Latest news from Zimbabwe

[johnfás]

The Associated Press today reports the UN Children's Agency's statement that incidence of child rape has increased 42 per cent in Zimbabwe in recent times.

UNICEF said the number of cases of rape of minors reported to police surged from 2,192 in 2003 to 3,112 in 2006. Many other cases likely went unreported in a climate of secrecy and denial, it said.

Much of this abuse, it is believed, has come as a result of the continuing economic hardship faced by the people of Zimbabwe. Inflation remains the highest in the World, standing currently at some one-hundred-thousand per cent. Girl Child Network (GCN) executive director Betty Makoni said one reason rape has increased is because of a common belief, promoted by many traditional healers, among HIV-positive men that sexual intercourse with virgins is a cure for AIDS. “We believe this dangerous belief is fueling rape cases,” said Makoni.

There are currently 1 million children orphaned as a direct result of HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe.

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Unemployment in Zimbabwe currently stands at more than 80 percent, there are also shortages of food, fuel, electricity and just about every basic survival commodity.This stark social and economic situation, as a result of poor management, is confounded by ongoing suppression of opposition by the Mugabe Government. Professor Manfred Nowak, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, has stated that the use of tortue in Zimbabwe, mainly [but not exclusively] at the instigation of the State is widespread.

The Forum has expressed concern at election violence, police brutality; forceful removal of "illegal occupiers" of urban housing, transitional justice, and gender-based violence as well as the use of hate language and intolerance in Zimbabwe.

Nowak said that during the course of his visit to the country, he received "numerous consistent and credible allegations" from former detainees who reported that they were ill-treated by the police and army to extract confessions, or to obtain information in relation to other criminal offences.

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Zimbabwe will go to the polls on 29 March in order to elect a new Government. The situation which presents itself is somewhat different for President Robert Mugabe as Dr Simba Makoni, his former Finance Minister is standing against him as an independent. Dr Makoni does present somewhat of a meaningful opposition and has some support within the ZANU-PF party. However, Mugabe has been head of Government in Zimbabwe since 1980 [either as Prime Minister or Executive President], coupled with ongoing allegations of electoral fraud it is considered by many to be a foregone conclusion that he will once again regain election, at the age of 84. According to the Government owned Sunday Mail

Mugabe said he would continue to firmly defend Zimbabwe’s independence against the West.

"I would like to reassure you that I am ready for the fight," said Cde Mugabe to roaring ululation from the thousands of delegates who attended the ceremony.

"It doesn’t matter what (British Prime Minister Mr Gordon) Brown or what (US President Mr George W.) Bush says about our country.

The Zimbabwean police have stated that they will not hesitate to use their guns to quell violence during and after next month's elections. Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri issued the stern warning in a press conference in Harare, where he also took swipes at the United States and Great Britain. "We are not deterred by the utterances of hate from the Government owned Herald newspaper.

Meanwhile,

The new Anglican Bishop of Harare, the Rt Rev Sebastian Bakare, said this week that lawlessness and violence is threatening elections due on 29 March, and has called on Zimbabweans to pray for an end to the conflict and chaos.

Bakare was part of three-member committee of church leaders who met President Robert Mugabe and main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in 2007 in a bid to broker dialogue between the political rivals.

"The environment of lawlessness is destroying [the country]," he declared on 25 February.

Catholic bishops and civil rights activists have said that the national elections cannot be free and fair at the moment, and gave called for their postponement.

[Aindriu]

I knew someone who lived there when it was Rhodesia. He left when it became Zimbabwe. He stated that the country would go to the dogs under Mugabe and he was right.

[johnfás]

I knew someone who lived there when it was Rhodesia. He left when it became Zimbabwe. He stated that the country would go to the dogs under Mugabe and he was right.

I know quite alot of people who were evicted from their farms. Many of them came to my school after Mugabe's Land Reform in 2000 which saw them forceably removed from their farms with no compensation.

I think there can be a danger, when discussing from an historical perspective the changeover from the UDI of Rhodesia to Mugabe's disaster that some might slip into a sort of revisionism that the situation under the White dominated rule of another tyrant was somehow retrospectively justified. It clearly was not. However, the destruction of Zimbabwe's economy, and all the problems which have resulted from that, particularly over the last decade have been largely as a result of Robert Mugabe's leadership of the country.

[popper]

It is a truly horrendous place. South Africa seems to be following a similar path, at least in terms of epidemic rape and violent crime and general degradation. Only difference is that the new black elite have come to a (corrupt) accomodation with the old elite rather than displacing them.

[mr_anderson]

I have little doubt in my mind that South Africa shall follow the same path.
Can see Zuma becoming a 'Mugabe' all too easily.
The greatest killer in Africa is not disease, famine or war, but corruption.

[toxic avenger]

I have little doubt in my mind that South Africa shall follow the same path.
Can see Zuma becoming a 'Mugabe' all too easily.
The greatest killer in Africa is not disease, famine or war, but corruption.

With any luck Zuma will go to prison before he gets the chance.

I'm very happy that nobody backs Mugabe now, there used to be some of the usual suspects who thought it was all Britain's fault still, but they have happily pulled their necks in..

[JCSkinner]

Britain, for all its faults, is not to blame for an official inflation rate of 66,212.3%.
http://skinflicks.blogspot.com/2008/02/ ... frica.html
One person and one person alone is responsible for the Zimbabwean tragedy:
http://skinflicks.blogspot.com/2007/09/ ... o-die.html

[CookieMonster]

I knew someone who lived there when it was Rhodesia. He left when it became Zimbabwe. He stated that the country would go to the dogs under Mugabe and he was right.

I know quite alot of people who were evicted from their farms. Many of them came to my school after Mugabe's Land Reform in 2000 which saw them forceably removed from their farms with no compensation.

I know a few people in the same situation myself. The disaster with the Land Reform (most saw that land reform was necessary and fair, had it been done in a fair and moderate way) what that there was no interest in actually farming the land. It was simply a case of taking it from those who had it and nothing else. Even if there was a desire to farm it, the skills and ability to manage a farm weren't there. The land is just being left idle now.

A friend of mine was there just before christmas and said though he was born there it was the strangest and weirdest place he's ever been. His hotel room cost €2000 for the week, which we worked out was the equivalent of z$6,373,900,000. (now owing to inflation these figures seem mad but that's about 6-7 times the average yearly wage).
But to put in perspective, the average bus journey in Zim would have cost about z$2. Now the same journey costs z$16-20 million.

He also reported seeing police men hitchhiking, because they can't affort the z$3million a litre for petrol. They've also banned journalists from the country.

Jouranlists are also banned from Zim

[JCSkinner]

He got robbed on that hotel room rate. Last time I was there, in August, I got a week 5 star in an almost empty but gorgeous hotel for a couple of hundred euro all in for two of us.

[Defeated Romanticist]

I knew someone who lived there when it was Rhodesia. He left when it became Zimbabwe. He stated that the country would go to the dogs under Mugabe and he was right.

I know quite alot of people who were evicted from their farms. Many of them came to my school after Mugabe's Land Reform in 2000 which saw them forceably removed from their farms with no compensation.

I know a few people in the same situation myself. The disaster with the Land Reform (most saw that land reform was necessary and fair, had it been done in a fair and moderate way) what that there was no interest in actually farming the land. It was simply a case of taking it from those who had it and nothing else. Even if there was a desire to farm it, the skills and ability to manage a farm weren't there. The land is just being left idle now.

A friend of mine was there just before christmas and said though he was born there it was the strangest and weirdest place he's ever been. His hotel room cost €2000 for the week, which we worked out was the equivalent of z$6,373,900,000. (now owing to inflation these figures seem mad but that's about 6-7 times the average yearly wage).
But to put in perspective, the average bus journey in Zim would have cost about z$2. Now the same journey costs z$16-20 million.

He also reported seeing police men hitchhiking, because they can't affort the z$3million a litre for petrol. They've also banned journalists from the country.

Jouranlists are also banned from Zim

I am aware o the bitter irony of this but that Mugabe is managing to retain control, keep the police force somewhat functioning is quite an achievment. If the whole kleptocracy thing doesn't work out for him maybe he could try build our metro.