of their indigenisation plans in line with the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act which states that 51 percent shareholding be reserved for locals. Little is being said of the plight of the workers in these companies. It is my belief government should make sure that employees of these companies get first offer for the shares especially in mining companies.  Recently I was in Mvuma and the town has just been reduced into a ghost with lots of former mine workers now resorting to panning for survival. The only good memories residents of this town have, are of the time when Athens mine was still operating at full capacity.

In 2010, on World AIDS Day, Zimbabwean footballers, together with other celebrities and the US Ambassador, Charles Ray, publicly tested for HIV. Commonly, celebrities in Zimbabwe fail to handle the wealth and fame that comes with their success. They stray from their normal lives and associate themselves with promiscuity and lose the status of being role models in society.

The United States Embassy is supporting a partnership between the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe (FUZ) and Population Services International (PSI) to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The US Embassy, through the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) and PSI, have decided to take the HIV/AIDS campaigns within the football fraternity to the next level. The US through its PEPFAR programme will donate USD60, 000 to the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe. PSI will provide technical support by conducting HIV/AIDS education programmes to all football players drawn from the 16 local football teams. The programme topics will dwell on male circumcision, condom use, and reduction of concurrent sexual partners, together with the importance of knowing one’s status. PSI is to engage action into these trainings to encourage footballers to play it safe on the pitch and off the pitch. Ambassador Ray encouraged footballers to share the knowledge they will receive from these trainings with their fans to help curb the spread of HIV/AIDS among young people.

FUZ’s project will run under the theme, “Don’t Play, Lets Substitute”. This idea came to the union because of its concern over footballer’s health, which is of paramount importance to their fitness and in turn, they careers.

Soccer is one of Zimbabwe’s favourite sports with a huge fan base and several young aspiring football players. It is our hope that through this initiative our beloved football players will take a firm stance and be role models in society to help in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

I would’ve left the beauty salon laden with anti-wrinkle skin care products had I had the money. It was the exchanged glances between the staff, beauticians I mean. The secretive “wonder when she had her last facial” looks that convinced me I should have them all – the super-duper sub dermal-plumping, collagen-injecting, youth prolonging miracle creams. Beauty in a bottle, a bit like the adverts on TV – if you use this cream you too can look like Sarah-something-Parker AND own her fabulous shoe collection – never mind that you are swarthy and bearded and vertically challenged. We pooh pooh mere genetics. It is everything to do with the skincare range and directly proportionate to the amount of follow-up sessions you book at the salon. Mendel theory, pffft! I added an extra “f” to that – for emphasis you understand, and in case you may have missed it, had the word been any shorter … but I digress.

As it was, I spent an hour and a half being massaged and exfoliated and tweezed. I left looking plumped, not a wrinkle in sight – but I may have been distracted by the blotchy redness of most of my face – and soft and feeling nothing but 2 wings of tautly stretched, agonized skin where the rest of my eyebrows used to be. Comes from reading outdated lifestyle magazines – bushy is back I screamed as they pinned me down!

I’ve been thinking about us (women) and our body image and how we are all unconsciously programmed. As God didn’t see fit to grant me big boobs (I would’ve settled for medium, anything bigger than a button really – everything you see is courtesy of the genius of Wonderbra), I’ve been considering having breast enlargements. Think about it, if your boobs are bigger, no one notices the bulging belly. You’re just generously proportioned. But if you’re flat chested and have a big tummy … well, it’s not great is it?

I have a friend, well not really a friend, more a relative of a relative – ok, I don’t know her at all – but she had a boob job and swears by it, as does her husband (rather clichéd that, but I don’t think he cares). Anyway, I shall continue to think about it. As it requires saving quite a bit of money I don’t think we are in any imminent danger.

The Senate’s adjourned till July. Cool gig hey.

It’s time for all Zimbabweans to get behind Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) and protest the abysmal supply of electricity in Zimbabwe. The responsibility of putting pressure on the Government of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) should not fall only on the shoulders of WOZA. What are YOU doing about it?

WOZA’s campaign demands are:

1. Stop cheating fixed meter consumers, we demand prepaid meters.
2. Please provide cheaper firewood, candles and matches, we do not want to destroy our environment by cutting down trees.
3. We are tired of 18 hour power cuts -provide proper timetables of load shedding.
4. Urgently put in place a proper and transparent billing system. Stop sending metered consumer’s estimates, send ACTUAL bills.
5. Create a smoother process of customer’s claims for  compensation.
6. Review recruitment policy and bring salaries to decent levels with our current economic record. Professionalise staff performance and honesty. No more luxury cars we need transformers.
7. We will record the exact hours we receive electricity for the last 2 weeks of May while we get petition signatures which we will take to Parliament and demand they review your monopoly and poor service. You have cheated us for long enough, after we submit our demand to parliament we will organise a RED card Campaign. Be warned POWER TO THE POOR – ZERO service ZERO bill. HOKOYO!!

Support WOZA on the streets. Let’s all protest and demand better services. Enough of the fat cat, co-called liberation heroes living in luxury whilst Zimbabweans struggle in the dark. Email your support to WOZA at info [at] wozazimbabwe [dot] org