This has come in from one of Kubatana’s mobile phone subscribers:

Zimbabwe’s State Broadcaster is sick. I have just wasted 30 minutes watching a program called Spotlight in which the dull presenter Admire Mhungu was supposed (but failing) to interview a political analyst on the issue between ZANU PF’s Indigenisation & Empowerment and MDC’s JUICE proposals. What a pity! The analyst could not even analyse either of the proposals, fanatically repeating the tired ZANU PF chants and denigrating the MDC. I doubt if the young man ever reached A’Level considering the way he repeatedly failed to answer questions (or suggestions) that were being put across by the dull presenter. If this analyst and the presenter are a representation of the kind of people that are regular on national TV, then both ZANU PF and ZTV are doomed to fail. We definitely need media reforms (sacking of all the current staff).

1
Here’s to the boy who
waltzed my way out of a dark, empty street
and who drew me maps and taught me
geography (this city is our city, this river is
our sadness, and this restaurant is where you
taught me how to recognise the language of
every pulse of a heartbeat)

2
Here’s to the boy who
lectured me on an introductory course to
First Loves, and him who is the sole flame to
a harvest of dead branches, keeping me
warm at the dead of night—the time I think
of him, and his small eyes and his sunset touch
and his hurricane breath and his ugly enunciation
of the words goodbye, farewell.

3
Here’s to the boy who
played me guitar songs through his silence,
us naked on his bed,
more naked on mine.

4
Here’s to the boy who
wrote instead of talked, and whose eyes
were signal fires telling me how lost he felt,
alone on an island while I am
a thousand miles above him,
seeing him as a tiny dirt-pixel,
but loving him all the same.

5
Here’s to the boy who
slept with me on the cold, tiled
floor somewhere at a province
he’s always loved, while he whispered
me stories that reminded me of
my own childhood, and whose
closeness was like a run-on
sentence never perfected.

6
Here’s to the boy who
I wished
I have
never met.

7
Here’s to the boy who
I fell in love with inside the confines
of a movie theater, keeping me close
to spaces in which light was absent,
as if I were his least favorite secret.

8
Here’s to the boy who
held my hand against the backdrop
of a bookshelf, whose palms felt like
the pages of a badly-written novel.

9
Here’s to the boy who
smoked with me behind a dingy
shopping center, early evening,
as our lips tasted of apologies
and as the cold air felt like
a blanket that was ready to
separate us at once.

10
Here’s to the boy who
knew how to touch me like
his fingertips were lit like a birthday
candle, and whose smile
was like a big occasion
worth celebrating.

11
Here’s to the boy who
was like a Ciudad song—
“my emptiness”.

12
Here’s to the boy who
had pictures of himself scattered
on the walls of his room
and also on the corners
of my memory and on the
closed gaps of my heart.

13
Here’s to the boy who
distanced himself far enough
for me to miss him
until the day that I die.

14
Here’s to the boy who
made me carve our initials
on wet cement, as if our
love was made of stone.

Petersen Vargas, “Fourteen Boys”

Some reflections emailed to us from a Kubatana subscriber:

Driving around the back roads of Mashonaland Central. The bush loves the rain and no farmers (black or white). Cloud formations speak of a god. School girls love their green uniforms. Girls; such customised dogs of love and death machines. Gave an aged woman a lift. I wanted hug her but we had no common language

Just in from the International Socialist Organisation (ISO):

COPAC Draft Constitution

Vote No to this elitist Peace Charter and Politicians Gravy Train. Vanorovambwa vakaviga mupinyu

15 Reasons to Vote No!

1. It was not written by you the people but by four leaders of the GNU political parties.

2. It’s not democratic! 33 Years rule by one man is enough. It allows President Mugabe, 89, possibly to rule for another 10 years, when he will be 99! Zvanyanya… He must retire. Even the Pope has, at 85.

3. It does not provide funded and time-defined rights to: jobs, education, health, housing, water, food, electricity, public transport, rural development; disability; social security and empowerment. It does not provide basic rights but only progressive rights which are subject to claw-backs and availability of funds to the State but there are no provisions to enable the State to fund the declared rights.

4. It’s not democratic! It retains the imperial executive president: “President wemasimba ose.” President appoints all cabinet ministers and most senior state, military and judicial officials; can unilaterally change laws, dissolve parliament or declare war. Provides no age limit. Allows current judges and AG Tomana to stay in office without vetting. No real Devolution of power is provided for.

5. It does not guarantee free and fair elections! The same June 2008 generals and judges will control the election process! No right to vote for the Diaspora. No right to recall corrupt or ineffective councilors or MPs; No proportional representation of MPs; No quotas for workers, farmers, youths or war vets.

6. Is a politicians’ gravy train: has over 350 MPs, 2 vice presidents and an unlimited cabinet! It abolishes death penalty mainly for men over 70 years …who are these and why them alone? Abolish the Death Penalty for all! In 2011 it was the Zim 45 facing the death penalty for treason charges of watching the Egypt video, today it’s the GV 29 political prisoners…Free Maengahama and Ors… Drop the charges!

7. No compensation for victims of past genocides, Gukurahundi, state violence like June 2008 and Murambatsvina. No transitional justice and punishment for perpetrators of crimes against humanity.

8. Attacks workers: no living wage; no full right to strike; denies full collective bargaining for civil servants; prohibits civil servants and municipal workers from political activity; no protection of contract workers; no time limits for finalizing labour disputes;  no exclusive Labour Court.

9. Attacks youths and students: No right to jobs, public work programmes  or economic empowerment; no right to education, grants or loans; no youths quotas in parliament/councils; no right to abortion.

10.  Attacks women: no 50-50% quotas in jobs or all public offices; no economic empowerment; no social grants and social security right; no funded maternity pay/benefits for all women; no right to abortion.

11. Attacks vendors and informal sector: no right to trade or work without harassment; no economic empowerment; no social security benefits. Attacks and scapegoats minorities like gays and lesbians.

12. Does not give land to the landless or for housing or compensation to ex-farm workers but specially protects the chefs with many farms; and compensates ex-white and foreign western farmers.

13. Is preparation for another elite GNU after elections, bringing together Zanu PF and MDC politicians, bosses and imperialists to make money and accelerate their policies of capitalism,  ESAP and neo-liberalism against workers, youths, women, farmers and the poor ["Eat what you hunt"].

14. It totally defends the capitalist system and property of employers and the rich. No nationalization under workers’ and communities’ control of natural resources like diamonds, platinum, gold and major businesses to fund jobs, education, health, water, rural farmers etc. No empowerment or employee or community ownership schemes! It’s a constitution for politicians, employers and the rich: the 1% of plutocrats or elites, and not us the 99%, the ordinary people!

15. No more half-backed promises of change or the crumbs COPAC is offering just because of elections.  Politicians lie to get into power but once in office they forget the people and start looting.  The  COPAC Constitution will cost over $130million yet the SA one cost less than $30million! Like the Lancaster one, this COPAC Constitution will become permanent and enslave us and future generations. Politicians think they own the people, who will just blindly follow them … Stop them

Vote NO!  Capitalism Kills …. Socialism is Life!  Vote NO!

Contact the ISO: iso.zim@gmail.com

Well on a day like Valentine’s it’s almost everyone’s wish to be remembered by that special someone in your life unless, of course, you don’t believe on love. Walking through town on my way to work I felt that it’s the ladies who are the ones who are well prepared for the day than men. Call it color blocking or whatever, all I saw were red tops to spice up the occasion. The worst case scenario is to get shot at by your loved one on Valentine’s Day. I was disturbed to read that South African Paralymbian blade runner Oscar Pistorious allegedly shot dead his girlfriend after mistaking her for a burglar. Instead of hearing words like “Happy Valentine to you too” and a bunch of flowers as a better gift, it was a bullet in the head. Who knows, maybe Oscar’s girlfriend tried breaking into the house with a bunch of roses for an early morning surprise but little did she know she was going to end up in a body bag on Valentine’s Day. Valentines Day will forever be the worst day of Oscar’s life.