Tonight Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu will be spending their 12th night in jail since leading a 16 October WOZA protest to demand that government address Zimbabwe’s nation wide food shortages.

The two were denied bail by Magistrate Charity Maphosa at the Bulawayo Magistrate’s Court. I phoned the Court this afternoon, and spoke with Magistrate Maphosa. I was hoping to hear some quiver in her voice that revealed even a pinprick of remorse for the fact that, thanks to her decision, these two women are still in cells. But she was unflappable. She refused to explain her judgement — and referred me to the Clerk of the Court to read her decision in full. When I pressed her further, she suggested that I speak with “the people behind these things,” as she was “just doing her job. She hung up on me before I could ask who, or what, exactly, she meant.

Phone Magistrate Charity Maphosa on +263 9 71051 and see if you have any better success getting her to explain herself. If you do, let us know!

Inflation is one of those things I just can’t keep track of any more. Steve Hanke at the Cato Institute reckoned it was around 52 trillion – but that was over 10 days ago. Last week our office got a shock when the Old Mutual Implied Rate went from around USD1 = ZWD 3 billion on Wednesday to 28 billion on Thursday 163 billion on Friday. Granted, as they say on their website, “The Old Mutual Implied Rate (OMIR) is a broad unofficial proxy for the value of the Zimbabwe Dollar to the US$ based on the relative values of shares on the London and Zimbabwe Stock Exchanges.” I don’t know anyone who’s actually doing transfers at that rate. So on Saturday, when a friend of mine asked me what the transfer rate to the US was, I could honestly say, “somewhere between 250 million and 163 billion.” But this short video – shown recently at the Zimbabwe International Film Festival – sums up inflation better than any figure I’ve seen so far.

The latest news update from WOZA about Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu’s continued detention:

Magistrate Charity Maphosa, who was due to rule on the bail application of WOZA leaders, Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu, today at 11.15am, was ‘forced’ to attend a workshop instead, delaying her judgement until Monday 27th October.

Williams and Mahlangu remain in Mlondolozi Female Prison where conditions are terrible. Cells are overcrowded and full of lice, food is extremely limited. Prisoners receive only a small amount of sadza (maize) with green vegetable cooked in water – no salt or any other form of nutrition. The lack of salt is particularly worrying given the extreme heat being experienced at the moment. Prison guards also routinely insult inmates.

As expected they were not in court as prison authorities had no transport to bring them to court. As on Tuesday however, the courtroom was full of state agents and WOZA members who had walked to town (some for up to 15km) to provide solidarity to Williams and Mahlangu.

On arriving at court, the defence lawyer, Kossam Ncube, was informed that Magistrate Maphosa was not available and that another magistrate would deliver her verdict. Instead Magistrate Sophie Matimba delayed the ruling until Monday at 11.15am.

Williams and Mahlangu were arrested over a week ago. Bail applications are usually heard on an urgent basis.

It is clear that the state aims to continue its harassment of these women human rights defenders; the actions of a regime so terrified of its own people that it has to imprison them.

SADC is meeting in Harare on Monday to discuss Zimbabwe’s future whilst human rights defenders languish in prison for calling for food aid. WOZA continues to urge its friends in the region and internationally to condemn this persecution of women who are simply determined to provide a better future for themselves and their children. Justice delayed is justice denied.

Five weeks ago, Zanu PF and both MDC’s signed an agreement “on resolving the challenges facing Zimbabwe” They signed that they were “committing ourselves to putting our people and our country first by arresting the fall in living standards and reversing the decline of our economy.” But where is this commitment in action? As the politicians argue about passports and summit venues, hunger is increasing in Zimbabwe, and those men and women brave enough to protest this are being denied their rights.

One week after leading a peaceful demonstration in Bulawayo, Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu remain in custody. These two, and seven other members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), were arrested as part of a protest of hundred of men and women on Thursday 16 October, demanding food aid for millions of starving Zimbabweans.

The other seven members were released later that same day, but Williams and Mahlangu were charged under Section 37 1(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act – ‘disturbing the peace, security or order of the public’. In pressing the state to deny the two bail, prosecuter Chifamba argued that there was still an outstanding case pending. Chifamba was referring to the May 28 arrest of the Chikurubi 14. But the group had been removed from remand on Wednesday 15 October – so the prosecuter’s argument to deny bail should have fallen away.

Instead, the Magistrate, Maphosa, gave the state until 21 October to verify this fact. When Williams and Mahlangu went back before the Court on the 21st, Magistrate Maphosa reserved judgement as the ‘court is very busy’. In Zimbabwe, bail hearings are normally heard on an urgent basis. But not for these WOZA women. All this despite the 15 September political agreement. As the WOZA update from last night says, “the on-going detention of Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu and the delaying tactics and machinations of the state are a clear violation of their rights and the power-sharing agreement signed by the political parties in September 2008.”

Register your discontent. Phone the Bulawayo Attorney General’s Office: +263 9 77651/61603 and the Bulawayo Public Prosecutor: + 263 9 63173 (ask to speak to Prosecutor Chifamba) and ask why the women are being denied bail when they have never been convicted of an offence – the state should not imprison to investigate.

My work mate came back from the bank today and informed us that the minimum bank balance is going up to $10 million as from 1 November – up from $5,000 currently. I suppose we should be grateful – at least this time they’re giving us advanced notice.

Meanwhile, we just got an email from a subscriber:

So many things are not right and it takes a brave person to say it. The kombis are ripping off the poor people as they raise prices uncontrollably each time they feel like. Here in Kadoma a journey of less than 8 kilometres cost $15,000 just imagine and nowhere to report to. What world are we living in and where is this going to take us.

The politrixians continue to block any progress, and you begin to wonder what the point of all of it is anyway.

As another subscriber wrote:

Does it matter who gets the ministry of Home Affairs? Years ago, the then minister, Moven Mahachi, told me the police commissioner was not reporting to him as he should. He knew he was not getting the truth, but couldn’t find out what the hidden truth was. If this is how they treat their own, can anyone else expect them to cooperate?

The Frustrated Citizens of Zimbabwe wrote to us recently – begging the question, what citizen isn’t frustrated these days:

I would like to put on record that I, along with probably the vast majority of Zimbabweans, am disgusted with the utter lack of advancement regarding the settlement of the political situation in this Country.

The last month or two has seen the total collapse of virtually every scrap of the last remnants of civilisation that was gasping for survival in Zimbabwe while the negotiators carry on ad infinitum as if nothing is amiss!!!

Surely the population of this Country demonstrated loudly and clearly that they do dot wish to be dominated any longer by the corrupt and evil ZANU PF. Just what right have they to “demand” certain Ministries? None whatsoever as far as we are all concerned!!

The economy has finally been TOTALLY destroyed. We consider that it is now completely beyond any form of resusitation. It is DEAD. Why cant you politians accept that and simply bury it? Why on earth Mugabe wants to hang on to it is beyond imagination. He and his cronies do not remotely have the capacity to revive any sort of economy whatsoever. For goodness sake just tell him that; although we must agree that his mentality is beyond reasoning!!

Further, no form of law and order has existed in Zimbabwe for many years now and will never return as long as ZANU PF have any sort of control over it. Even the most simple of simpletons can see that; except the most simplest of the lot; ZANU PF.

We are getting sick and tired of the situation. Everything has fallen to pieces. The Cities are a disgrace, cholera and worse simply waiting in the sidelines to break out causing a catastrophic situation. We cant even get our own money out of the banks any more, and when we finally manage to scrape a little cash up, there is no food to buy anyway. I think that the biggest achievement ever made by ZANU PF was the total destruction of the food chain, from the farms to the industrialists to the shops!! The time is more than ripe for MASSIVE public demonstrations!!

I was walking one morning, when it started to rain. I recall feeling a raindrop, and I considered whether I had been the first to feel the initial one or had the privilege been given to someone else. Every storm must begin with a single drop of rain. And so it is with every worthwhile movement . . . it begins with an idea that is too simple to be taken seriously . . . and then comes the storm.
~ Marco Caceres