We have all breathed a collective sigh of relief over the past few weeks as Jestina Mukoko, Roy Bennett, and dozens of other pro-democracy workers have been released from custody after weeks or months inside.

But as this SW Radio story reminded me, several activists remain inside and must not be forgotten. Due to stand trial only at the end of June, seven MDC activists are facing terrorism charges, and are still in custody – as they have been since December last year.

A recent press statement MDC presses for national policy on hero status, caught my eye. In it, the MDC questions the “national hero” concept as it’s been appropriated by Zanu PF, and makes some important observations about the ordinary heroes – and sheroes – living amongst all of us.

It is erroneous to believe that only politicians qualify to be national heroes. Zimbabweans have produced the best minds in business, in sport, in music and in the arts in general. The MDC equally believes that one does not need to be dead to be appreciated in the country of their birth. Acknowledging talent and celebrating it is the hallmark of progressive and civilised societies. Read more

Pamberi Trust hosted a literary discussion last night, on theme “Is writing craft or emotion?” The panelsits were Zimbabwean authors Tsitsi Dangarembga and Shimmer Chinodya, and the discussion was chaired by Stanley Mupfudza. Both speakers drew on their own works, and a number of other authors from elswhere in Africa, the US and Latin America, to conclude that both craft and emotion matter in creating great literature. But both speakers also agreed that as a motivation, emotion – the desire to convey a certain feeling to the reader – was a greater impetus to write than any interest in mastering the craft of writing for its own sake. In discussion, participants by and large agreed that both craft and emotion matter – but that emotion was of primary importance.  Listen to Dangarembga urging Zimbabweans to speak out across their full range of emotions, and deepen our understanding of one another.

In the back of the shopping centre where I work, piles of rubbish like this are unfortunately common. Along the streets and verges, tins and take away boxes pile up. The rubbish bins along the sidewalks are full to overflowing, and more and more people just drop their litter on the pavement. The build up of rubbish isn’t surprising; the City of Harare hasn’t conducted regular rubbish collection in months. More and more people I speak with are refusing to pay the refuse collection portion of their City bills – why pay for something you don’t receive?

So when we saw a flyer for The Garbage Guys, offering a prompt refuse removal service, we decided to get in touch with them and see if they could pick up where the City of Harare has left off. They came by yesterday to have a look, and seemed to think a shopping centre clean up might be something they could do, but they needed some time to plan their approach.

I have my reservations, not about them but about the principle of it. Increasingly, those individuals and communities who can afford to are contracting businesses to deliver where public service is failing – fundraising to buy their own cables and ferry ZESA to fix electrical faults; drilling boreholes or buying bowsers of water to fill their tanks where municipal water hasn’t flowed for months. It’s an understandable response to both a complete failure of local and national government services, and the non-responsiveness of these same authorities to demands that they improve their standards. And it has parallels in other parts of Harare, and elsewhere.  Where public services fail, private initiatives step in to cover the gaps.

And of course there are different models, some more community-based, and others more like standard businesses. But I am worried about how this effective privatisation impacts things down the line. Those communities who can afford it sort themselves out. Those who don’t are left to live with sewage flowing down the streets, and mountains of rubbish along the roads. I know our “inclusive government” can’t meet all the challenges it’s facing, at least not just yet. The Zimbabwe Independent’s lead story to day is Govt urgently needs US$1b as fuel, electricity debts mount. The USD 14 I refuse to pay for rubbish collection that doesn’t happen is a tiny drop in that bucket. But how does not even expecting, or asking, the government to cover the basics now – and therefore withdrawing payment from public spaces and diverting them to private companies – effect all of us later.

An email I got today announcing Lesley Abdela as the winner of the 2009 UK Woman Political Journalist of the Year reminded me of how much I have enjoyed reading her articles in the past. So I had a brief look online to refresh my memory of some of my favourites. I came across 1325, in which Abdela asks “Why are women absent and warlords present when conflict-torn societies sit down for talks and rebuilding after war?”

As we celebrate International Women’s Day on the one hand, and on the other question why, of the 32 portfolio ministries in the inclusive government, only 5 are held by women, Abdela’s piece makes for a timely read.

Women’s absence in setting the formal agenda is often due to “Parallel Universe Syndrome”, as I call it. Women representatives promoting peace initiatives are mostly in the informal sector – in NGOs, civil society and advocacy groups. They are clamouring to be included on equal terms and in nearer equal numbers in peace discussions and setting a peace-building agenda. Meanwhile, those with access to formal political and economic power are mostly men. The men-at-the-tables representing conflict areas are mainly warlords, mafia, men who want to grab money and power, and religious leaders with their own power agenda. They cynically negotiate the post-conflict agenda, using reassuring “international speak” to representatives of the international community who are also primarily male – diplomats, senior personnel in international organisations, high-ranking military officers, government ministers. Time after time, women watch the lightning-quick bonding by the international male and the indigenous male, to the exclusion of women on both sides.  Read more

As Sophie Zvapera asked last month, Where are the women?

On Friday 6 March, we sent a text message to over 5,000 subscribers, to let them know that Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his wife Susan had been in a car crash that left him injured and Susan dead.

While Tsvangirai has publically stated that he believes the crash was a genuine accident, Zimbabwean politics has a long history of opposition leaders dying in car crashes.  So it was unsurprising that the responses we received expressed a mixture of shock, grief, sympathy, and scepticism.

Of the 63 messages we received in response, 24 were from people seeking more information – asking questions like was it true, and could they have more details. 17 people sent text messages asking whether the “accident” was really an accident – or foul play. And 22 people sent their condolence messages to Morgan Tsvangirai and his family, in sympathy for his loss.

These are some of the messages we received:

Any chance of foul play?

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D0 u think this iz a genuine ac-dnt?

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Have  these  accidents  start  again. Very  sorry  that  the   prime minister  lost  his  wife  at  this   hour.

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How can a driver fall asleep at 4pm the driver is a murderer and there is need for tight and reliable security around am sorry my sympathy 2 the Hon Prime Minister and his entire family . A lot of questions remain unanswered.

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I felt angry with this sad news. I think its an assassination plot by Zanu PF

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I mourn with the Tsvangirai family on the sad loss of Mrs Susan Tsvangirai. I was greatly disheartened by the news. The PM never walks alone for we are with him.

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Its soro +shocking  2 learn Susan’s death. Its good 4M 2no we’re together

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Its very sad. These are the works of ZANU PF. All opposition ministers must exercise extreme caution or otherwise Robert will wipe them off.  Greatly disturbed.

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My condolence msg to the Tsvangirais and may the PM recover in the soonest.

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My deepest sympathy to the first family. Susan was a role model to both young and ladies.R.I.P.

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Sad story. A clear sign of an attempt to kill him.

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Sori to the Tsvangirai family and the whole nation. May the Lord have mercy to her soul.

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Strange accident cumz soon afta Politburo mtng. ZPF’s done it. If they killed Manyika & others of their own wat can stop them killing Morgi – a thorn in their flesh?

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We convey our heart felt condolences to MTand family on his sad loss. We hope that God gives them fortitude at the moment of their extreame grief and pain

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We receive this news with great shock

The Prime Minister’s office is also accepting condolence messages on their website