Reading Lenard’s blog on recent protests around the world made me think of our Zimbabwean context. I was out running over the weekend and besides seeing an increased presence and movement of police across Harare, I also noticed that the 2 of the 3 water canons that the Zimbabwe government has in its armory were zipping along the streets. And I thought that water canons in Zimbabwe are For Display Purposes Only. Because as Lenard points out, we’ve endured a lot of unemployment, corruption, and abuse of power but we limit our uprisings to grumbling into our lagers in the pub.

Usually a revolution comes with a change of government or system and some revolutions have even produced another wave of repression. From Tahrir Square in Cairo to Gezi Park in Taksim now Viva la Revolución in Brazil. 84% of the people taking part in the in the protests or civil obedience in Sao Paulo, Brazil are not aligned to any political party. They are educated and most of them are first time protesters. 53 percent are under are under 25 years of age and 22 percent are students. I guess they are also tech savvy. These statistics are quite similar in almost every country where uprisings have been witnessed. The images coming out show young people in running battles with police. Maybe the young people are the hardest hit by the soci-economic and political injustice world over.

Some say the protests were started over an increase in transport fares but this is just part of why they are protesting. Some of the grievances include police brutality, inequality, corruption, dire public services and the extravagant preparations for next year’s World Cup. The cost of hosting the World Cup is now taking its toll on ordinary citizens just like happened in South Africa 2010. If a small increase in fares could make people go out on the street in thousands what about a country with over 80 percent of the population unemployed and where water and electricity have become luxuries?

This morning I went to get my national ID so, eventually, I can register to vote, however this is easier said than done. Outside Market Square there are long lines of people, some had been there since 9 o’clock the night before, sleeping on cardboard boxes outside the office – just to get basic documentation!

The actual process only takes about 5 minutes per person; they take a picture, your fingerprints, and ask you to sign some papers, then you are done! Yet you still have to queue the entire day for those few simple processes. It seems an unfair waste of people’s time and energy.

Possibly the hardest is for people trying to get birth certificates. There are dozens of women with new born babies tied to their backs, standing in these horrendously long queues just to get a simple piece of paper for their babies. It is not so bad for families who can support and help each other, but single mothers really have it hard. Opposite me were two mothers, both with tiny babies, they had a friend with them to help, but to sit in that queue, on the dirty benches for hours on end with a child that young is unfair and insulting to the new mothers. If anyone should get privileges, it should be the mothers with their children, who are already suffering from post maternal stress, and need to rest, rather than stand in the cold for the whole day.

Zimbabwe makes a very bad case of state enterprises and parastatals that are in the habit of casually dismissing any financial obligations that accrue to them because of their negligence.

ZESA is a very bad case in point.

An alarming number of cases have arisen where Zimbabweans minding their own business have been left scarred for life after coming into contact with live electricity cables the victims say were very negligently left exposed by ZESA personnel.

A recent case is one of a 10-year old who is said to have been left badly disfigured after being electrocuted by live ZESA cables that had been left exposed.

The young lad who is said to have been an athlete, soccer player and a traditional dancer at school had his left hand amputated after the incident which occurred on October 30, 2011.

He also lost two toes on his left foot and four toes on his right foot.

He is claiming USD60,000 which I still think is paltry considering that he has been maimed for life.

In other highly litigious countries, he could have “easily” claimed millions, but what does Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) say?

“In response, ZETDC pleaded with the court to dismiss the application, arguing there was no link between Zesa cables and its firm. ZETDC is a separate and distinct legal persona; defendant on this basis denies any liability. Any assistance rendered was for an accident involving the defendant and was made on compassionate grounds,” ZETDC said,” according to the news report.

But this not the first such case and it has come to typify how our public enterprises deal with issues of compensation for their brazen negligence.

In early June of this year, it was again reported that a Banket farm worker who was electrocuted by naked ZESA cables in 2010 was still struggling to get her compensation.

The woman who had her left hand amputated and her eyesight affected by the electrocution told a local daily that “although she had approached the power utility seeking $30 000 compensation for her injuries, she had not yet been paid “a single cent”.”

A medical report says about the woman: “Long-term complications are post electrical burns syndrome, which include cataracts, seizures and chronic pain. Left below elbow amputation will result in permanent disability, phantom limb pain.”

And she is yet to get a cent?

In May this year, it was reported that a man who had been electrocuted in Zvishavane had sued ZESA subsidiary Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) for USD80,000 after coming into contact with exposed ZESA cables in 2010.

A news report puts ZETDC’s response this way: “ZETDC, however, hit back on Mavenga’s claims and said it was not negligent in any way since its power lines are constantly maintained. ZETDC further said no report of a broken power line had been made. The Plaintiff (Mavenga) was negligent in failing to keep a proper lookout whilst using a footpath that was close to the power lines,” ZETDC said in its papers.”

Where is the responsible minister to stop all this nonsense?

And then when people boycott paying their bills, ZESA cries foul!

We asked for your feedback on Mayor Masunda saying that the water crisis in Zimbabwe will be alleviated if residents coughed up their dollars on time and paid their bills.

Here is what some of you think:

It’s true, I am already doing that, I make sure every month-end I pay my bills on time.

In my own view the principal running cities and towns should put our health first. What is the use of Government subsidies in our country? If people are not able to pay rates it means all is difficult for residents. Let municipality cut on the rates and put affordable rates, which people can afford, and government intervene through the use of subsidies, and utilizing taxes they are collecting from people. Many residents are suffering from stomach disease due to unclean and unsafe water they are drinking yet our own Mayor talks about water supply as a luxury or a want just like DSTV and cell phone airtime top-up. It is not every resident that subscribes to DSTV. It is his duty as a city Mayor to care for the health of the residents. We support our principals; all we want is them to create better living conditions for the residents and raise up the standard of living of society not for another time, but Now.

It is unfortunate that we may laugh at the Mayor but he is telling the truth. People pay for their cell phones because if you do not pay you cannot phone. If you do not subscribe to DSTV you cannot view any channels. If at all there was, or is a way of doing the same thing with water and other services offered by the City of Harare I do not think we wouldn’t have anyone failing to pay for services rendered. However, the next thing would be to find a way to stop pilferage of funds because with everyone paying it means thousands (if not millions) of dollars are up for grabs.

This is a lame excuse – at least they should demonstrate their commitment by cutting down on some of their expenditures. City council fathers are well known for giving themselves hefty salaries and allowances. We have been hearing that same story for many years. If they can account for all the payments being done this can make a difference.

The Mayor was simply being Dramatic in expressing a very important point that affects everyone and people should not read too much into it and get the sense that until they start getting their priorities right, clean and regular water supplies remain a pipe dream. Being dramatic is in fact a mark of good leadership. The Mayor comes across to me saying this is a problem, which affects the public and should therefore involve the public in its solution. Simple.  So the people’s Mayor is simply putting the public problem and its public solution in perspective. Thumbs up.

If that is the case we are guaranteed of never seeing an end to these water problems. Ratepayers do not pay because there is no service to pay for NOT because they do not want water. Right now there is no guarantee that water will flow in your tap if you settle your bills, so why bother?

Istanbul.