Happy 89th birthday President Robert Mugabe. Wish you many more years  of good health.

Earlier this year when Sheilla Mutsenhu from Mutare decided to strip in protest  in front of the US Ambassador cameras flashed and she made headlines. She was never arrested or charged. But this was not the same when a WOZA activist, Bertha Sibanda decided to strip in protest for the release of other arrested activists. Bertha was charged with indecent exposure. Now if Bertha is to be charged then a docket against Sheilla should be opened too. Stripping is a form of protest and if Zimbabwe will not tolerate this then let every offender be charged. In fact in Zimbabwe protesting itself, even in an overall covering your whole body, gum boots and a hat if you like, is a crime. What we are seeing are double standards: Zanu PF supporters and war veterans can protest, but not others.

Tafadzwa Sharaunga writing for Kalabash shares his experience of queuing for water.

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Dead in the middle of the rainy season water shortages have ravaged the southwestern high-density suburbs of Harare, with neighborhoods such as Glen-View and Glen-Norah going for days without running tap water.

After an infamous five-day spell without running water I decided to go to the nearest watering hole. My brother and I arrived at the borehole at 11:22 pm. To our surprise it was heavily occupied (mostly by teenagers who were using ‘fetching water’ for mischievous activities).

Yielding to the challenge presented to us by the long, winding queue we decided to go home and return during the graveyard shift starting at 3:00 am. We trotted home like donkeys after a long day’s work, thirsty and tired as ever.  I woke up at 3:45 am and my brother was in a deep sleep. I tried to wake him up to no avail, off into the night alone it was. Eager to get some water as fast as possible my pace increased by the second, approaching the corner loud chatting became audible.

“Ndiani uyo urikuenda kupi manheru akadai?” Numb for a moment, they quickly noticed the bucket in my hand. The lady said ‘’Aah arikuenda ku borehole!’’

‘’You are lucky.’’ one of the guys shouted.

Arriving at the water point all I could think of was how all these women had gotten here, that scare was enough to deter anyone who is thirsty from going to fetch water at night. It was dark and there were about 30 women. I counted only five men, myself included. As the complexion of the night got lighter so did the mood amongst us, the queue grew longer and the talk louder. Jokes about poverty and how the people in the city council should get a feel of the system they run. The dominant fear of being out and unprotected at night was ever so present among the women as they kept referring to the darkness and its uncertainty.

Two men emerged from that darkness, one tall and the other medium height. They had placed their buckets in line and started trading political campaign stories. How they campaigned for a certain MP but forgot to vote for him when elections came. One of them sounded sad saying how it would have been good had they spent energy doing something for the benefit of the community rather than their selfish interests.

As the sun came out of its resting place the 100-metre queue came into full view. Almost time to go to work but I had no water to bath with so I waited in line for three more hours until it was my turn.

I was not the only person going to work that morning. I realized that after we have dressed to go to work it’s not visible who has slept at the borehole or in the luxury of a King or Queen size bed. We have become the ultimate masters of disguise: instead of telling our story we choose to stifle it and betray our own confidence.

An invaluable insight for Tsvangirai on agreeing to accept Jacob Mudenda as elections chief. (Tsvangirai was on national TV the other day attempting to dissociate Mudenda from his Zanu PF “past”):

“People should be thoughtful about those they choose to be leaders, the impact their choices would have on their country, region or global community. Individuals have histories, individuals have images, and individuals have reputations. When they are selected to lead their nations, those images, histories and reputations go along with them.” – Johnny Carson, US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa commenting on Kenya’s  Jubilee Alliance coalition led by chaps facing charges of crimes against humanity at The Hague.

Just in from a subscriber:

The draft by COPAC is a meticulous fulfillment of the old times saying, ”that people are not inherently good, people are ready to show their vicious nature when it works to their advantage”. The coming in of a new supreme law is a welcome gesture. A constitution is widely regarded as a legacy of the past, present and future generation. Ancient and contemporary democracies to a significant extent embrace the legacy of the supremacy of civilian rule, accountability, separation of powers, transparency, liberty, and equality. The COPAC draft depicts a sharp departure from the commonly agreed key lynchpins of democracy. It is silent on a number of critical and pertinent issues such as past atrocities and government misdemeanour that seek redress. Zimbabwe is an infant democracy thus it would have been more prudent for the charter to summon for the establishment of vibrant state institutions not prone to manipulation and susceptible to political instability. The discriminatory clauses with a case in point of the death penalty spell a bleak future and a mammoth task to the establishment of consistent judicial precedence. Reading through chapter 5 which purports to create an Executive authority sent shivers to the spine. History has it on record that supreme Executive authority has led to the weakening of state institutions through appointments. It also has a danger of perpetuating the denial syndrome by political leadership thus aggravating political, economic and social distress. Unilateral Executive power enhances dictatorial tendencies. It is tragic that the COPAC draft has given a green light to one man rule thus nullifying the belief in check and balances. The draft is silent on the retirement age of Executive authority. Very little attention has been given to the voting and electoral system which in the modern day Zimbabwe is the source of hope for political transition. This further derails hopes for free, fair and credible elections. How on earth can a state be run and advised by an unaccountable Attorney General? It is a question that continues to boggle thinking minds. To crown it all the statement ”… becomes effective and for ten years thereafter …” clearly indicate lack of seriousness in Zimbabwe’ political and legal development. Though the draft tried to address numerous issues, it leaves very very little to admire in terms of ensuring stable political, democratic development and upliftment of the legacy of civil rule supremacy.Thus the adoption of the COPAC draft has numerous ramifications nationally, regionally, sub-regionally and as far as continentally. What a tragic testimony of political expedience in the guise of law making.