A contribution from a Kubatana member:

Reform traditional leadership. I think one of the key reforms necessary for a sustainable election in our country is traditional leadership reform. Most rural districts in the country are not free to exercise their rights due to the influence of traditional leaders. They execute their duties partisanly & are in political party structures which is unconstitutional.This raises suspicion from people of credibility of elections. The government & civic groups must engage traditional leaders & massively educate them about their role in the community & avoid being horse ridden by political parties.

Check out a recipe for free and fair elections published on Kalabash – from the streets to the web. Ingredients include:

4 tablespoons of dignity
A pinch of pride in Zimbabwe and the people outside of party politics
Half a cup of democratic processes
A splashing of reflection on the last decade
An ounce of foresight

If this election is going to be based on accountability then all Members of Parliament don’t deserve a second chance to represent the people. Interesting interview on Zi-Fm led to some cursing and shouting of obscenities on radio by the Honorable Tendai Biti when he was asked what he used his US$50 000 allocation of the Constituency Development Fund for. If this were a face-to-face interview someone would have lost some front teeth as the Minister went haywire on a live radio program.

The outrage was sparked by a survey, which was carried out by the Harare Residents Trust, a lobby group based in Harare. Honorable Tendai Biti the Harare East Member of Parliament and also the Minister of Finance claims he still has around US$23 000 as a ‘balance’ in the account and one wonders why he didn’t just use the money to develop his constituency before the end of his term in office. I mean Harare East is not spared from road potholes and I am sure there are clinics, which need some medicine, or he could have just bought some chairs and desks for schools in his area.

By trying to shoot the messenger and dismissing HRT’s report raises some interest in what he used the other half of the allocation for?

The Cde Minister may have handled the nation’s budget but has failed to allocate US$50 000 in his constituency.

Given that 31 July date for the Zimbabwe Election is illegal, will your party be nominating candidates tomorrow?

Back in the 1980s and 1990s the Zimbabwean government loved slogans so much it came to define the nature of the politics of deceit favoured by the rulers. “Health for All by Year 2000,” “Housing for All by Year 2000,” “Clean Water for All by Year 2000,” “Education for ALL by Year 2000″ all clogged the public sphere. This was before the UN’s global commitments of the MDGs which were only adopted  in 2000. Indeed Zimbabwe must have been way ahead by then! But it turns out it was all in the name of winning votes because many years later, things remain the same if not worse.

The following photo-essay documents Westlea, a “new” suburb that is yet another pointer of how far the country has lagged behind in providing “housing for all.”

Find water where you can

A child plays outside his ‘house’

A ‘gated’ residence

Safe water?

So last Sunday morning the plane due to depart for Johannesburg was delayed. I looked for the SAA plane that was meant to be on the tarmac but saw instead two really shiny black Mercedes with a couple of support vehicles. Remember Morgan’s claim that he drives a second hand Benz? Well it doesn’t look like it, unless second hand means 5 minutes in the hands of some other pompous official. The head honchos of Zimbabwe’s other elite political party, the MDC, slipped into their cars care of some VIP treatment and sped off. Of course they couldn’t get to the airport on time in Joburg – they’re Puffed Up Politicians who keep other people waiting.