With inflation recording 2,2 million percent and economists like Erick Bloch believing it is over 9 million, the economic situation is so bad and distasteful.

For over 4 months the elected legislators and senators have not yet been sworn in. Fresh farm invasions emerged. Zimbabwe saw a number of activists brutally beaten, raped, arrested, killed and tortured.

The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) has poor signals, accidents, overloading and inefficient departure and arrival times. Road transport has been hit hard by the high shortage of spares and fuel.

Water supply has been affected terribly and it is difficult to get drugs in health institutions which are affecting health service delivery. Raw sewage invades suburbs and rent is now payable in forex.

Zimbabweans, who were expecting the March 29 elections to give them the Zimbabwe they yearn for, were let down big time.

Soldiers and Zanu (PF) militia forced MDC activists to drink Paraquat, a highly toxic herbicide used for weed control.

Zimbabwe’s education has been seriously compromised under the Mugabe administration, producing a poor standard of graduates. The June Ordinary and Advanced level ZIMSEC examinations are still to be marked due to lack of funds to pay the markers.

Hundreds of political prisoners are still languishing in Mugabe’s filthy prison cells country-wide on flimsy, trumped-up charges.

Making calls through cell phones requires extraordinary patience. The networks can no longer cope because of congestion.

Harare has been gripped by a sudden wave of burning transformers, and the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) puts the blame on vandals who are draining transformer oil.

Hey, all of this is happening and we have only just entered the second half of 2008. Only God knows why?

Find more PolitiComix on Zimbabwe here

Put a stressful week behind you by having an omelet and a beer in a gorgeous garden cafe. That’s my approach at least. Speaking of beer, I’ve just read this little bit from a Financial Mail article (Negotiating from a kneeling position) which can’t really bear thinking about really, but I guess we should make the effort:

But these talks have already made things much worse. For their actual meaning is not about reconciliation or negotiation; it is about legitimising the stealing of an election. And that election was followed by state-sponsored violence that forced the winners of the election to negotiate – from a position of extreme weakness – with the losers. Something of the kind has already happened in Kenya. With these continental precedents, there may in the future be a temptation to allow something of the kind to happen here in SA. After all, if the supporters of Jacob Zuma can say without repudiation that they are prepared to kill – sorry, eliminate – those who stand in his way, the refusal to accept the outcome of an election should be small beer indeed.

Itai Zimunya, one of Zimbabwe’s civic freedom fighters, seems to agree with Natasha Msonza on the issue of a Government of National Unity (GNU). Indeed, it would seem that the majority of Zimbabweans might support talks between the MDC and Zanu PF, but they reject any suggestion of a GNU.

A text message sent to the Zimbabwe Independent newspaper sums it up . . . the next time we have elections in Zimbabwe, there should be a box with GNU next to it on the ballot paper, if that’s what the outcome of an election ends up being.

Here is some of Itai’s thinking:

Even though dialogue was widely seen as the best way forward to resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe, its form and nature are equally important as to influence the outcome. There is a growing error by some of our fellows that are celebrating the MoU of July 21 2008 for promising, peace, food etc. That may be right but very much a contested point. Peace and food and security are the business of governments, and that’s what Zanu PF had to do anyway. The danger of setting such a precedent will surely weaken the position of citizens in their relations with the state. It would mean that next time, someone can lose or see the iminent threat of losing an election. And they become violent and deny people food such that, these will only come or be guaranteed when they begin talks of a GNU. This model and line of thinking spells doom for Africa. It was Kibaki and now Mugabe – and the AU, in all cases, is supporting this.

Here are some good observations from Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) taken from their recent press statement on the current negotiations between Zanu PF and the MDC.

We are an organisation owned by its 60,000 members who hold qualifications in daily survival and degrees in nonviolence despite the deeply polarised political environment in Zimbabwe since 2000. WOZA was born in the community and seeks to draw the attention of preoccupied politicians to people’s needs, namely bread and butter issues; or as WOZA likes to put it, bread and roses issues – bread representing food and roses representing the need for lasting dignity.

At the moment, the highway that is Zimbabwe has two ‘vehicles’ going in opposite directions, Zanu PF, the so-called ‘liberation war’ party and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). These parties speed along preoccupied with their own importance, hardly ever taking the off-ramp to consult with the suffering masses.

Zimbabweans have lost faith in politicians’ ability to return life to the living. We do not think power sharing or a government of national unity (GNU) can work in Zimbabwe. We need an independent and impartial transitional authority under African leadership. African leaders should not dictate that a GNU be the only solution to our crisis.

Read the full statement here

On Monday, Robert Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), committing them to ” dialogue with each other with a view to creating a genuine, viable, permanent and sustainable solution to the Zimbabwean situation and, in particular, to implement this Memorandum of Understanding.”

The MoU is vague about what this “sustainable solution” might look like. So it’s not clear from the document what kind of power sharing, or transitional authority, or government of national unity (or “national healing”) the different parties have in mind. Doubtless this is some of what is going to be thrashed out in the coming talks. If the parties adhere to their schedule, they have an ambitious agenda to cover – including the objectives and priorities of a new government, the framework for a new government, and the implementation mechanisms for their agreement – all within the next two weeks.

To find out more about what people thought of this, we sent this text message to our SMS subscribers yesterday:

Kubatana! ZPF and both MDCs agree to talk to resolve crisis. Send yr thoughts on this & give us yr postal or email addr if u want a copy of their agreement.

We received over 300 requests for the document to be posted to people, and over 200 requests that it be emailed. This is a small indication of just how starved most Zimbabweans are for news about our own country.

In April, we asked our subscribers what they thought of the Government of National Unity idea, which was then being batted about. At that time, our subscribers were adamantly opposed to the idea of a GNU – with the anti’s outweighing the pro’s by about ten to one.

But interestingly, yesterday’s initial responses to the idea of Zanu PF and the MDC entering a dialogue to resolve Zimbabwe’s crisis were more tempered. A few subscribers were still firmly against any kind of dialogue with “thieves,” as they called Zanu PF. And there is certainly suspicion that Zanu PF might swallow the MDC, as they did PF Zapu in 1987. But by and large, people texting us were supportive of the idea of dialogue as a way to resolve Zimbabwe’s crisis.

Here are some of their responses:

The talks is good but MDC must be very clever – Zanu PF wants to swallow the MDC

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Yes it’s a brilliant idea which shall help end crisis, poverty and all tribulations in Zimbabwe united we stand divided we fall Tsvangirai showed qualities of being a leader by agreeing to talk.

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In this country at the moment, literature that isn’t ironical simply can’t compete with life. When Mugabe makes the slightest concession, however insincere, everybody loves him!

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Free and fair elections tomorrow with international observers!

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Step 1 MDC still to talk as one: to be clear on the main objective . . . the transitional arrangement and nothing less. The leopard never ceases to pounce on weak victims

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It is long over due but we want justice.

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May be worth the effort but MDC must keep their eyes open. You can’t trust these guys. I agree with Tsvangirai that people have suffered enough.

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I think its a good idea but not giving Tsvangirai Vice President post but Prime Minister. That’s where power sharing starts.

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I believe it’s a good idea if they can reason together in order to solve this crisis. But they must recognise the results of the election done on 29 March

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We don’t need masters, colonial or nationalist. We want public servants. So respect our votes of March 29. You asked for them.

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It was overdue but the solution reached must reflect the will of the pple. We need a better zim.

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That’s better because we are suffering. We are stuck and something must be done to save the lives of Zimbabweans.

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Transitional gvt is rather better than gvt of national unity G.N.U.

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The talks are okay but mugabe must not lead the government & must step down.

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It better be real coz thz guys are tricky. They may use submarine approach n swallow MDC. Caution coz MT has 2 be very decisive. He has e lives of e pple in his hands.

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It’s gd 4 them 2 resolve crisis we a facing on dy 2 dy bt l wl urge M T 2 b careful

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For as long as it is something that will result in the fulfilment of our wishes and solve our problems no hard feelings

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I think it is a very bad idea for ZPF and MDCs to talk coz they are like water and oil as far as policies are concerned. What happened to ZAPU when it merged with ZPF? I dnt approve of the talks unless they start on the March 29 election which means MDC T would be the winner.

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Its quite a wise move we need leaders with people at heart, we have suffered enough. But they have to use March results.

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No problem as long as the talks result in the formation of transitional authority & fresh, free & fair run-off being conducted thereafter.

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For the MDC to go for talks is not so bad but what is important is not to be colonised their brains by the ZPF. Their talks must consider or must start on 29 March election not from 27 June if not so all the elections need to be restarted but in the presence of U.N.

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The talks are very important but MDC must not at all accept a gvt of national unity. They must go 4 a transitional gvt and pave way 4 fresh elections. Zanu PF plans 2 destroy MDC just as they did to ZAPU

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MDC must pin ZPF for a new constitution first before any other issues thats the only starting point coz the current one was drafted with a dictator with all powers centred on him.

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I think 2 solve crisis they must let the MDC 2 lead or Mugabe being a president & Tsvangi a prime minister but equal powers in parliament.

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I think if their agreement is based on with people at heart i guess its a welcome development but at the same time no-one was supposed to die or be displaced for supporting a certain political party so i think their agreement came a little late.