Recently Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights published a report regarding access to HIV treatments and corrupt practices by healthcare professionals.

This is blatant exploitation of a minority group by people is positions of relative power. With the health system in such dire straights, we can hardly afford to let corrupt practices flourish in an environment where we are trying to rebuild, and encourage public faith in service delivery. With a bloated civil service, and thousands of nursing graduates seeking employment I am surprised that the government and in particular the Ministry of Health is not eager to appear to be efficient by firing the perpetrators and hiring new staff to replace them.

I went to Danhiko Project’s annual Paralympic Games for the first time. In attendance was the First Lady Grace Mugabe, the Project’s patron, several important looking Zimbabwean government officials, captains of industry etc. 81 clubs from all over the country attended, with athletes participating in a diverse number of sports including swimming, wheelchair basket ball, tennis, and a new sport to me, goal ball.

I have to admit to being impressed by what I saw. The cliché about disabled athletes being brave, spirited and determined is exactly that because it’s true. These are not people to be pitied, or looked down upon. Neither are they helpless. But in society that discriminates based on difference, that is what often happens.

There were a lot of journalists covering the story that day, as evidenced by the extensive coverage to be found in the Herald and on ZBC. It is unfortunate though, that the games, the participants and even the Danhiko Project were just a backdrop to a story framed as ‘what the First Lady did on Saturday’. For the majority of the time the cameras were on the First Lady and Government officials.

On the news in the evening what was shown was the First Lady giving a speech about how much she managed to raise for the games (any mention of corporate sponsorship was edited out, yet free advertising is what induces companies to sponsor events in the first place!), and footage of her and several government officials making merry on the dance floor.

What’s even worse is that for television the reporter who filed the story wasn’t even there. ZBC sent a cameraman and googled their way through a five-minute story.

To her credit, the First Lady did try to maintain the focus on the reason the event was held in the first place, for the disabled.

I went to get my hair done yesterday, nothing fancy, just cornrows to get through the rest of the winter. Not being patient I knew that sitting in the hairdresser’s chair for close to three hours wouldn’t be easy. But I felt that the end justified the wait and the pain of having someone tugging at my scalp. I wanted a change. As I sat, watching the chaotic black-brown bush on my head become tame and transform into something new and orderly, it occurred to me that change is gradual, and sometimes painful. As much as I wished it were, change can never be an event, it is a process.

We are in the process of change. It’s difficult to tell what kind of change from one day to the next, or even if there is progression, particularly when sitting in the dark with a half cooked meal during winter.  But there has been change.

The signing of the GPA was met with much jubilation, celebration and most importantly hope. It restored many Zimbabweans faith in their country and to some extent their leaders. Suddenly there was talk of a working economy, and things like democracy and rule of law returning to Zimbabwe. At the time, that hope was essential, but the faith was misplaced. The GNU was not meant to be the event at the end of the process: it is the process itself. The Inclusive Government isn’t everything: it is not efficient, it is not incorrupt, it is not a democratic dispensation, and it is not a perfect solution.

But it is a solution. Almost two years after the GPA has been signed, we are very articulate about what the Inclusive Government is not, and what it has failed to do. A survey taken by the Research and Advocacy Unit late last year posed the question ‘Do you feel that the GNU has improved your life?’

Significantly most people answered no.

Perhaps the entire perspective on the GNU and its purpose is wrong. It was never meant to be a lasting solution to a problem that took several decades to create. It was supposed to be a vehicle for change. Not just political change, but also change within ourselves. This change is indeed slow, and often painful. Never the less it is a change.

Zimbabwe has three Cellular network providers that provide service all over the country. Of these three Econet is the largest outstripping the other two in subscriber base and profits. At the end of the last financial year Econet Wireless Zimbabwe declared an income higher than the government.

There is no doubt that Econet is a prime example of what hard work, determination and a little faith are able to achieve. Considering the odds that were stacked against the company at its inception, Econet provides hope for all future Zimbabwean entrepreneurs with a big idea.

But Econet may also be used to illustrate the effect of big business on little people. As the market leader Econet sets the trend for the Cellular network provider services industry. The Econet brand has been positioned as one that stands for progressiveness, integrity and one that is oriented towards satisfying customer needs. Econet Wireless Zimbabwe fails to meet its own values.

It is difficult to see the integrity in a company that must be asked to revise its tariffs downward after charging much more than companies in the rest of the region. Service delivery has progressively deteriorated as more subscribers are added to Econet’s books. A few months ago, Econet placed full-page ads in the national newspapers, thanking customers for making them number one in terms of subscriber base. This gratitude did not translate to any tangible value for customers. Neither was there an explanation for such bad service delivery.

Most recently, the company has rolled out a plan to increase coverage with its much-touted ’90 base stations in 90 days’ campaign. Yet the more pressing issue of network expansion is glibly dismissed as being in Econet’s ‘future plans’. This may be Africa, but we are not stupid.

Econet’s major competitors would be wise to take advantage of, and not make the same mistakes. Even the most faithful brand loyalist will migrate to a company that delivers the service that is promised.

A week before the FIFA hoopla in South Africa began Minister of Energy Elias Mudzuri made the following announcement:

“I have directed ZESA to suspend disconnections to allow the public to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Zimbabweans have had to endure persistent power cuts for as much as 10 hours per day in some case while ZESA battles to meet demand.”

Essentially ZESA would suspend its regular programme of load shedding so that football fans would not miss the World Cup.

While I’m not a soccer fan I was happy, actually jubilant, that we would have a few more hours a day of electricity. I even considered that I might be able to take a proper hot bath, with more than a bucket of water and perhaps even some bubbles. I admit I may have misinterpreted the Ministers remarks. I thought that it would follow that those customers who had been loyal, i.e. had been paying their bills, to the power utility, would also be rewarded.

As with most promises made by politicians, this one failed and even went backwards. I have been disappointed by Ministers before. In fact I’m still recovering from the promises made to me by another Minister regarding the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe issuing radio and television licences.

In the case of ZESA, and the electricity delivered to my house, the disappointment is particularly bitter. Our loyalty as ZESA customers feels like its being violated. We paid our bills regularly, even in the confusion that followed dollarisation, the few US dollars that we had went first towards the ZESA bill, even when the meter wasn’t being read. When we had faults, we drove the ZESA people around. Under the circumstances, I think we as customers have done more than our fair share of maintaining a cordial relationship with our power utility.

Yet following the Minister’s announcement, it seems that now that we have even fewer hours if any power per day. There has been no explanation of this in the paper, and instead ZESA sees fit to spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on an advertising campaign, which most notably features half a page of solid black ink. Moreover, the Minister’s statement undermines the entire purpose of the advertising campaign, and indeed ZESAs recovery. It’s simple, if you didn’t pay for the service, you shouldn’t get it. The World Cup is no exception.

While Zimbabwe is a mineral rich country, the benefits of owning and harnessing these natural resources are yet to be seen. The economy is predicted to recover, and attain a 7% growth rate at the end of the financial year. A significant contributing factor to this growth will be an increase in mining activities.

It is with this in mind, that the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) is hosting a series of civil society dialogues on Transparency and Accountability in the Extractive And Natural Resources Sector with a specific focus on mining activities in Zimbabwe. Having observed that there has been limited capacity in the actions of civil society to demand accountability and transparency in the mining sector, ZELA hopes to create a platform for civil society organizations to openly discuss and adopt strategies that can be used to promote and advocate for transparency and accountability in the mining sector. The workshop objectives for the second meeting were, among others: to address the administrative issues hindering the access to information regarding mining operations in the country; capacity building and the creation of a platform to engage the government as well a s mining companies.

Several NGOs were invited to present their thoughts on the subject, including the Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines, Transparency International Zimbabwe, the Centre for Environmental Accountability (CENAC) and the National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO).

ZELA also used the opportunity to launch the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). EITI was launched globally in 2007 with the objective of promoting transparent reporting by governments of aggregate revenues derived from mineral resources, oil, and gas extraction and publication of payments made by mining companies to governments. In those countries where it is being implemented, EITI is seen as a real attempt to deal the ‘resources curse’ that is plaguing many mineral rich African countries including Nigeria, Sudan and the Democratic republic of Congo. The EITI is a voluntary standard that can be joined by governments and companies. Currently, countries that are compliant with EITI standards are Azerbaijan and Liberia; candidate countries include Afghanistan, Albania, Cameroon, Mongolia, Nigeria, Iraq, and Tanzania.

Speaking on behalf of the Zimbabwe Chamber of Mine Dr Hokonya said that Transparency in the mining industry was welcome, and in fact the mining community was willing to implement a voluntary reporting system. He pointed out the difficulties in gathering accurate information from mining companies and the government about mining operations. He also noted that as mining was a destructive industry with a limited lifespan, it was necessary for mining companies to have extensive corporate social responsibility programmes, whose benefits would extend beyond the lifespan of the mine.