News Page 8

I have started a new community at MSN for what I call "The Scatterlings of Africa" (that's me at the moment). If you feel you would like to join, please enter your email address below and you will be added as a member of the community. Looking forward to seeing you there ! - Lorraine

Wednesday 6^th June 2001

Hello friend and foe !

I would like to copy in here the last paragraph of the last news page (page 7). I wrote this statement 2 months ago, at the end of March.

Complacency is our worst enemy, we must continually fight against it. We must NOT accept negative change ! We need to be kicking and screaming against it ! I will NOT accept that this is to be our lot in life ! I am holding on to the hope that Mugabe will be ousted in the Presidential elections (or be forced to back down even before then). It is all I have to cling to. There is no life-raft coming along to rescue us from the troubled waters; no soft landings here ! I do not for one moment think that ZanuPF will allow their power to be taken from them without a fight, so I anticipate an increase of the terror tactics we have seen since this time last year. We have to save ourselves, we have no-one else to turn to, and it is my hope and prayer that all Zimbabweans will stand firm in our resolve to fight back, and make a better future for our children.

On reading this a few days ago, I realised that I am going to carry on with the website no matter what the consequences may be. If I plan to stay here in Zimbabwe, and I DO, then I need to let you all know what is happening here. No more can we allow things to be brushed under the carpet. We need TRANSPARENCY in everything, or we can never go forward as a nation (and we still have SUCH a long way to go).
We, here in Zimbabwe, have seen so much horror since the begining of the year 2000, that we have no choice but to see it through to the end. Why give up now, when we have been through so much ? The end is not far off, and then we will know, one way or another, what to do !

So…the updates will continue, come hell or high water ! It is the only way I have of coping with our situation.

Please give me a few days to get back into full steam !!! and then I will be updating on a regular basis. Thanks to all of you who continue to email. It's very much appreciated.

Saturday 9th June 2001

Hello all. It’s good to be back. Thanks to all of you for your continued interest and support of this website !

Where to begin ? So much has happened in the last two months. It seems as though, we, as a country, have moved from one crisis to another, each one more frightening than the last.

We had the invasions of businesses by the war vets. This lasted for well over a month, and of course, all business owners were wondering if they would be next. This was led by Chenjerai Hunzvi (since deceased – more about him later) and Joseph Chinotimba. Huge sums of money were extorted from business owners, supposedly to settle labour disputes ! It was an awful time for all of us. The ruling party stood by and WATCHED as managers and owners were abducted from their business premises in Harare, taken to ZanuPF headquarters, grilled for hours and often beaten, and were then made to pay hard cash. I think it all came to a head when the MD of Care International, a Canadian citizen, was harassed and the Canadian High Commissioner went down to help him. When he got there, he was jostled about and was not allowed to interfere. He ended up following the car that had taken the MD to ZanuPF HQ, trying to rescue his compatriot. The Canadian Government sent a strong message of condemnation about the same time as the South Africans and Danes did. The whole process was then called to halt. ZanuPF suddenly appeared to wake up (they were actually not sleeping at all) and made a fuss of taking control of the situation, and war vets were arrested. But of course, it was too little, too late. This seems to be the general rule. Where is their foresight ? They don’t have any. They seem to see no further than next year’s Presidential election. Their international reputation is in tatters but they continue on this downward path of self-destruction.

We have, in the last six weeks, seen three top ZanuPF men die. There are simple explanations for their deaths, but it is uncanny that all three were deeply involved in the violence of the last year and a half, and now all three are facing their Maker (and have an awful lot of explaining to do). It began with the death of Border Gezi in a car accident. He featured in the pre-election violence, and the aftermath. Then, a few weeks later, came the death of Moven Mahachi, the Minister of Defence, also killed in a car accident. With the first death, the population was shocked, but by the time Minister Mahachi’s death was announced, there was an eerie silence. Then a week later came the death of Chenjerai (Hitler) Hunzvi, reportedly suffering from cerebral malaria, but medical sources informed the nation, via the press, that he had HIV relate illnesses. It doesn’t really matter what he died of, does it ? Now, the population is convinced that the hand of God, or the ancestral spirits, has come down and put an end to the three men. All three have been declared ‘National Heroes’ which entitles them to burial in our ‘Heroes Acre’ the cemetery at Warren Hills. It also entitles their dependents to all sorts of allowances, pensions, payouts etc. – which come from the taxpayer’s money (my money actually). Whilst I sympathise with the family of the Ministers, I object most strongly to having to contribute my hard-earned money, especially when I know what these men have done. But, I firmly believe that all of us, no matter where, no matter who, (either in this life or the next) will, one day, be called to give an explanation for our actions, and be made to pay retribution for our deeds. Chenjerai Hunzvi’s state funeral was on Friday, and Mugabe told the packed stadium to continue with Hunzvi’s work as a tribute to Hunzvi!!! Yes !!! He said land invasions must continue, in fact they must intensify. ‘Fate has been most unkind to us, hitting us where it hurts the most and at a time when our land-based third Chimurenga (revolution) is at its most crucial historical juncture,’ he said. ‘This should never deter us but instead should propel us to fight even harder to intensify the campaign and ensure that the sacrifice of our fallen heroes is not in vain,’ Mugabe said.

The land redistribution issue is being treated as a military campaign, a revolution, a ‘chimurenga’, but instead of hurting an enemy, it is hurting our own people. History will record the folly of our leaders, and their betrayal of their people. We have a track record here in Zimbabwe, of being betrayed, first by other nations, and now from within. When will it end ?

Mugabe also said that the ‘whites’ should not be allowed to become complacent. Complacent is one thing I am not ! Does he imagine, for one minute, that we are content, and think we are on top of this awful situation in which we find ourselves ?

I have uploaded pages 3 pages, one on each of the deceased government ministers, with links to various newspaper articles on them. You can link to them below.

Hunzvi
Mahachi
Gezi

Our government and our leaders are coming under more and more pressure from the International community, and this is a good thing. We MUST return to the rule of Law as soon as possible. People have gone through ‘hell’ here, and the perps need to be brought to book. When I started this site, I said I watched in ‘horror’ at the events taking place – I am still watching in ‘horror’. We all know that the violence will continue, and even escalate, as we near the presidentials, and we look forward with trepidation. At the same time, we can’t wait to get it all over with, and get this country on the road to recovery. Mugabe and ZanuPF are losing popularity by the hour, and I, for one, feel confident that he will be ousted, if the elections are allowed to be free and fair. But this will not happen (the free and fair bit), and the intimidation is already full swing. Some folk are living a nightmare, constantly. It is disgraceful. And then we get people like Andrew Young, the former Mayor of Atlanta, coming here and saying there is no lawlessness in Zimbabwe. To you, Mr Young, Sir, I say with all due respect, you may be black, but you are NOT and NEVER will be, an African. You are an American, and you have no idea of the trauma suffered by our people. Until you have had YOUR backside burnt on an open fire, or an electrical wire inserted in YOUR penis, all because you are an opposition supporter, keep your comments to yourself !!! You enjoy the protection of your government – we here in Zimbabwe, do not !

The Donor community has had enough of us, and apparently we have been told that there will be no more funds for the land redistribution programme until Mugabe has gone. The donors say there can be no help until Zimbabwe is returned to the rule of Law and there is transparency, which, they feel, will not happen under Mugabe. According to reports in our Financial Gazette, they are waiting for a change in the Administration here. (So are we all).

Sunday 17th June 2001

Hi Folks. Well, we are well and truly in the middle of winter – beautiful clear blue skies every day, and freezing nights !!! I wish summer would hurry up and come back. We get so used to the hot weather here, and we complain bitterly during our 2 months of cold !!! Never satisfied, are we ?

Firstly, I would like to apologise to those who have emailed me, and never received a reply. Something happened (don’t know what) and I lost a load of emails. Then my computer bombed, and I had to have it fixed – it seems to be OK now. So, if you emailed and I didn’t reply, please email again ! Thanks.

I seem to spend my life at hospitals lately ! My youngest son had a ligament reconstruction done (in his knee) a few weeks ago and is still hobbling around the house, and my daughter (the one in Bulawayo who had the head-on in February) had emergency surgery to remove plates in her ankle. The ankle is tied together with bits of all sorts, including two metal plates, and it has become infected. So, it was hospital again !!! She is still in the hospital, in great pain, and should be out by the end of this week. I hope it comes to an end soon !!!

On to some news. The latest thing to hit us is an ENORMOUS fuel price increase. The country was stunned last week when the government announced a 70% increase in the price of fuel. We had a few hours notice of the increase, so of course none of us had a chance to fill up (had we been able to find any fuel, that is). So many people are SO angry about it. The average worker can’t afford to live as it is, and now to have this, it seems that we are to be continually punished for our government’s mismanagement! There is a lot of unrest, and this may blow up into something big. The ZCTU (Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions – representing 90% of the work force in this country) has protested most strongly about the increase, and has given the government until the 2nd July to reverse it. If they don’t, the ZCTU is calling for a nation-wide general strike, to go on indefinitely. Motorists now pay $76,29 at the pumps for a litre of leaded petrol, while unleaded petrol now costs $77,42 a litre. Diesel is now pegged at $66,39, Jet A1 at $57,03, paraffin at $50,00 and bulk paraffin at $59,27. Bus fares have doubled, and of course, all oil related products are beyond the reach of most folk. We will see a lot more folk walking to work. It is shameful to see a government causing so much distress to its people. (PS We are still queuing for fuel-sometimes for hours).

The farm invasions continue, and have, in fact, intensified since the death of Chenjerai (Hitler) Hunzvi. Read the latest farm invasion report HERE. How our farmers carry on I will never know ! They continue to do their best under the most trying of circumstances. I hope and pray that their resilience will be rewarded in the end, and that one day, when we have a new government in power, the land reform programme will be conducted in a lawful manner. I think they are clinging to this hope. ZanuPF grows desperate in its attempts to intimidate before the presidential election next year. The cockerel is crowing with a vengeance.

Some weeks back, we had a Mayoral election in Masvingo, and it was won buy the MDC candidate, in spite of massive intimidation on the part of ZanuPF. Two weeks ago, we were due to have a similar election in Bulawayo, but, on the eve (literally) of the election, the Registrar General called it off indefinitely, claiming there were too many discrepancies in the voters roll. Bulawayo folk were really angry. We all know that ZanuPF has no hope in hell of winning fairly in the city of Bulawayo, and they know this as well – hence the cancellation. Well, the MDC took it to court last week, and one brave Justice overturned the RG’s decision, and said the election must go on ! A date will be announced soon, and I will let you all know what’s happening.

As most of you know, we, Zimbabwe that is, is in the news this week with the solar eclipse. We actually have TOURISTS coming here again !!!! They are a very rare species here, and we welcome them with open arms. Our north-eastern areas will see the full effect of the eclipse, and all hotels in the area claim to be fully booked. This is good news, and I hope our visitors will spend a lot of FOREX. We really need it. We also need the folk to have a great stay, and go home and tell others about it. We have been assured that there will be fuel available this week, so lets hope this is true. I will be in the city centre on the 21st, the day of the eclipse, and I will try to take photos of it. I think I will need a special filter for my lens – anyone know how I should photograph it (digital camera) ? Please email and let me know.

How do I feel lately ?? Some days I am so angry I could burst – other days I am downhearted and depressed. Then one of the young men that work for me will come along and say something wonderful and inspiring about us and our future, and I am filled with optimism again. It’s a roller coaster ride, and I’m not enjoying it. I wish the days and weeks away, longing for this time next year, when the presidentials will be over and we will know where we are headed (as a family and as a nation). One of my young supervisors, a man of 26, an ardent MDC supporter (far wiser than I for all of my 50 years) keeps saying to me "Don’t let it get personal – we are trying to change a SYSTEM !!!" He’s quite right, and I have learnt a lot from him (we’re never too old, are we ?) It is the system that stinks here, and it includes the people that would cling to this system. We have to ensure, when the new government comes in, that they, too, do NOT continue with this present system. It is a system of oppression, suppression, violence, nepotism, corruption – I could go on and on, but I’m sure you get the idea. Democracy does not come easily to Africa !

Saturday 29th December 2001

Yes, it's me again - after all this time ! I don't know where to start, or how to go on - but I mean to. I will be back updating these pages regularly in the New Year. I am in England at present, I need the peace of mind and the feeling of security right now. From here ? Who knows ! Who knows anything ! We needed a time away from the situation to view it objectively, and decide what our future will be. I DO feel like a deserter, but I have enjoyed so much 'PEACE' in the last few weeks. Maybe I won't ever WANT to go back...maybe I can't stay away - time will tell. In the meantime, I have managed to 'get connected', get a PC, and will be updating as often as I can.
Back later

Monday 31st December 2001

It's the last night of the year 2001. Who can believe it ? So much has happened, and so much time has passed since I started this website. It began in Zimbabwe - and it began because I had no way of releasing my frustration with the situation in my homeland. I could NOT shout it from the rooftops, as many of you can (there is NO freedom of speech in Zim). I could NOT let others know what was happening and give away my identity (that would have, and eventually did, cause so many problems in my life. So the only way was to start the website as a secret - sounds silly doesn't it ?

At first only my immediate family knew what I was doing, and I had their full support. But, eventually, a lot more folk found out it was my website, and this really got us all worried. The government of Zimbabwe allows NO criticism of any member of the ruling party - ZanuPF. There is a very real threat of being beaten, jailed, or even murdered if one should stand up against them. This has been happening since the beginning of last year on a large scale - but was also happening way before that. Most people learned to keep their heads down and their mouths shut. The brave members of the community who have placed their lives at risk by speaking out against the situation in Zimbabwe are suffering great stress and abuse. This continues even now.

By June this year (2001), it was just becoming too dangerous to continue with the website. I had to stop updating and lie low for a while. My family and friends were so concerned (and whatever happens to me affects them too !). I had no choice. Members of my staff at work, who may have been ZanuPF supporters began asking questions about the 'Lorraine' who was running the website, and 'Is it you ?' became a common question. As the months progressed, we realised that we had to get away for a while, to assess our lives, and to really think about where we were headed as a family. We could find no other solution but to leave Zim, and take stock - which is exactly what we are doing right now.

We are in England at present, doing some serious thinking ! Do we go back and try to continue ? Do we wait till after the Presidential elections ? Do we stay put here in England. I had thought that once we were away from it, the future would be cut and dried but it's not !!! There are still so many decisions to be made. I ask you to bear with me while we make them.

In the meantime, I wish you a Peaceful and Prosperous New Year - wherever you may be. Value your freedom - there are so many who don't have it. Value the government that allows you the freedom to express yourself in any way you choose, and to associate with whomever you choose. And most of all, value your family & close friends ! They could be lost to you in an instant.

Happy New Year to you All !

Thursday 10th January 2002

Hi there friends.

I have had so many emails from so many people since I managed to get the mailing list out last week. It is really wonderful to be in touch with those of you who have been following the website over the last (almost) 2 years. Thanks so much for your continued support.

We, (the family as a whole), arrived in England eight weeks ago. It seems now that we had been coming to this all along. We had fought against it over the months, (who wants to leave the sunshine and life of Africa ?), but I guess we knew, in our hearts, that it would come one day. To say I was devastated to leave is an understatement. I, with my eternal optimism (really believing that things would come right in the end), am having a really hard time coming to terms with this. I suppose I feel like a deserter, and it leaves a very bad taste ! I continually think of all the wonderful Zimbabweans who are left behind, and who have no choice in whether they go or stay, and I feel so sad for them. I am STILL hoping that Mugabe will be ousted and that peace will be restored.

At the moment we have no plans. Not good, I know – but I think we all just need a time of R & R – a time to think over all that has happened, and where we are going from here. This does not mean that we are living the life of Riley – far from it. We arrived here with very little money, two suitcases each, and are being very frugal (awful word). We have all found temporary jobs – maybe permanent jobs will come later, and we have rented a furnished house. We are all together – the family – which is a good thing . We stayed with relatives when we first got here, but have at last managed to move out and set up on our own.

How do I feel about being here ? – many of you have asked that. I don’t really know yet. Zimbabwe had become intolerable. The genuine risk to life and limb was becoming greater by the day, and it seemed that there would be no light at the end of the tunnel. There is STILL no light – or peace – or prosperity.

From a monetary point of view, every single dollar that we owned was depreciating by the day. The week I left, a pound (500grams) of butter cost Zim $ 1228.00 – yes, unbelievable isn’t it ? There is no value in the money in Zimbabwe. This is nothing new to Africa, and has happened over and over in African states to the North. It leaves those at the lower end of the salary scale very impoverished.

From a safety point of view, I was feeling VERY unsafe. I had got to the point where I could not utter a single word against Mugabe or ZanuPF. Men that I worked with, and had trusted over the years, turned out to be “vipers”, back-stabbing bastards is the only way to describe them. (Sorry about the language). I have since learned that they seriously tried to get me into trouble (going back months), so it is a good job we left when we did. I will expand more on this later.

A little story here about my neighbour in Zimbabwe – I’ll call him John. He was the General Manager of a large company, well liked and respected by all who know him. One of the men who worked for him was a known thief, but my neighbour could never prove it. The thief knew that John was on to him, so he reported John to the Rhodesville Police Station, and accused him of making derogatory remarks about our President. John was arrested, detained for the day, and charged. He has denied making these remarks (anyone who knows him knows what a gentleman he is, and knows he would NEVER have said the things he is accused of). Our thief then produced 8 – yes, 8 witnesses from the factory, who all claim they heard John say the awful things. John appeared in court, twice, and the case was remanded until 2 weeks ago. John and his wife packed up their belongings, left everything they own, and fled. He has been told that he will be sent to jail if found guilty – and, with 8 witnesses, he WILL go to jail. I know all this to be true because John and his dear wife are sleeping on a mattress on my dining room floor. They are hoping to get some money out of Zimbabwe – by foul means or fair– but until then, we struggle along together. Their lives have been ruined. They are both over 60 years of age.

Back later.

On to News Page 9

~Lorraine~

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