Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.  – Rilke

In the past five years these two parties have worked together in an inclusive government. More plundering than job creation happened. Now that 31st of July is just three weeks away we are being promised over a million jobs and a growing economy. Going for this election both parties know that youths want jobs so its no wonder there are promises of jobs but some figures are just too good to be true. I had some time today comparing the two parties’ manifestos and here I quote some interesting hopes and dreams.

The 2013 field is set and this year it seems it’s all about JUICE for the players if they are going to score “Bhora Mugedhi”.

MDC-T highlights that,

“The MDC plan is aimed at uplifting all citizens in all corners of the country and will create 1 million jobs by 2018 and a $100 billion economy by 2040.”

27 years of one party rule so that the economy dream is fulfilled? I don’t think so.

In every match coaches battle to come up with strategies to counter opponents and since MDC-T is already attacking, not be outdone ZANU-PF is also on the offensive hoping to score  “Bhora Mugedhi” with 2,265 million jobs in the next five years.

“Creating value of US$7,3 billion from the indigenisation of 1,138 companies across 14 key sectors of the economy and over US$1,844,223,157,000 created from the idle value of empowerment assets unlocked from parastatals, local authorities, mineral rights and claims and from the State.”

There are also promises from Zanu PF for more flea and vendor market stands to be created and houses for low-income earners. And this comes along with revolutionary commitment to address and meet the goals of all Zimbabweans regardless of their social, economic, cultural or ethnic affinity, background or affiliation.

With all this on the table I wonder what strategy the merged team of MDC-N and ZAPU will have to come up with to defeat this leading pack?

Hey! Need a job? Want to work in the NGO/development sector in Zimbabwe? Check out the job vacancies below and apply today. If you want to receive regular civic and human rights information, together with NGO job vacancies and other opportunities like scholarships by getting our regular email newsletter, please email join [at] kubatana [dot] net

Finance and Administration Officer: WiPSU
Deadline: 12 July 2013

WiPSU has a Finance and Admin Officer vacancy in the organization; this is a female environment and hence men will not be considered.

The job description will among other things involve managing the organisation’s finances, preparing for internal and external audits, prepare monthly financial statements for the board and Director, prepare and sent to donors financial reports as per requirements and meeting deadlines, submit a monthly narrative report on the status of funding in the organisation. A detailed job description will be made available to the short listed candidates.
 
To apply
Submit your applications to the WiPSU Acting Director by email: wipsudirector [at] gmail [dot] com or patriciawipsu [at] gmail [dot] com

BLESSED ARE THE SISSIES
BLESSED ARE THE BOI DYKES
BLESSED ARE THE PEOPLE OF COLOR MY BELOVED KITH AND KIN
BLESSED ARE THE TRANS
BLESSED ARE THE HIGH FEMMES
BLESSED ARE THE SEX WORKERS
BLESSED ARE THE AUTHENTIC
BLESSED ARE THE DIS-IDENTIFIERS
BLESSED ARE THE GENDER ILLUSIONISTS
BLESSED ARE THE NON-NORMATIVE
BLESSED ARE THE GENDERQUEERS
BLESSED ARE THE KINKSTERS
BLESSED ARE THE DISABLED
BLESSED ARE THE HOT FAT GIRLS
BLESSED ARE THE WEIRDO-QUEERS
BLESSED IS THE SPECTRUM
BLESSED IS CONSENT
BLESSED IS RESPECT
BLESSED ARE THE BELOVED WHO I DIDN’T DESCRIBE,
I COULDN’T DESCRIBE, WILL LEARN TO DESCRIBE AND RESPECT AND LOVE

AMEN

Mark Aguhar, Litanies to my heavenly brown body

Internet security remains a major talking point what with the PRISM controversy where the US government snooped on virtually everyone’s internet traffic.

I recently participated in a training workshop in South Africa themed around protecting ourselves from cyber spies who apparently are now making themselves permanent features in the World Wide Web.

It was instructive that the monitoring of private online conversations has become a matter of concern as Zimbabwe heads for polls amid reports that the former ruling party is pulling all the stops bringing in Chinese and Israeli internet minds to launch an assault on people using cyber platforms to “push the regime change agenda.”

And the presence of characters like Baba Jukwa has made issues of internet security even more pertinent in the aftermath of claims that Zanu PF was hacking into the Facebook page in a bid to unmask BJ.

Yet not many people will consider internet security as something of major concern.

Ours is a country that has become a very bad model of freedom of information and freedom of expression where a simple political comment is enough to get you into trouble, yet as we celebrate social media and how it has provided space for conversations about political developments, it still remains open to snooping by a paranoid State.

The workshop I attended brought insights into a multitude of security options, yet like everyone else who attended, I found it amazing if not scary that we are virtually naked each time we are on Twitter, Facebook, sending emails etc.

There is a huge footprint that we leave, and for anyone seeking to rage against the machine, you are effectively having someone standing over your shoulder watching.

A mobile phone application called Layer enables you to read other people’s Twitter feeds, and if that is not scary, I don’t know what is.