‘Aliens’ to vote” was a catchy headline in a daily paper today. I think these so-called Aliens would rejoice if the headline would read “Aliens exempted from paying tax in Zimbabwe.” After 33 years of independence as a nation should we continue to classify other people under the banner of aliens? Who are these aliens? Are they black or white? Having parents of foreign origin or being born in a foreign land automatically puts one in the bracket of  “aliens”. These are people who have been labeled to have no totem at one point and who lived in the squashed urban settlements of Zimbabwe. An operations was launched a couple of years ago to cleanse the urban settlements from  “aliens”, but almost 8 years on “aliens” have developed a mentality of resisting in order to exist and to be recognized.

Also if you speak a foreign language with no fixed abode moving from one mine or farm to another looking for menial jobs your ID reflecting “A” you are not spared from the branding either. This alien brand went as far as making those with British roots join the renouncing queue at Registrar General’s Offices. After the economic meltdown of 2008 the even to the so-called original Zimbabweans ran for cover in foreign countries and they became bitter after being treated to the Alien brand which forced them back home. Imagine if you cannot stand to be called alien for four years how about someone who had to endure it for 33 years.

With the referendum over and expectations of new constitution it seems like “aliens” have all of a sudden become a special group which every politician is giving special mention so that their right to vote which was stolen some time back can be restored.  For the past 33 years “aliens” have been contributing to Zimbabwe’s economic growth under harsh working conditions in mines, farms, industries, now most these aliens’ children have become educated professionals and are now part of the systems running this great nation. Some of these “aliens” have gone to represent the nation in sports and some have become successful business people and all we have been hearing were praises for Zimbabwe and not “aliens”. These are our brothers and sisters who have been used for so many years to toyi toyi in the street campaigning for various political parties only to be denied that right to vote in an election because they are “aliens”. Even to get travel documents is still a hassle for them because they have to go through a rigorous process of renouncing some foreign citizenship. Election time is the only time when “aliens” get recognition and this time if they are allowed to vote those hopes are high that they will be recognized as Zimbabweans, not space invaders like what some people think.

Simukai Tinhu has published an article on why Zimbabwean voters are deserting Morgan Tsvangirai. Some good points are raised including the fact that its about time that the MDC, as a party, put forward a new candidate to lead them into the future. Tendai Biti please step forward. More

The demise of authoritarianism in Zimbabwe will surely come. But there is little reason to think that the day is near, and even less to think that the opposition MDC is the party that will torpedo the current dictatorship. Today the party is more dysfunctional and commands less authority and support than ever before, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise when it loses, even in a free and fair election.

After fighting so hard to move into his new residence in the plushy suburbs of Harare, Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was reported to be securing his future by offering to buy the house from the government at a whopping price tag of 4.5 million US Dollars. The Prime Minister’s office quickly rubbished the report claiming that the PM has the right to buy the house but is yet to do that because he does not have the money.

But looking at both ways he can still make an offer and buy the house and most likely the price range is in the millions considering it was renovated with a loan of over 1.5 million dollars. This is a house which has been at the center of controversy with allegations of corruption in the loan allocation and which Mai Tsvangirai worked so hard to decorate with a kitchen suite reported to be worth over 40 000 US$. Taking it from the gospel of prosperity being preached in many churches these days some may say that as the Prime Minister he deserves to be associated with everything that glitters. From Hollywood style marriage celebrations to living in mansions. Who knows soon he will be having a chopper for his campaign in the next harmonized elections. The offer to buy the house comes at the time when legislators have also filed golden handshake demands in the form of stands, cars and cash as exit packages.  Whether the mansion will be the new state house or a retirement home for the Prime Minister it remains to be seen. It is up to the electorate to approve demands of such a tasty lifestyle.

How to celebrate your countries Independence?

For some it is seen as a day that can finally be spent at home, sorting all the things pushed aside for too long, or maybe just kicking back and enjoying a day off. But thirty-three years on, what do we celebrate as an independent country?

As I watch the Independence celebrations on ZBC, I notice there is not much enthusiasm – the crowds are small and barely awake throughout the long, hot day. Even away from the main event there seems to be little interest.

Times have changed, thirty tree years ago, it was a big deal. Even Bob Marley came out to celebrate with us! Yet the excitement is gone, and I wonder … is it that Zimbabweans have forgotten their great struggle, or maybe they are just tired of dwelling on the past and would now rather look to the future?

The ‘war’ between kombi drivers and police officers has been going on for so long and because there is nobody to police the police, the ordinary citizens are suffering. Over the recent years police have been using forceful means to deal with public transport drivers in the country. From smashing of windscreens to Hollywood movie style chases this has been the order of the day. These forceful means have fallen short as citizens are harmed or lose their lives. There are reports of incidents of police smashing windscreens and injuring passengers. I have witnessed such incidents. Just when we thought this was bad enough the kombi operator-police war has yielded the unbearable – death. As kombi drivers try to escape from police officers they do so at full speed and in so doing go against road rules and place the life of other motorists and pedestrians at risk. In the past two months two people lost their lives in such scenarios at the Copacabana rank alone. The most recent was of an old lady who was dragged under a kombi for more than 100 metres leading to her death. The kombi was running away from a police officer.

Death is something never prepared for, but for anyone to die in this manner is more painful than the word painful itself. Even if the driver gets a life sentence or a death penalty the root cause of the problem will not have been addressed. For kombi operators and the police officers it’s now  ‘a mice sees cat game’ at the risk of passengers, pedestrians and other motorists. On one hand, the mice don’t care how they will run away from the cat, as long as they don’t get caught. On the other hand, the cat will use all the powers vested in him to chase the mice. But then again at the centre of all this fight, is a mother on her way to work, a boy on his way to school, an old lady on her way to her rural home crossing the street unaware that a mouse is on the run and that their life might end. For how long will we watch lives being lost at the hands of this cat-mice fight?