Mary Banda (aged 80) came to Zimbabwe in the 1960s from Malawi for ‘greener pastures’ with her now deceased husband. She is one of those old sweethearts who wax lyrical about the “good old days,” only too happy to reminisce about “how things were better when we were growing up,” a life story she gladly tells anyone who will listen. She says they had five children but all are deceased and she is left with grandchildren and great grandchildren all of whom live elsewhere. She stays with lodgers, and since she cannot go to the borehole by herself she has to rely on their benevolence for water. “But they also have their own needs,” she says referring to her tenants who have a young child. When water “finally arrives” she tries to stock up. She is old school and knows Zimbabwe like the back of her hand. She says she is disturbed by the water problems and “someone must have done something for the rains to have disappeared in the country.”

Simba Dube (aged 36) is a vendor at Machipisa shopping centre. There is a public toilet just behind his stall where he and a number of women sell vegetables. The toilet hasn’t been functioning for years now and is under lock and key. But he says that this has not stopped folks from shitting on the toilet’s doorstep. It is symbolic perhaps: the logic seems to be, “this is a public toilet and we will shit here even if it is locked!” There are a number of public toilets in the suburb but Dube says none are functioning. The story is the same everywhere: they are all littered with faecal matter outside their entrances. It is worse for the vendors, he says, as the convenience of a public toilet is no longer there and he has to rush home every time he wants to answer the call of nature. “It has now become like a landline (telephone). I can only answer the phone at home and nowhere else,” he quips.

Zenzo Moyo (aged 33) is a kombi driver in Bulawayo CBD. His kombi rank is at TM hyper, one of Bulawayo’s busiest commuter omnibus ranks. Drivers, touts and commuters previously used the public toilets at TM Hyper but now, because of the water shortages, the loos are under lock and key. What is now available are pay toilets, at R5 per visit. “That’s money I cannot afford,” Moyo says. “It means my tout also has to dip into the day’s takings to use the toilet and there is no telling how many times one may want to use the loo,” he says matter-of-factly. Typical of these chaps known for all sorts of adventures and misadventures, they have turned alleyways into latrines, creating an odour the Devil would be proud of. “What do they (the municipality) expect us to do? Paying to use a toilet for me is like paying to drink water,” he says, expressing a common sentiment.

Jairos Ngwenya (aged 29) is a cleaner at a cocktail bar. Folks never seem to run out of cash, they have money to burn as they patronise the joint everyday of the week and business is brisk. But this comes at a price for Ngwenya. No running water for days on end means the pub is also affected, and the laws of necessity have meant even without running water, the pub still remains open. Just because there isn’t any water doesn’t mean the patrons don’t shit, and Ngwenya knows this painful truth is a part of the job. “It’s a tough call anyway, expecting tipplers not to piss or shit,” he says rather grudgingly. He has even found human waste on urinals after some drunk defecated where others piss. “I wonder what time they do this,” Ngwenya muses. I jokingly suggest that maybe one patron stands guard by the door to stop others from entering while his friend shits by the urinals? He laughs: “That’s possible.”

Marko Phiri and Chumile Jamela writing for Kubatana.net

More stories, and photographs here

I stood for an hour on the side of Chiremba Road on Wednesday. Police pulled me over, for not displaying something, somehow. Or something was displayed incorrectly. Then again, maybe something was incorrectly displayed. Whatever. I showed my triangles. I showed my fire extinguisher. (I discovered I have a tin of beans under my seat!) I had a license plate. And license disk. And license sticker. All in order. I think it was insurance. Whatever.

“Come with me,” and he has my drivers license so I really have no choice. We cross the road to the woman constable with the fine receipt book. “$20 spot fine.”
“But I only have $4,” and I show my wallet with all my money in it, which turns out to be only $3.
“But it is a $20 spot fine.”
“Well, I only have $3, I cannot pay $20, either give me a ticket, or take me to jail.”
“It is not a criminal offense for what you have done.”
“Well, it is not a criminal offense to only have $3.” At least I hope it is not, or most Zimbabweans would be in jail.
“Park over there.” So I cross the road and park the truck over there.
“Come with me”, and we cross the road again. In an hour we cross the road four times. With puzzlement and wonder … “How can we write a receipt for $3?” “I don’t know, but $3 is all I have.” “But the spot fine is $20.” “So write me a ticket.”

And in amongst the standing around, crossing the road, picking my nose and the same questions and same answers to the same person, different persons, random persons, and more, I watch plenty of folded and crumpled and filthy (toll gate special) bills be passed from ‘offenders’ (who have committed the offence of driving down Chiremba Road) to ‘enforcers’, and not many receipts being issued. Eventually, “you can go”, but I can’t really, as they still have my license, and once we find whose hand it is in, there is the barrage of the same questions and answers over and over again – “$20″, “only got $3″, “can’t write receipt of $3″, and I finally get my driver’s license and drive off.

So, what has happened here?

Obviously, if I had handed over my remaining $3 (lunch money!) for a receipt-less ‘fine’ I could have gone much sooner, and we all could have ridden the corruption gravy train much faster. With whatever my offence was completely un-corrected.

And what are the ZRP, the guardians of Law and Order in Zimbabwe, doing for the economy of Zimbabwe? They are making it ‘work’ in their own personal regard. In terms of the national fiscus, even if I had paid $20, and received a receipt, how much difference would that have made towards the justice system, the attorney general, keeping dangerous vehicles off the road, making Zimbabwe a safer and better place for us all to live in? And how many hours were spent – and productivity lost – by everyone I watched processing receipt-less fines. How much did those costs add to the underground economy (since there are no receipts, they cannot be accounted for in the taxed economy), swelling it and making it bigger?

Zimbabwe is to co-host next year, with Zambia, a big, international tourism event. How far does this attitude from the police (and all the ruling, and former ruling, apparatus) percolate through the country? How many ‘visitors’ will get this treatment?

But it is that attitude – I have power, you have money, and I want your money (without earning it) – that is at fault. This attitude needs to be changed if we are to get ahead.

As the race to the 2013 elections gathers momentum in Zimbabwe many politicians still shy away from, and regard corruption as a sensitive issue. As sensitive as it can be I believe the electorate is shortchanged when people they elect into Parliament as legislators become corrupt themselves. The abuse of the Community Development Fund by some legislators is an example of the appalling level of corruption in the country.

Being ranked number 163 out of the 174 countries that took part in the 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index should not come as a surprise because corruption in Zimbabwe has become the norm. Zimbabwe is ranked among countries like Somalia and Afghanistan with collapsed government systems.

According to the survey, “Governments need to integrate anti-corruption actions into all aspects of decision-making. They must prioritise better rules on lobbying and political financing, make public spending and contracting more transparent, and make public bodies more accountable”.

Time for the MDC to catch a wake up call
When we voted for the Councils and mayors we had faith that we would at long last get a go ahead Mayor and councillors; who would be honest and practise fiscal restraint. In many instances this has not been so. I am totally disgusted that Mayor Masunda and Chombo and others defend the purchasing of two luxury vehicles valued at $350,000. This is utterly ridiculous for a country that puts out a budget half the size of that of Pick and Pay, South Africa and in a country where millions are mired in poverty. This penchant for expensive vehicles is tantamount to looting and stealing from tax and ratepayers. Is there no wisdom at all anywhere? Is there no restraint at all? I and my company are long standing tax payers and rate payers and I am rapidly reaching that stage where I feel that someone should start a campaign to withhold all taxes and rates until government in all forms catches a wake up and decides to use our money wisely. Most of what we see is absolute greed and selfishness. Personally I say zvakwana, zvakwana. Have you all forgotten that slogan? We need a law that puts a cap on ALL motor vehicles purchased for ALL public officials. When everyone has a home and a job and when every child goes to school and when every sick person can be treated only then will we be happy to treat you to luxury vehicles! – NM, Harare

Buy Zimbabwean
The fact that the majority of goods consumed in the country are imported has created a crisis in Zimbabwe. Make sure at least half of what you buy is a local product and you will CREATE a job or jobs. You will help save my job and I will help to save your job and the government will collect taxes and sort out the water and power issues (hopefully).  We have the power to help each other. Let’s create jobs here and not in South Africa or China by buying Zimbabwean products. Before we blame others for our state, let’s do our bit by buying Zimbabwean products. – SC, Harare

Post-independence Zimbabwe
Believe it or not, the challenge of mind-set change is still a facade and far outcry in post-independence Zimbabwe! Grotesque levels of corruption, poor health service delivery, hatred, policy shelving, duplicity of politicians, violence, citizens’ apathy and absence of rule of law continue to spell a bleak future for our country. Statesmen and policy makers where are you? – RM, Harare

I have been bugging over the past few days, imagining and re-imagining the olive leaf Tsvangirai says he will extend to Zanu PF “moderates” when he assumes power. It appears to be a given that he will saunter into State House in the coming polls, never mind the doomsayers in the form of Freedom House.

But then Zanu PF does not think it is about to hand over the keys to anyone: Mugabe and his curious motley of Afro-optimists who nevertheless many say double as inveterate political misanthropes are firmly convinced Zanu PF will win.

It strikes me as kowtowing to the politics of meaningless appeasement when Tsvangirai says he will not hesitate to co-opt favoured Zanu PF officials into his perceived government. What is he saying about the men and women within the MDC-T who have dedicated their lives to unseating Zanu PF?  Are they less skilled in “statecraft,” to borrow from his own secretary general? And he would still have to be answerable to Zimbabweans who sprung him to power having these Zanuoids in his cabinet, that is if his own lieutenants allow it to happen.

If MT is surely sincere about this thing, I call it a thing because that’s what it is, he only pays into the hands of critics who say, he along with his top officials, remain Zanu PF at heart despite all pretence to the contrary, and we know such critics only have to point to what they see as his fabulous spending habits that only seeks to keep up with Zanu PF profligacy.

There is no one to appease in Zanu PF period. The only appeasing is the one he mentioned about appeasing the gods over the blood of pro-democracy activists!

The masses trust the MDC-T with their vote because of the promise of re-birth, of restoring Zimbabwe’s UDI economic juggernaut the same MDC-T policy czars love referring to but was decimated by Zanu PF.

Come on, this is politics, appointing Zanu PF officials into an MDC government is not only political folly of the highest order considering the fact that we know how the same people have plundered state resources to finance their political party activities, but we already know Zanu PF will never respond in like magnanimity in the event Mugabe beats Tsvangirai!

This is African politics for fuck’s sake where there has been cyclical abysmal failure to transplant “the US model of democracy” on the continent despite all evidence of parallel governments being run by the frivolous coalitions that defeat the whole concept of a truly bipartisan regime.

Perhaps MT has been misquoted, perhaps like Gabriel Shumba on the formation of his political party a few years ago, he was only joking, but this ain’t no laughing matter as he seems too eager to win over some Zanu PF folks, perhaps as his own political strategy that if he has them on their side, the military and other Zanu PF spoilers are kept in check?

Perhaps he needs to re-read the history of African politics and he will find that this fantasy will turn out to be a petard that will blow up on his already perforated face.

To coincide with the international diamond conference currently being held at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Partnership Africa Canada has released a new report: Greed and Corruption in Zimbabwe’s Marange Diamond Fields:

The report is divided into three main sections. The first looks at ongoing trade irregularities and the lack of transparency of diamond revenues, and examines ways ZANU and the global diamond industry have interacted, before, during and after the Kimberley Process imposed an embargo on Marange stones in 2009. The second examines the various revenue streams of Obert Mpofu and concludes the Minister of Mines is utilizing monies and assets divorced from his ministerial salary and known business entities. The third offers policy suggestions and recommendations that would improve the management and public beneficiation of Zimbabwe’s diamond revenues.

The biggest conclusion of this report is that despite government pronouncements to the contrary, the illicit trade of Marange diamonds is alive and well. A parallel trade in Marange diamonds continues to thrive, with the full knowledge and complicity of top officials in the Ministry of Mines, ZMDC, MMCZ and military.

The theft of Marange diamonds is perhaps the biggest single plunder of diamonds the world has seen since Cecil Rhodes. Conservative estimates place the losses due to illicit activity at over $2 billion since 2008.

PAC has found that while the mismanagement of Marange remains primarily a Zimbabwean problem, the global dimensions of the illegality has metastasized to compromise most of the major diamond markets of the world. Previously most of the illegal trade primarily involved South Africa, Mozambique, UAE and India. This remains the case, but greater vigilance by enforcement authorities should now extend to other centres, particularly Israel.

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