Having last attended school some time in 2008, many school-going children have turned into vendors, seen by the roadside, shop verandahs, and in car parks selling their wares ranging from airtime, roasted maize, tomatoes, cabbages, stationery, fish.  They are even seen working in the fields in exchange for either food or these precious US dollar notes. With no government in place in Zimbabwe, more and more children and teachers are struggling to survive.

2008 was unofficially declared a non-academic year, affecting pupils progression to the next grade or to tertiary institutions. This year 2009 surprised us again by a further postponement of the opening of the first term of school. This is really a challenge to the nation as it is grooming thugs, robbers and criminals by not addressing these issues to get children back to school and have their right to education.

In short, 2008 is not over yet, as we are still where we were at last year.

Wherever you go, so long as you’re in Zimbabwe, you hear vendors shouting, Bacossi airtime! At the bus terminus it’s also Bacossi fares – meaning reduced fares.

People in Zimbabwe are quick to get these Bacossi products, be it airtime, tomatoes, fruits, bus fares, fuel, beer . . . the list goes on.

At the banks the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor limits the cash withdrawal to $500 000. You can call this the Bacossi cash withdrawal limit. It limits you from buying $1 million and $2 million airtime, it limits you from paying $2 million to and from work, it limits you sending your children to school, paying rates and rentals on time. It limits you from enjoying your hard earned money called Your Salary!

The RBZ Governor’s Bacossi limit makes you go hungry.

Zimbabwe is still stationary.
Where is the driver?

Move Zimbabwe
Still waiting for the driver to engage the gears.
Kenya had their elections, and they found their driver to lead them.

Move Zimbabwe
South Africa’s former president Thabo Mbeki’s resignation was accepted
and another leader took over the driving seat.
In Zambia after the death of the beloved Levy Mwanawasa,
elections were held and today they are enjoying the
engagement of gears by their new leader.

Move Zimbabwe
Last but not least, this week, the whole world is celebrating
yet another heavily contested election by the Americans.
Celebrating the historic event of a first time black
President – Barack Obama taking over.

All these elections in 2008.

So why is Zimbabwe not moving forward?

The year 2008 in Zimbabwe has been just like a weekend packed with events and a lot of activities that one can quickly forget. Like watching soccer: more injuries, more scores, more yellow and red cards, tricks, penalties – all in 90 minutes!

However, we are now in November, only about seven weeks left to call it off. We have traveled a long way with no foot steps to show where we were coming from. So Zimbabweans will be celebrating Christmas 2008 with no government in place, no drugs in hospitals, no withdrawal and deposit slips as some of these banks are requesting customers to bring their own.

No water from suburbs around town, no electricity, no education for our children, no official school holidays as children are already on holiday, no teachers, no money, no food, no jobs, no industries operating, no doctors and nurses as they are striking, no fertilizers for the new farmers.

But we have plenty of mosquitoes, uncollected garbage, sewage canals, political parties, empty promises, queues, unprotected boreholes/wells, illegal structures as people can no longer afford to pay rentals being charged in foreign currency, dumping sites known as (kumarabu) and deforestation. Just take a look at the area between Jaggers Msasa and the Mabvuku turn-off.

People in Zimbabwe’s high density suburbs (townships) around town are now geared for the rainy season and land preparation. These preparations are being done to small pieces of open land that they have allocated to themselves.

But because of scarcity, unavailability and high prices pegged in US dollars few people have any fertilizer. However, there was the introduction of organic/urea fertilizer sometime last year from China to Zimbabwe. Though this was not taken seriously by most farmers in the country, maybe because of the source it was coming from, or because it was their first time and they were afraid of destroying their crops from the specifications which were complicated.

But Zimbabweans are so creative to quickly adjust to the situation. There is raw sewage coming out of the burst drainage pipes and people are making some canals to divert waste to these small pieces of land (A3s). I have seen people with sacks full of dried sewer matter wheeling it in push carts to their fields to act as manure or organic fertilizer.

The City Council used to clear the roadside drains in preparation for the rainy season but due to shortages of trucks and fuel they can no longer do that. People have taken over the duty of not only clearing but collecting manure for the benefit of their small pieces of land. But think of the stench smell when it rains and they want to weed the fields dressed with this unprocessed organic fertilizer.

The government should have taken this food security seriously and made agricultural inputs like fertilizers and seeds much cheaper so that they can be affordable by everyone and boost the food production in the country.

Without hope life has no meaning or point. Hope is now Zimbabweans most important positive attitude, the basis for all the others. We hope for a political settlement and agreement of some sort from these two major political parties.

Wherever you are, be it in the bus, internet café, beer hall, church, office, or shop people are hoping to see food and bread back on the table again, hoping for the best. And hoping for a better Zimbabwe!

No one expects these talks of power-sharing and cabinet posts to fail. People all around are struggling to make ends meet. But people are still chatting, sharing, assisting and encouraging each other to be stronger hoping that this political impasse is a passing phase.

This time its the whole nation in crisis and not only  individuals like the days of Murambatsvina. Together we will conquer and together we will win, we must rally under the spirit of oneness.