The Seven Churches Little Barningham, Blickling, Edgefield, Itteringham, Oulton, Saxthorpe & Corpusty, Wickmere |
Home Page
Open Letter from Zimbabwe
from Cathy Buckle
Dear Family and Friends, It raised its head and neck and tried to lunge forward but barely moved at all. Thrashing from side to side, tongue flicking, the snake managed to creep forward a little towards the bush on the roadside but it wasn't enough and freedom and safety was so near and yet so far. Suddenly a stream of cars came by and one hit the snake full on. A gruesome end was inevitable and intervention was impossible. Later, when I passed the same place again, the snake had gone but a handful of people were standing around looking at something on the roadside and the assumption was obvious. Until next time, thanks for reading, love Cathy. Copyright Cathy Buckle 8th November 2008 If you would like to receive this newsletter by email, please write to: cbuckle@mango.zw Sausage Flies and Absurdity Dear Family and Friends, Until next week, thanks for reading and thanks to my webmaster for taking over the burden of sending out of this letter. The Names Are Felled Dear Family and Friends, Until next time, thanks for reading, Cabbages and Condoms Dear Family and Friends, This week the word being used to describe the government of national unity is 'deadlocked' and it couldn't be more apt. We are locked in a death grip and things are falling apart at a dramatic pace. For the benefit of people not in Zimbabwe, let me put a face to deadlock. This morning I went shopping and this is what I saw. In one locally owned supermarket which has branches all over the country they are selling goods in Zimbabwe dollars. On their shelves they had: light bulbs, cayenne pepper and soya mince, a few vegetables which were distinctly past their best and a few packets of meat which didn't look too safe. More than half of the supermarket is completely empty and closed off with strings of white plastic tape. In another local supermarket which has branches all over the country they are also operating in Zimbabwe dollars. Half of the shop is empty and barricaded off. Spread out on a couple of shelves were the few goods they had for sale: tea leaves, condoms, cabbages and onions. Against one wall stood some crates of fizzy drinks and in a rack a handful of unaffordable imported magazines gave colour to this most dismal scene. For Zimbabweans who have no access to foreign currency, these two supermarkets offer the full extent of food available to buy in our deadlocked country. The vast majority of Zimbabweans do not have foreign currency or if they do it is one single, precious note hidden away in a safe place - not anywhere near enough to buy food with every week. The third supermarket I visited has just started selling goods in US dollars and there, if you have foreign bank notes, you can buy sugar, cooking oil, biscuits, cereals, tea, coffee, pasta, tinned goods and a few toiletries. On the wall near the check out tills is a poster announcing what the equivalent of 1 US dollar is in South African Rand, British Pounds and Botswana Pula - no mention of the dead Zimbabwe dollar. Food shopping is the tip of the nightmare, then there are the bills. This week I was advised that an account I have with an internet service has been terminated for non payment of 1.4 million Zimbabwe dollars. Paying the bill is almost impossible as Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono has banned inter account and electronic transfers and limited cash withdrawals to 50 thousand dollars a day. If I am to pay my bill of 1.4 million dollars in cash I must queue for 2 - When Mr Gono banned electronic transfers and inter account transfers he closed business down in one quick and deadly blow. The rich and connected have got dramatically richer as they and their dealers have poured out onto our streets to buy up all those preciously saved single notes at obscenely low rates. People have had no choice but to sell because they cannot get their own money out of the banks - thanks to Mr Gono's punitive policies and crippling limits. When Mr Gono licensed some shops to sell in foreign currency his policy wiped out Zimbabwe's own supermarkets in one quick and deadly blow - gone is the great propaganda line of Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans. This is what deadlock looks like seven months after we voted for a change in government. Until next week, thanks for reading and thanks to my email service provider for helping me tell this story for so long, Copyright Cathy Buckle 18 October 2008 We Need Seed Dear Family and Friends, Our old and our new leaders are still too busy arguing about power to hear our calls. Another month has been wasted when these Big Men could, should have stood together; seed and fertilizer could have been bought, fields ploughed and every able bodied man and woman readied to bring life and food security back to Zimbabwe. Many people are saying that neither Zanu PF nor the MDC deserve to be in power if they cannot even help us to help ourselves at this most desperate time. Until next time, thanks for reading, Copyright Cathy Buckle 11th October 2008 Gangster State Dear Family and Friends, The shortage of bank notes has reached critical lengths. People are queuing outside banks from as early as 2 am in the morning in order to draw out their daily limit which is not even enough to buy a single packet of soup. No shops or businesses are accepting cheques anymore. Electronic transfers In a parking bay in the centre of a busy town and with literally thousands of people milling around, a black market currency deal was being done in broad daylight on the bonnet of a car. Thick wads of Zimbabwe dollars were being counted out in exchange for a few US dollars. No attempt was being made to disguise what was going on or conceal the illegal transaction and in fact no one seemed to even care. This is a common sight and just one of many deals going on in plain view of Police in uniform who mill around, stand in bank queues, lean against walls and trees but do nothing to stop the lawbreakers. This week I've met pensioners, hungry because they can't pay for what little food there is by cheque and can't get cash out of the bank. I've met middle aged men desperate because they can't get enough money out the bank to buy food for their families. I've met people from rural areas who say that despite the propaganda being peddled every day in the State media, no food, seed or fertilizer has arrived in their villages yet. I've met nurses who say that despite news reports they still have no drugs for their patients. I've met shop owners whose businesses are collapsing as their employees are in queues at the banks, and so are their customers. I've met parents in total despair as their children are still not in school a month into the term because teachers are on strike. The walls are falling down around us very fast now and still we baby-cry about mediators. Shame on us. Until next time, thanks for reading, Copyright Cathy Buckle 4th October 2008 Shiny Mulberries Dear Family and Friends, This week Gideon Gono, the Governor of the Reserve Bank, swept into an underground car park in a dark limousine. A line of well dressed men clamoured forward to greet him and followed him to the waiting camera and microphone of ZBC TV. Speaking as if he was doing us some huge favour and with an ingratiating smile, Mr Gono announced that the maximum bank withdrawal limit for individuals was about to increase from one thousand to twenty thousand dollars a day. In real terms, as I write, this new limit is worth about 20 British pence. It's impossible to believe that Mr Gono or any of Zimbabwe's political elite are living on 20 pence a day and yet they offer no suggestion as to how ordinary people should survive. For weeks we've been stuck in a living hell, queuing at banks for hours at a time day after day, to draw out enough of our own money to buy just one single loaf of bread - if we can find it. Riot police and dogs outside banks have become commonplace and so too have men selling money. They strut around brazenly, openly carrying huge bags of local coins that they are selling in exchange for US dollars or South African rand. Police don't seem to be able to see them or the lines of black market currency dealers sitting on pavements everywhere and so the economic collapse continues to gallop ahead. Less than two months ago Mr Gono removed 10 zeroes from our currency and 7 of them are back already. There is no doubt that this trend will continue as long as the power sharing deal between Zanu PF and the MDC remains words on paper and not deeds on the street. While Zimbabwe may just be a tadpole in the shark pool of the world economic crisis but the suffering of ordinary people is almost too unbearable to witness. Its hard not to feel depressed as the wheels of power sharing don't move at all and so we look to the glorious Jacaranda trees dripping purple flowers and to the shiny, deep purple mulberries that stain fingers and feet but give a moment of sweetness to our hardest of days. Until next time, thanks for reading, Copyright Cathy Buckle 27 September 2008 Hope Dear Family and Friends, The "Zimbabwe Situation," as our collapse is called, started at different times for different people. For me it began on Saturday the 4th March 2000. "Hide yourself. They are coming, "one of my farm workers had screamed, giving me a few precious minutes of warning. And then, alone and helpless, locked in my study with my hands over my head, I sat paralyzed as men whistled, threw bricks and shouted HONDO, HONDO, HONDO (War) at our farm gate. What happened after that, to hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans from all walks of life is now history. The rabble at my farm gate were the foot soldiers and had been used to start a political, social, economic and humanitarian crisis of unimaginable proportions. After 8 years and 7 months of living through this Zimbabwe Situation it has often felt like a country at war but now, at last, we have hope. In his speech after signing an agreement to share power, Prime Minister designate, Morgan Tsvangirai, spoke of painful compromises that had been made in getting to the Agreement. We don't know yet what those compromises were but we do know that they had to happen because we, the ordinary people, simply couldn't go on living like this. Power sharing isn't what we wanted and the events that have led to it do not set a good precedent for countries whose leaders won't leave power, but for Zimbabwe it must work. For Zimbabwe this Agreement is the first step towards real democracy and it has come at a time when we are hanging over the cliff by a fingernail. Just a few days into the deal the arguments have already begun and on the surface there is no tangible difference to the trauma and exasperation of every day struggles for bank notes, food, fuel, water, electricity, medicine and much more. Under the surface however, there is a huge sense of anticipation and an urgency to get things going again as soon as possible. As I close this week I would like to pay tribute to ZWNews whose editor compiled and sent out at no charge over 3200 issues over almost nine years and kept Zimbabwe in the world's eye. He does not wish to be named but we thank him for his sacrifices and his patriotism. Until next week, thanks for reading, Copyright Cathy Buckle 20 September 2008 Top of the Agenda Dear Family and Friends, Should it be electricity? Supplies are down to 6 or less hours a day in most places. Businesses, manufacturing and industry are close to collapse. Schools, hospitals and institutions are barely functional. Should it be water? Supplies to urban, residential and industrial areas are down to 2 hours a day in most places and non-existent in others. Cholera and other water born disease are commonplace. Should it be food? Shops are empty of all basic goods and individuals have resorted to importing their own supplies in order to survive. Food growing on seized farms is negligible and in most cases barely enough to feed one or two families. Almost half the population will need international food aid by Christmas. Should it be money? Bank queues run into thousands as the Reserve Bank Governor restricts daily withdrawals to the current equivalent of just 2 British pence per customer. Without access to their own money people cannot buy food or medicines or pay their bills. Should it be Health? Hospitals have no drugs, equipment, food, linen or staff. Pharmacies increase their prices at least once every day and people are dying for lack of basic, simple life sustaining medication. Should it be education? Teachers earn less than street cleaners and so they are always on strike. Pupils have no books. Parents cannot afford school and examination fees, uniforms or even food for their children. What hope for our next generation. Should it be land and the environment? Restoring property rights and Title Deeds. Controlling gold panning, diamond digging, tree cutting, poaching, streambank and roadside cultivation and fires. Perhaps it should be repealing legislation which has destroyed freedom of speech, movement and association; freedom of the press and media and citizenship laws which have made born and bred Zimbabweans into aliens. I could go on and on but perhaps my own favourites will be top of the agenda: law and order and accountability. Until Zimbabwe's Police stop saying "It is political" and start arresting people who break the law, regardless of their political affiliations, we can surely not move forward. So too the people who raped, murdered, burned, looted, tortured, stole and incited others to do likewise - they must be held accountable and punished for their deeds. Zimbabwe stands at the threshold and we pray that our trust is not betrayed because we have suffered so much and for so long. Copyright Cathy Buckle 13th September 2008 Gangrene Dear Family and Friends, The rich are getting much, much richer; the poor are virtually destitute and the middle class has all but disappeared as Zimbabwe moves into trading in US Dollars. No one in government - winners or losers - has said or done anything to stop people charging in US dollars and all control now seems to be lost. For the last few weeks medical specialists have been charging their patients in US dollars. You have to provide hard currency (US dollar bank notes) in order to see a dentist, have an operation, receive the services of an anaesthetist and lately you even need US dollars to buy prescription medicines from pharmacies. The trend has spread to spare parts for machines and to computer accessories and the more this US dollar trading goes on unchecked and uncontrolled so the pattern spreads. Now even locally produced goods are being charged in US dollars: meat, eggs, potatoes and milk. As people do their own thing and while there remains a non functional government and non existent authority base, the situation grows worse and worse. We are now in a sudden greedy spiral of US Dollar inflation in Zimbabwe. A pocket of potatoes that was selling for 5 US dollars last week now suddenly costs 8 US dollars. The same is happening to meat prices and to property rentals. For the vast majority of people who have no access to US dollars, life has become simply unbearable these last few weeks. Pensioners who have no foreign currency and cannot buy life sustaining medicines; people who are sick and in pain but cannot see dentists, specialists or undergo operations. One friend described how she took a desperately sick man with gangrene to a government hospital this week only to be told that they were not accepting any admissions as they simply have no resources : no drugs, linen, food or equipment. After much pleading, long negotiations and under the counter payments of huge amounts of money, the sick man was finally taken in. He had to provide his own bedding and linen, bandages, dressings, medication, drugs and food. Health for all by the year 2000 has been the the clarion call of Zanu PF since they took power and yet after 28 years this is the state we are in. And still they talk of sharing power? Until next time, thanks for reading, Copyright Cathy Buckle 6th September 2008 Shiny Brown Seeds Dear Family and Friends, Amidst our desperate struggle to survive eleven million percent inflation and with so very many people going to bed hungry every night, there have been some dramatic developments in Zimbabwe this week that bring change another step closer. Just when we'd given up hope of the people's March 29th votes ever being respected, Parliament was suddenly re-convened and MP's sworn in. Then, for the first time in 28 years, Zanu PF lost control of the House of Assembly as an MDC MP was voted Speaker of The House. The ceremonial opening of Parliament was a spectacle not to be missed and unbelievably the electricity stayed on during the entire procedure. Even more amazing was that ZBC TV filmed all the events that followed, live and uninterrupted. Zimbabwe saw Mr Mugabe arrive in the black open topped Rolls Royce alone, without his wife. We saw the long, long line of MP's going into Parliament. The MDC MP's were easily recognisable as they smiled and waved to the crowds - perhaps acknowledging that it was their votes and their sacrifices that had resulted in this day. The MDC MP's have not yet got that arrogant, I'm indestructible look that is so common to Zimbabwean politicians. Many shocking things followed in the next hour, filmed live by ZBC TV for all to see. When Mr Mugabe walked into the House of Assembly only the Zanu PF MP's stood up. For half an hour Mr Mugabe's voice was drowned out by talking, jeering, singing and clapping MDC MP's. Never, in 28 years, has Zimbabwe seen their elected MP's do anything like this. Never, in 28 years, have Zimbabweans seen Mr Mugabe being openly challenged like this. The final wind of change that blew into Zimbabwe this week came with the government lifting its ban on international and local charitable organisations. People who are hungry, sick and desperate have been given back the right to ask for and receive help from people other than a bankrupt government. Until next week, thanks for reading, Copyright Cathy Buckle 30 August 2008 Less Than A Tin of Jam Dear Family and Friends, The crisis that I'm talking about is the one of living every day. Food supplies are lower than they've ever been. One morning this week in my home town, four of the five main supermarkets were simply shut - doors closed, bars up, gates padlocked: no notice, no apology, nothing. The one supermarket which has a South African franchise was open, but the prices were completely out of reach. A 250 gram bag of salt cost 150 dollars, a small tin of jam was priced at 250 dollars. I chatted with a man from a rural village and he said that the situation in the countryside had reached critical levels as people have started running out of grain from their last harvest. He said that there was no help at all coming to his village. The village Headman and the local Chief had not been given any food supplies from the government to distribute to hungry villagers. He said that the international organizations like the World Food Programme weren't coming anymore and neither were the smaller NGO's or even the Churches. He told me that feeding programmes for pre school children had been banned by the government and even the monthly distribution of food packs to pensioners had ceased. Elderly men and women, many in charge of looking after orphaned grandchildren, had been receiving maize meal, sugar beans and cooking oil before the March elections but now they were getting nothing at all. People with HIV and AIDS in the village who had been tested and registered and who had been receiving anti-retrovirals from NGO's have also been abandoned due to the government prohibition on outside help. The man shook his head sadly as he told me about the cessation of the drugs and said: "This is a death sentence for these people; what's left for them now is only to die." I asked him if the villagers were able to get the cheap food through the latest government "People's Shops" scheme. He said 120 villagers had been identified for the programme and 10 were chosen each week to travel to the nearest People's Shop warehouse. It is 40 kilometre journey, one way, but so far only the first group of 10 people had managed to buy cheap food. For the others, every week 10 people went but every week the warehouse was empty. They persisted for six weeks in a row but now, he said, they have given up going, it is wasting precious money travelling the 80 kilometre round trip and returning empty handed. The only hope is in the coming rainy season but with just six weeks until the planting season, rural villagers have yet to see any seed or fertilizer. "If they won't let anyone give us food or medicines, do you think we have a chance for seed or fertilizer?" the man I was talking to asked. I looked at the ground in shame and could find no words in response. Until next time, thanks for reading, Just Out Of Reach Dear Family and Friends, The electricity is now off more than on - in my area its only been on twice during daytime working hours in the last week. Urban water supply seems to have virtually collapsed and in my home area taps are dry for at least 20 hours a day. Massive environmental devastation is being done as people have no choice but to cut trees down for fuel wood. Shops remain barren of virtually all goods and banks have become nightmare places where hundreds of people queue for hours at a time to withdraw the maximum daily allowance which is now handed out as a small bag of coins. At some banks the situation is so bad that the doors stay closed and locked all the time and people are only allowed to enter in small batches. Much as the old leadership would have us believe, we are not a country at war, no one is trying to invade us or take us over and the future is waiting, just out of our reach. It is very hard, however, to stay sane, healthy and focussed on the Zimbabwe that the majority voted for on the 29th March 2008. One afternoon this week I went with a friend to a small environmental education centre and game park at a local school and the magnificence of the Zimbabwean bush helped revive flagging spirits. The Msasa trees are coming into new leaf and putting on a spectacular display of copper, caramel, burgundy, port and hot red. The wild oranges are starting to turn yellow and they hang heavily from branches of leafless trees. On rocks and kopjes there are unexpected and vivid scatterings of lime green and bright orange lichen. In between trees and rocks, superbly camouflaged, there were giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and impala. This small environmental education centre, a vision from the past, giving knowledge and understanding to our children in such troubled times and promising hope for the future of our beleaguered, broken Zimbabwe. Until next week, thanks for reading, Copyright Cathy Buckle 17 August 2008 Kneeling In The Dust Dear Family and Friends As you approach Musina, the last South African town before the border with Zimbabwe, you are struck with a feeling of being in a place of great majesty and ancient history. Giant Baobab trees stand dramatically in the dry, scratchy scrub land. It's hard to take in their massive and strangely upside down appearance. They are leafless as summer approaches and you are left wondering if some great hand from above pulled them up and then plunged them head first back into the hard African ground. In Musina town itself, on a dusty roadside, a glorious blaze of pink flowers crowd the swollen, grey stems of a Sabi Star shrub. Their pink-ness seems ironic and out of place amidst the dust and the heat and this, together with the Baobabs, sets the scene for the approaching insanity that has become life in Zimbabwe. Musina town is crowded with Zimbabwean vehicles. Cars, trucks and minibuses are filled to overflowing with food and household goods. The images remind you of the place you are going to: the land of nothing. There are piles of bread crammed against car windows, huge blocks of toilet paper stuffed onto roof racks; women with 10 kilo bags of flour, sugar and mealie meal on their heads; gaudy carrier bags bursting at the seams filled with all the essentials of every day - essentials robbed us by economic collapse due to gross mismanagement and leadership incompetence. The border control entry point at Beitbridge is Zimbabwe at its worst: a grim nightmare and disgraceful window into our country. The officials are sour, surly and downright rude. You stagger from one filthy counter to the next with no volunteered information on what to do, where to go and which bits of paper need stamps on. There are more touts, con men and wheeler dealers than you can cope with and they operate openly, brazenly and untouched, in full view of police, security guards and officials. For American dollars or South African Rand they force their way to the front of the one and only counter for returning residents and there they get your papers stamped, pay your road access tax, your Bridge toll fees or your customs duties. Appealing to the man with the legend: "Modern Security" enscribed on his navy uniform incurs a disgusting display of rudeness, temper and heavy handed physical pushing, not of the bad guys but of innocent members of the public. Question Mr Modern Security and he rubs his thumb against his fingers indicating clearly that if you want help you must pay. If you don't pay the bribes you wait, and wait, and wait. I was 12th in line but was there three and half hours. Once back in Zimbabwe you plummet from 1st world to 4th in less than 10 minutes. Fuel stations are dry, food shops are empty, mobile phones have no signal. Women wash clothes and naked children bathe in the pools of the Bubye River and one lady dressed all in white kneels in the dust, her hands clasped in prayer, under a leafless thorn tree in the middle of nowhere. Donkey drawn carts become more commonplace than cars, goats dawdle across the road, fences along the highway are gone and its not worth your mental or physical health to look for or use a public toilet. Huge farms stand empty and derelict, fields unploughed, no sign of preparation for the season now just weeks away. As night draws in you pass towns and cities engulfed in the darkness of power cuts and an uncountable number of road blocks loom out of the blackness, manned by Policemen who look younger than my teenage son. Its hard to believe that Zimbabwe is in the same place in time as the rest of the world. Perhaps not for much longer is our fervent hope. Until next time, thanks for reading, Copyright Cathy Buckle 9th August 2008 Tough Luck Dear Family and Friends, Those left at home have this week suddenly found themselves in a strange place where everything is being charged in US dollars or South African Rand. A woman outside a medical office in Harare selling bread at 10 Rand a loaf. Rooms in high density suburbs being rented out for 100 rand a month. Adverts for cottages to lease at 200 US a month. Meat in a local butchery where only US dollars are accepted. Copyright Cathy Buckle 26 July 2008 Gifts Are Being Given Dear Family and Friends, It's been a brutal four months that Zimbabwe will never forget. A time when the country's leaders have bombarded us with hate speech, threatened us with war and tried to make us believe that they are immortal and their rule eternal. For the last four months we have been a population in a state of mourning as a litany of horror has become our daily lives: murder, torture, abduction, rape and arson. And now, after all these weeks of abuse and before the soil has settled over fresh graves, gifts are being given by the same people who threatened war. Scotch carts, tractors, ploughs and cultivators are being handed out at gatherings where everyone is waving little flags, wearing Zanu PF clothes and dancing for the leaders. It's hard to fathom that this can possibly be real: that people can be cheering and ululating for farming implements before the tears for the dead are even dry on our faces, before the results of our votes in the March elections have been implemented, let alone accepted. It seems to be of no consequence that the constitutional deadline for the swearing in of MP's and Senators, the election of the Speaker of the House and Senate and the ceremonial opening of Parliament have all been missed. As I write this letter the leaves from the Msasa trees are falling thick and fast. They are early this year and the sound of them raining down on the roof gives notice of a new season about to start. The falling of the leaves, like the wishes of the people, cannot be stopped - no matter how many gifts are given. Copyright Cathy Buckle 20 July 2008 I Am Failing Them Dear Family and Friends, "Can I show you something?" the man said and before I could answer he took his most recent pay slip out of his pocket. For an entire month the shop assistant had earned just 28 billion dollars - not even enough to buy one single butternut squash. Eight hours a day, five and half days a week and his entire salary was not enough to provide even one single meal. He told me he had a wife and a child to support and said with remorse and shame in his voice: They are simple words stating a simple fact - people are surely going to die here in Zimbabwe if this situation continues for much longer. Despite their desperate determination to stay in power and retain their 28 years of leadership of the country, Zanu PF have so far not even acknowledged the critical shortage of foodstuffs and basic medicines let alone done anything about resolving it. Everywhere people have stories of such deprivation and suffering to recount and we are a nation in a permanent state of shock. Shock that our lives have been reduced to this. Shock that yet again the UN have been unable to find a common voice. Shocked that the violence and brutality continues and shocked that yet again we are hearing of talks about talks about talks. On the 29th March the MDC won a parliamentary majority, It is long past time for them to be sworn in and take up the reigns and lead Zimbabwe out of this hell. Until next week, thanks for reading, Copyright Cathy Buckle 12 July 2008 Simply Sit Down Dear Family and Friends, Such is the tragic image of our broken, desperate people that even for those of us living here, the ruination of ordinary lives and the suffering that people are enduring is utterly heartbreaking. Everyday holds tears and trauma and the most common phrase in our lives is: "We are in God's hands." The MDC say that a quarter of a million people have been displaced from their homes since the end of March. It is undoubtable that thousands more have by now fled for our borders and crossed over into Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia and South Africa - legally and illegally. They have done this to stay alive and unless something happens to change the situation urgently, hundreds of thousands of others will have no choice but to follow the exodus to our borders. This morning, as I write this letter, hundreds upon hundreds of people are crowded outside banks across the country desperately trying to withdraw their own money. This is because most shops no longer accept cheques and the Governor of the Reserve Bank has limited daily withdrawals per person to one hundred billion dollars. With one hundred billion dollars you can, today only, buy just three single blood pressure tablets. Or, today only, you can buy one copy of a local weekly newspaper and and two small green onions. In my home town, even if you had the money, there is almost no food left to buy. In the week since Mr Mugabe was again sworn in as President, our supermarkets have become emptier than ever. There are no dry staple goods at all, no milk or eggs and no wheat or flour. In my home town the main bakery is closed and we've had no bread for over a fortnight. This is why hundreds and thousands of people now have no choice but to leave the country. It is truly a most desperate situation and people from all walks of life are in dire need of help - primarily for food and life preserving medicines but also for shelter and protection. We hear the words from abroad and from the AU, the UN and some of our neighbours but we don't need words, we need help and we need it now, literally to save lives. Until next week, thank you for reading, Copyright Cathy Buckle 5th July 2008 Four Against Hundreds Dear Family and Friends, The arrogant calls were met with silence. Even in urban Zimbabwe people are deeply traumatized by the events of the past few weeks and so we stay behind closed doors. The progress of the four men could be tracked by the barking of dogs and the thought that just four young men could intimidate hundreds is a chilling reality. The 27th of June will be remembered as a dark day in our history. How will we explain to our grandchildren that in the depth of Zimbabwe's crisis there was a Presidential election in which only one candidate was contesting? As he prepared to step into his official limousine after casting his vote for the only contesting Presidential candidate, Mr Mugabe smiled for the cameras. "How are you feeling Mr President?" someone asked. "Fit, very fit," he replied. "And very optimistic." Optimistic? Of winning an election without an opponent? Walking round my home town the morning after the election, there was a sombre and dejected feeling in the streets. There was no excitement or expectation and no point talking about results. With only one candidate the outcome was obvious. One man held up his red stained finger to show that he'd voted - under protest but for his own safety. With dry sarcasm he said he'd spoiled his paper: he said he loved both candidates equally and so he'd given them both an X ! Moments later he shook his head sadly and said: "so many people will die now - there is already such hunger everywhere. Now it will be worse." Another man lifted his red finger but said angrily: "For What?" His daughter had been told to bring 'top -up' school fees of one hundred billion dollars when schools re-opened after the elections. This amount is five times the man's monthly salary. It is his daughter's O Level year so he said he would sell yet more of his possessions to raise the money - in order to give his daughter a future. Two young men stood on the roadside desperately trying to flag down a lift for their friend who had just come out of hospital after a severe asthma attack. Because there is virtually no public transport anymore a group of friends had clubbed together and raised the 90 billion dollars needed for a private car. 90 billion dollars to travel one way - less than ten kilometres to the hospital to save their friend's life. As the youngsters moved on, one said:" We cry for our fair country." It took five weeks to count the votes cast in the March 29th election. It took just forty four hours to count the votes of the June 27th ballot. The results have been officially stated as follows: At 4.17 pm on the 29th June 2008, 84 year old Mr Mugabe was declared the duly elected President of Zimbabwe. Until next time, thanks for reading Copyright Cathy Buckle 29th June 2008 Blanket of Fear Dear Family and Friends, A report released this week by the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights contains details of some of the victims of violence seen in the last month: men and women with broken arms and legs, fingers and toes, soft tissue damage to face, feet and buttocks; burns, lacerations and bruising. One patient the doctors described had been: " beaten extensively on the shoulders, back, buttocks and thighs, was also struck in the face and suffered a leak of vitreous humour (the transparent gel-like substance behind the lens of the eye) resulting in blindness." Alongside the fear of physical violence is the rhetoric from the rallies whose words are now being quoted around the world. In the last few days Zanu PF leader Mr Mugabe has said on four different occasions: Its hard to know what the MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai has been saying as he's been detained by police five times, his rallies have been cancelled, his vehicle has been impounded and his secretary general is in police custody charged with treason. To further silence the MDC leader, and in obvious violation of electoral laws, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation said that they wouldn't air campaign adverts from the opposition party. Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa defended the ZBC's stance saying that international coverage favoured the MDC and never reported Zanu PF's position. As silenced as Zimbabweans are, hope has come at last from our neighbours who have begun to speak out. This week Tanzanian Foreign Minister Bernard Membe said: "There is every sign that these elections will never be free nor fair," adding that he and the foreign ministers of Swaziland and Angola would write to their presidents "so that they do something urgently so that we can save Zimbabwe." And now, beaten, bloodied, scared and in a state of mourning, we go to the polls again. We don't need the rallies and the speeches to know where to vote on the 27th of June. Until next time, thanks for reading, Copyright Cathy Buckle 21st June 2008 To Stay Safe, Stay Quiet Dear Family and Friends, The owner of the abusive behaviour was a man of perhaps thirty. His head was shaven and he wore a thick gold chain around his neck. In his hand, on obvious display, he flicked a thick bundle of money. Under his loose, open-necked shirt we could all see the T shirt he wore with the face of Mr Mugabe on it. This is the face of Zimbabwe a fortnight before elections: one man silences twenty. We see but we stay quiet. Two men arrived on foot at a farm this week and they were carrying Zanu PF posters. As they began putting up the posters on the walls of outbuildings a worker tried to object - this is private property after all. "You are not allowed to complain," came the response. "Or maybe you are MDC?" The worker did not respond and the posters of Mr Mugabe were plastered on the walls of private property. This is the face of Zimbabwe where election observers have begun arriving but are only allowed to watch from 8 am to 5pm. A friend was at the hospital when the latest victim of political violence arrived. The victim was in his early sixties and accused of being an MDC supporter. Both his arms and one leg were broken , his skull was fractured and the injuries too severe to be treated at the local hospital. This is the face of Zimbabwe where only 400 election observers will watch 12 million Zimbabweans on the 27th of June. 400 election observers to watch 9231 polling stations. One observer for every 23 polling stations - it is a mockery, an insult to a tired, broken, hungry and frightened population. Is this really the best Africa can do? Until next time, Copyright Cathy Buckle 14th June 2008 If you would like to receive this newsletter by email, please write to: cbuckle@mango.zw |