- Dear Family and Friends,
-
- It was cause for great sadness to watch Zanu PF MP's
clapping, dancing and singing in Zimbabwe's parliament this week after
the announcement that their two thirds majority had secured the latest
amendments to our country's constitution. The rights of individual Zimbabweans
are being systematically stripped away and for this the ruling party cheer
- as if the country was theirs alone, for all time. The latest amendments
allow government to withdraw passports from people whose travel is deemed
to be against the national interest. A 65 member Senate is to be reintroduced
even though the economy is shrinking and Ministers say that 90% of their
annual budgets are needed for wages and allowances.
-
- The constitutional amendments also forbid citizens whose
land was seized by Zanu PF from having their grievances heard in court.
The Minister of Justice, being interviewed by a South African television
programme, insisted that this latest prohibition on seeking legal recourse
was aimed at white skinned Zimbabweans only. The wording of the constitutional
amendment however, does not mention skin colour at all, so one can only
wonder how long it will be before this same provision is used against other
out of favour Zimbabwean farmers. However, according to the propaganda,
this was the end, once and for all, of white farmers and for this "achievement"
Zanu PF MP's and even the Vice President, danced in the aisles of parliament.
-
- One after another a string of "analysts", "commentators"
and "experts" have been paraded on state owned TV to praise the
constitutional amendments. None have questioned why there was not a referendum
or if this is what 11.6 million Zimbabweans really want. The government
says that this now brings "finality" to five years of land seizures
and that all agricultural land belongs to the state.
-
- Most ordinary Zimbabweans have got absolutely no idea
what is going on on the farms anymore and they are not alone in their confusion.
Every season the government announces they are conducting an "audit"
of who is on which farm as if they don't know themselves. They say they
are investigating why production continues to fall monstrously short of
national requirements. The few commercial farmers still left operating
after five years of utter mayhem are permanently sea sick as the orders
from officials change literally by the week - get off your farm, stay on
it, give up half of the farm, have an unwritten lease but give us the title
deeds, oops we changed our minds and want it all, put your crop in we'll
protect you, get out by tomorrow, this is our farm and our crop.
-
- And so Zanu PF MP's might be dancing in the aisles and
congratulating themselves but it doesn't actually change a thing. People
are tired, hungry and destitute, inflation is soaring and it is as uncertain
as ever on the farms. Just weeks away from the main planting season there
is little sign that anything is about to change anytime soon - regardless
of the constitutional changes or the skin colour of the Zimbabwean out
there on the farm.
-
- I am going to take a break from this letter for a few
weeks but please keep watching and caring about Zimbabwe and
-
- until next time, thanks for reading,
-
- with love, cathy.
-
- Copyright cathy buckle 3rd September 2005
- http://africantears.netfirms.com
-
- My books "African Tears" and "Beyond Tears"
are available from:
- orders@africabookcentre.com
|
