- Dear Family and Friends,
-
- I have watched international news coverage recently of
horrors going on in other parts of the world to try and put the crisis
in Zimbabwe into perspective. Maybe it's because I'm a woman or maybe it's
because I'm getting older, but lots of things reduce me to tears these
days. The night club bombing in Bali, the sniper in Washington and the
rebel taekover of a Russian theatre have all caused much despair in my
heart. When you see ordinary people losing everything that they treasure
and just sobbing in the street you begin to wonder if the whole
world has gone mad. Amidst all these tragedies there are two common
factors and that is that when something goes horribly wrong, the worlds
cameras are there and the citizens of a country turn to their police and
army for help. These two binding factors are the very things that
Zimbabwe so desperately needs.
-
- We have no one to turn to for help and the feeling of
aloneness is utterly soul destroying. A few weeks ago I wrote about the
wife of the commander of Zimbabwe's army seizing one of our last farms
and telling the owners they had better leave in a hurry because she hadn't
tasted white blood for 22 years. This week the news broke that this very
woman not only seized someone's farm and destroyed their lives, she went on
to sell all the farmers produce and pocket the money. Jocelyn Chiwenga
sold the stolen produce to the Sainsbury supermarket chain in England
and realised half a million pounds in the process. Contacted by newspapers,
Sainsbury's supermarkets said they thought the farm had been legally taken
over and the owners compensated.
-
- This is one example of thousands which demonstrate how
alone we have become and how so few people really know what is happening
here. Farmers have not been paid, compensation has not been given and not
one single part of the entire land re-distribution here has been legal.
There are no foreign journalists left in Zimbabwe to tell our story and
no one for us to turn to for help inside the country because the very people
who should be protecting us, are at the head of the pillage and destruction
of Zimbabwe.
-
- If the world's cameras were here then I wouldn't have
to tell you that Zimbabwe is slowly and painfully starving to death. I
won't bore you with the increasingly long list of staple food items that
are no longer available in our shops but the tragedy for us all is just
beginning. This week I travelled from Marondera to Harare and the view
from the window can only be described as utterly desolate. On the 67 kilometre
journey through what was always prime and very productive farm land there
is literally only one crop to be seen on the side of the road. This is
a small 5 hectare square of tobacco. The dairy cows are gone. The beef
herds no longer exist, there are no sheep or goats to see. The timber plantations
have been felled and cut up into piles of wood which are being sold on
the roadsides by thin, hungry men. Youngsters stand with jars of wild honey
and women with small enamel bowls of wild Mahobohobo fruits. The vegetable
stalls are all gone. You can no longer buy fresh farm produce as there
are no plums or mushrooms, no potatoes or oranges. There is absolutely
nothing here anymore. Most of the fencing has gone and leaves a deserted
and desolate look to the countryside.
-
- The biggest tragedy of it all is that there is no sign
whatsoever of any production on all these farms that have been seized by
our government and security forces. There is no sign of land preparation,
the fields have not been ploughed and the soil has not been turned. Sweeping
fields which once held wheat, maize and vegetables or were filled with
sheep and cattle are lying barren. The only thing to see is little dusty
footpaths zig-zagging into the horizon. There is a hand painted sign
on the main highway which says "Wooden flowers for sale" and
further on two men sit with their wares which are varnished tree roots
and drift wood.
-
- This morning I wept as I held an emigrating friends dog
in my arms as it was euthenased and then I carried it home to be buried
in my garden. The vet is no longer able to bury dogs as his property too
has been taken over in this insanity which our government says is
correcting historical imbalances and giving land to the landless. An entire
country has been destroyed by a political party determined to stay
in power but not interested in the suffering of the people. When
will the world hear our cry for help?
-
- Until next week, with love, cathy.
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- <http://africantears.netfirms.com>http://africantears.netfirms.com
- Copyright Cathy Buckle 25th Oct 2002
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