From the ZRP Public Relations department:

If you feel that while you are being questioned or searched at a roadblock, the details involved have harassed you, hinted for bribes, or been generally aggressive, you are advised to contact the ZRP Officers listed below.

The intention is for all ZRP details to have their rank, name and numbers on their uniforms but with current constraints this is not always possible.  Each Police Officer has a force number which should be given out if requested.

It should be noted that there are NO SUCH THING AS SPOT FINES, without an OFFICIAL RECEIPT, that is Form Z69 (j) Admission of Guilt.  Many Toad Blocks carry Z69 (j) for the convenience of the public.  Should it be inconvenient to pay immediately a “ticket” on Form 265 for payment at a Police Station within 7 days should be requested.  Failure to report to a Police Station within 7 days once Form 265 is issued will lead to prosecution.

Superintendent NCUBE: 0772 719 730 or 0712 769 768
Superintendent KANGWARE: 0712 415 491
Spokesperson Traffic Inspector Chigome: 0772 965 030

NATIONAL COMPLAINTS LINE: 24 HOUR Service (04) 703 631

It might seem hysterical, but I suggest you print this and keep it in your car.

The generals in Zimbabwe are holding President Mugabe upright because they are afraid of the retribution that will come for what they’ve done under his regime. The same thing happens in other countries. And therefore you need to find a formula. In South Africa we settled on a formula of massive amnesty that actually went further than I wanted to go.

From: A Recipe for Freedom – Five lessons from South Africa’s transition to democracy. Excerpts from a recent speech by the country’s ex-president, F W De Klerk.

Read the article, learn the five lessons, on Foreign Policy Magazine

Call for Conference Papers: Coping with Drought and Climate Change Project
Deadline: 30 June 2012

National Climate Change Adaptation Symposium
Theme: Building Climate Resilient Rural Communities / Past, Present, Future

The Environmental Management Agency with support from the UNDP is pleased to announce the call for papers for a national climate change adaptation symposium being organised under the EMA-UNDP/GEF Coping with Drought and Climate Change project. The symposium will be held in Harare from 6 to 7 June 2012. The symposium seeks to encourage dissemination and sharing of knowledge on climate change adaptation in Zimbabwe, and on ways in which the country can build resilience to impacts of environmental change on agriculture and food security.

Those with case studies on interventions that promise to build the resilience of agriculture to impacts of drought and climate change including variability, land degradation and desertification are invited t submit an abstract (250) words on any of the themes below by 16th March, 2012. Please include a paper title, author(s) names and affiliations, and a maximum of 50 words statement of how the paper fits into the conference theme. If the abstract is accepted, then the author(s) will be invited to submit a full paper (not exceeding 3000 words) by 30 June 2012. Please email your submission in either MS Word or PDF format to cwd [at] ecoweb [dot] co [dot] zw

Case studies may cover the following themes and related issues:

Theme 1: Evidence and impacts of climate change, drought, land degradation and
desertification in Zimbabwe
Theme 2: Roles of local and indigenous knowledge systems in addressing drought,
climate change, land degradation and desertification
Theme 3: Climate early warning systems and adaptation
Theme 4: Building climate resilience in agriculture (case studies from pilot projects
and research)
Theme 5: Adaptation costs, target, metrics, policy and financing

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.

The Apps4 Africa Climate Challenge is a competition for innovative program developers in Africa to find technological solutions to everyday problems focusing on climate change in Africa. The brainstorming session I attended brought together members of civil society together with program developers to share ideas on climate change issues, solutions and the best mobile applications that can be used to help combat climate change.

Marieme Jamme, the Chief Executive Officer of Spotone Global Solutions, said that Apps4Africa started in 2009 with the idea of trying to help people in Africa use technology to their benefit. The first challenge was held in 2010 and the winner of the competition was a lady from Kenya who developed a mobile application called iCow to help farmers. After holding the contest in East Africa, the Apps4Africa challenge is now spreading to southern African countries and prize money of US$25 000 is up for grabs to developers who will come up with best application which can be used to reduce climate change.

Building on the recently held United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP17) conference in Durban, the Apps4Africa Challenge is trying to develop synergies between policy makers and software developers so that technology can help combat climate change. The entry categories include Agriculture (Distribution), Early Warning and/or Disaster Preparedness, Resource Management, Forestry/Deforestation, Transportation/Traffic/Emissions, Food Security, Livestock Health and Sanitation.

During the brainstorming session, climate change in Zimbabwe was mainly attributed to the lack of alternative resources, funding, government support and too little information. Climate change has affected the southern African region and Zimbabwe has not been spared. The country has faced severe droughts in recent years and floods and changes in weather patterns have affected places in the low laying areas.

The challenge will open the doors for savvy developers in Zimbabwe to come up with the best applications that will be used to reduce climate change. The applications have to be local, user friendly and, if the application wins in the challenge, will be used everywhere in the world.

Interested participants can access the Apps4Africa website for the rules and the application.

The City of Harare (CoH) hit on a great way to save us rates bills by making money in another way. They rent out public spaces (our parks) to weddings. At $300 a time, it is cheap for the wedding party, and makes money for CoH.

However, it annoys the neighbours. Mainly the noise, at very high volumes, until the early morning hours. And then, the next renter is setting up very early (the same day) for the function they have rented it for that evening, which again goes into next morning. There were seven weddings in April 2011. Over four weekends. Which means the CoH was making good money, but the residents of the residential neighbourhood were not getting much rest on their weekends away from work.

Aside from the noise, the events are simply dangerous.

Parking is all conducted on the residential streets, verges, driveways, in the park on the grass and flowerbeds, even the street itself! I once observed the wedding party arriving, all in very high spirits right up to the moment the Mercedes did not stop as the 4WD pickup in front of her stopped and a loud crunching sound was heard with smashing glass. This is a residential neighbourhood – what if a residents child had been the one the Mercedes did not stop for?

The noise, both hooting in joy and rapture, and the PA system with the music. A wedding may be a once in a lifetime event for some lucky people. But if you live nearby, it happens seven times a month. And not just at times in the weekend, but for up to 24 hours of the day. A great party, but not everyone is happy for them, after a while.

In addition, while there is a function, or setting up for the function – the public, the residents of the area, the rates payers they are saving money for – are not allowed to use their park!

Toilet facilities? Who needs them? If there is no toilet available, just sneak off behind the bushes, plenty of them in a park! But when you are one of the one hundred and fifty people at the seventh wedding of the month, it rather smells behind every single bush. It smells in front of every bush for the month after. And sanitary?

So, the residents around Florence Chisholm Park got together. Or were mobilised, by one persistent resident. Meetings were held in the Park (from February 2011) with Staff Members of the Harare Gardens and correspondence was had with the Director of Public Safety. They heard and understood. They made promises (in April 2011). They would look at the rules. They would enforce the regulations. They would phone. They would stop taking bookings (but they were already completely booked up to the end of 2011 – 8 months in advance!). They would try to move them to Harare Central Gardens. Other residents complained. And held meetings. And were given promises. And the CoH staff went to observe the weddings.

And what happened? They parked in the street. The noise was too loud (and late). But, additional ablutions appeared (from one port-a-loo to six!).

And since January 2012 (a year later), there have been no weddings. It is now a residential neighbourhood again. And weddings are still being held, but elsewhere. So, residents can make a difference. Your voice can be heard. You can get what you want. It may take a long time, requires some persistence, and a volume of complaints, but results can be obtained.