Interesting to read in the Mail and Guardian about “Colonial past haunts Britain again”, where 8800 files from 37 former colonies have been unearthed in Hanslope Park, and other UK National archive hideaways. More interesting might have been the ones they burned from 1961 on. At that time, a policy was put in place (it’s in the files) to burn and hide (destroy) some files from the former colonies, and to leave a select few (‘legacy’ files) to the new Independent countries.

Some of the hidden files have been found, and some of the information in them is quite damaging (that is why they were hidden), describing torture, murder, cover-ups and other ‘wrong’ activities by Her Majesty’s government.

Even regarding the standard rule of thumb, that you cannot judge the past, and activities from the past, by today’s standards of behaviour, we just know that some things are ‘wrong’, and would have been then. For example, the death of Captain Cook in Hawaii. Was he killed, or murdered? He certainly died, but was what he was doing wrong, or was what the islanders doing wrong, or was it all a big accident, a misunderstanding? Well, we cannot take Roman Dutch law in Zimbabwe today, or Royal Navy High seas doctrine now, or even USA law as currently practiced

All those basic matters aside though, the real point is that, 50 years after – over 50 years after – the activities took place, they are being revealed. And the perpetrators – who are guilty by standards in place at that time – are being found guilty and are paying.

How does that apply to today’s life? Simple. Don’t do anything wrong. You know what is wrong. It is inside you. It may also be currently written, but mostly it is known. “You know”. The only safe path is not to commit a crime or do anything ‘wrong’. A pardon (from the King/Queen/Head of State/Head of Government) will not help. Time will not wash it away. Your only defence is do what is right. And you know what is right, no one can tell you.

The news from Senegal – elections were held against the incumbent. He lost. And he has left office.

Try as he might to stay, the people want him gone, and he is gone.

He changed the Constitution to say no third term, and then stood for a third term. Which he was legally entitled to. His first term in office, when he changed the Constitution, did not count against the two term limit. So said his court. So he was quite correct, he could stand.

Understand; correct is a legal term. It means legal or illegal under the law. Things are correct or incorrect, according to what is written in the statutes. Right and wrong though, are moral terms. Some things are right, and some things are wrong. We know these things if we look inside ourselves. Things like murder, theft, adultery. They are wrong. We ‘know’ that. They are also against the law, which makes them incorrect, but we know they are wrong.

So, the sitting President of Senegal ran for election, which he was correct to do. However, he was wrong. And the people told him that. They had the ability, and they had the power, to say “no”. And they did. And he left. That is democracy.

Next door, in Mali, there is a coup. The army supplanted the elected government, in order to give themselves the power and resources to fight the Tuareg rebels (fellow Malians). However, it seems from reports that while the army was looting in Bamako, the capital, the rebels took some towns in the north! So you have to wonder, why did they really stage a coup? This army captain and his buddies. While they do not have the strength to fight the Tuareg, they also do not have the brains to keep themselves from stealing.

Either way it seems democracy is the best answer. While it certainly is not perfect, it certainly has it’s short-comings and faults, democracy is the best course. Even if it is only ‘least worst’. Even if the only reason is you cannot blame yourself for what went wrong. Under democracy you make the decisions, you make them work, and you live with the consequences. Under democracy, you cannot blame or find scapegoats amongst the political elite, the captains of industry, the securocrats, foreign capital, etc. It is you. You run your country.

The other bit of news I am looking at (how are Gwisai and gang?) is story of a Chitungwiza woman who was doing plastic recycling. And was arrested, and did a few nights inside. Seems she did not have a license to deal with waste. So, in Zimbabwe, throw your garbage all over the place, no fear. Try and deal with it, go to jail.

This just in – the Macdonald Park Pool (Avondale’s city/public pool) has changed it’s opening times. It will be closed Sunday, and only open 0800 to 1200 Saturday. It will also be shut at 1600 everyday, not the 1800 it used to shut. But it will be available to hire for functions on those days. No reason has been given. This is city wide, directive from above.

I ‘understand’ things, since I have been involved in getting the Mac Park Pool rehabilitated and opened.

The first thing I know is that it was rented for functions at $300 a time. Weddings usually. And the area residents complained non-stop about the noise involved.

The second thing I know, on a warm weekend day, the pool would take in over $300 in gate proceeds. In a day! And, or course, the residents generally work on the weekdays, so can only swim on the weekends.

Conclusion. The City of Harare has decided to stop getting up to $500 (two and a half days’ income) and instead rent it out for $300. The City of Harare is trying to NOT make money. The City of Harare is trying to keep the citizens of Harare out of their pool.

Another thing known – The City of Harare takes all the gate takings. Banked straight to them. And rental of the place as a venue means the money goes to the pool, which then takes what it needs for chemicals and upkeep, and banks the remainder to the City of Harare. The City of Harare, however, never gives or pays for any chemicals or pool maintenance. So, the only way to keep the pool running is to shut it to the public, rent it to a private function, and use that money to keep it running for the public.

Is this not short-term policy to long-term disaster?

Please can we have the City of Harare run the pool for the Harare Public and make money?

Coming home to Avondale, from an AGM on the east side, Thursday night, down Churchill, in the dark. And it seems smoother coming up to the intersection with Second Street where it changes to Aberdeen Road. A notorious black spot for smash and grabs, where the thieves disappear over the metal fence into the University grounds easily.

But no, the robots are working, and they are the big new LED ones. Moreover, all the street lights are working. At the intersection, and up and down Second Street! I start to feel my pockets. Have I driven to another country? I haven’t got my passport with me! The next day I am going thorough in the day light, and I see why it was so smooth. All the pot holes have been filled and surfaced. Shocks like this when you are driving can lead to serious accidents! Things getting fixed! This place is definitely under new management.

But there are still shudders from the past. I got a ZESA bill last week. Again, shock! Not the size of the bill or anything (mine is quite reasonable), but just to get one. My last was May last year. Now I can go places and open accounts showing proof of residence. Almost like new management is taking us to a real country again.

But, the shudder of the past. Nicely printed at the bottom of the bill is the statement “ELECTRICITY is in short supply, Use it sparingly. ELECTRICITY SAVED IS MONEY SAVED.” Well, I think I do a good job of keeping things switched off. Lights off when I am not in the room, everything turned off when I leave the flat, fridge and freezer doors always shut and they seal well.

On my way home Thursday, going into Gun Hill (Arden road here) there is another new thing. A billboard, with electric light inside! “to advertise here…” So I have to wonder, is this not a bit like the rhino horn story? We are being reminded it is a scarce national resource. Yet, the people who remind us of this fact are busy selling it to someone who will not use it sparingly. The billboard will be on for 12 hours a day, and a billboard is hardly a national priority. We must all sit in the dark and eat cold meals to preserve a scarce national resource, sot that they can sell it to someone to advertise… restaurants?

There is some disconnect here. The rhino horn story. It is expensive because it is scarce, so we must kill it all quickly before it becomes extinct! And yet, by killing it, are we not making it extinct? They (ZESA / rhino poachers) are great with the plans to make money, but not so great with the plans to supply the product to make the money with. Short term long term disconnect.

Which reminded me, while walking to DSTV in Avondale, and stepping over downed lines. (I do not know if they were electricity or power lines, but they were cables, dead, and on the ground.) It all reminded me of the stories, several years ago, from whoever could not provide electricity, or connect their phone. “Ah, sorry, but we have no cables. They have been stolen. If you want to be connected, you will have to buy new cables/lines.’ Who remembers being given that story/explanation/line? So the question is, “if the line is so valuable that people steal it, and in so short supply that clients have to purchase their own, why is it just lying on the ground?”

Is it because the thieves are just so much better at it than the telephone or power company? The thieves can go and steal it from up on poles faster than the company can pick it up off the ground? Or was the story just a big lie? Was the explanation fed to them by the management who told them what colour the sky was in their world that day? And being good employees they just repeated what they were told to tell the people. People who were believed to be stupid enough to ‘realise’ that this explanation was correct? Well, since we are under new management, maybe the stories will change as well. But I hope, that since we are under new management, that the people will have found their voice and will tell the management, regularly and loudly, that we the people are not really that stupid.

Got to confess to more confusion now. Short-term gain vs. long-term disaster is dumb, but makes a wee bit of sense. But this!

Last week someone from the accommodations at Avondale Police station drove into our Durawall. It was about 0300 in the morning but he woke someone up. It was a Toyota Prada, and the driver parked, got out, and walked into the accommodation area with a beer bottle in his hand. One section of our wall panels is destroyed. An initial report was made at Avondale Traffic – RRB 1331739, to a Sergeant, and next morning a couple of us went across to get the full story – TAB 228/12.

The full story we got was that we were making allegations that he was a policeman, or known to the police, and allegations that he was drunk. And why did we not get the licence plate number?

All well and good, these were allegations. We did not KNOW anything (except the wall was destroyed)!

So, we are back again the next day to see the right person, and the day after that, and finally we discover that an admission of guilt has been signed and a fine paid. “But, we want our wall fixed.” Come back and we will give you the papers on the alleged culprit, and your insurance company can sue his insurance company and and, and, …

Immediately I have to make a correction. “If he has signed an admission of guilt, it is no longer an allegation.” He has committed a crime.

Ah yes, well, come back …

And in the meantime, while watching the hole in our wall, we discover that a load of Durawall panels has been dropped off and it looks like the wall will be fixed. Which is fine. We have what we want. Our short-term gain is fulfilled.

But the criminal who broke our wall? (Allegedly a drunken policeman). There was definitely a conspiracy on the part of the police to cover up for him. First, they were not sure they could locate, or even identify whoever it might be. Then, we were making allegations against the police! Then, he was found, but even after signing an admission of guilt, he was still an ‘alleged’ criminal. And to date, no name has ever been given to us. However, he has a criminal record. He paid a fine. He is fixing the wall. What short-term gain did he get?

As for long-term disaster?

The police have serious mud on their faces. Smeared all over. They stink. And for what gain? First, they have not managed to harbour any fugitive, he was still caught and he has still paid for breaking the law. And now they, the whole Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), are seen as an organisation that attempts to cover for criminals. The whole block of flats now believes the police are not to be trusted. Not to be given information. Not to be drawn into any activity. So even the good ones (and there are many) are seen as being less than ‘real men’. Less than decent humans.

After all, what would be the decent, human, ‘real man’, thing to do? It is an accident, a mistake, an error. And what does a decent human do when they make a mistake? They confess to it, and apologise. Go next door and say, “Sorry I broke your wall. I was drunk, it was a mistake, so sorry. I will fix it.” You have nothing to gain by not doing that. You still have your criminal record, you still have paid your fine, and you still have to fix the wall. So why not do it nicely?

Why drag the entire police force into it, and make them complicit, in your drunken mistake? You have gained nothing by doing it all underhand. You have only lost your credibility. And lost a good deal of credibility for the entire ZRP.

So, destroying your long-term future for short-term gain (like shooting all the rhinos to make money now, and making them extinct) may be more than just a little bit silly. But there is at least a short-term gain. It does make some, immediate, sense. But pissing away your long-term future for no immediate gain is just, well … not a course of action I would recommend.

It is sheer stupidity.