Friday, 30th January 2009

Howzit

Foreign currency mid-rates updated.

-o00o-

This posting is VERY late because I had to go to the GP for a dressing change - B can do it hereafter - the blood clinic and the pharmacy... Sorry 'bout that!

-o00o-

Many people probably know this, but for those who don't... if you are ever frogmarched by robbers to the ATM to withdraw money against your will, apparently if you punch in you PIN in the reverse, the money is shown, but not released and the cops will be all over the scene like a bad suit.

The only query I have is what of those people whose PIN is the same in reverse as it is normally?

-o00o-

I received an email that includes this page (and another of my pages, "Mandebvhu Talks Zimbabwe"...) in a listing of "100 Best Blogs for Learning About Africa" - worth having a look at...

-o00o-

I haven't mentioned it for a while - mainly because I was lying in a hospital bed away from a computer - but, at risk of preaching to the converted, three years ago I wrote a book on my experiences in the Zimbabwe Republic Police in the early 1980's - that is to say, in the first few years of Mugabe's reign.

I was stationed within Matabeleland South and sadly spent much time cleaning up after Mugabe's Fifth Brigade who went on to slaughter between 20 and 30 thousand people for no other reason than they were Ndebele, this dark period in Zimbabwe's history being known as the Gukurahundi...

My book is no classic work of literature, but it does tell the story as openly and honestly as my mind can remember.

"Without Honour" is available from Lulu and CreateSpace.

I am currently penning my second book and hope to have it available soon.

Thank you...

-o00o-

Finally, Mugabe's people have admitted that the Zimbabwean currency is useless and the Acting Finance Minister, Patrick Chinamasa, has opened the flood gates to allow people within the country to deal in foreign currency - mainly because it is impossible to deal in local currency which loses about 50% of it's value every day...

"Zimbabweans will be allowed to conduct business in other currencies, alongside the Zimbabwe dollar, in an effort to stem the country's runaway inflation.

The announcement was made by acting Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa.

BBC southern Africa correspondent Peter Biles says the Zimbabwean dollar has become a laughing stock. A Z$100 trillion note was recently introduced.

Until now only licensed businesses could accept foreign currencies, although it was common practice.

The country is also facing a deepening humanitarian crisis as well."

It is typical of the Mugabe regime to have one of his lieutenants make the announcements. Mugabe has not got the guts to break the news himself, knowing full well that the announcement is as good as admitting defeat...

"Mr Chinamasa made the announcement as he delivered the annual budget to parliament.

"In line with the prevailing practices by the general public, [the] government is therefore allowing the use of multiple foreign currencies for business transactions alongside the Zimbabwean dollar," he said.

The country is in the grip of world-record hyperinflation which has left the Zimbabwean dollar virtually worthless - 231,000,000% in July 2008, the most recent figure released.

Teachers, doctors and civil servants have gone on strike complaining that their salaries - which equal trillions of Zimbabwean dollars - are not even enough to catch the bus to work each day."

Obviously, with the new government and the budget coming at virtually the same time, Mugabe has got no option. But this budget can be a window into the true nature of the Zimbabwean crisis...

"A 40-year-old Zimbabwean primary school teacher from the capital Harare, told the BBC news website earlier this week it cost nearly US$2 a day to travel to work, but inflation had reduced the average teacher's wage to the equivalent of US$1 a month."

Chinmasa seemed quite chipper with the announcement - perhaps because he knows his tenure in the Finance Ministry is not for much longer?

"In the hyper-inflationary environment characterising the economy, our people are now using multiple currencies alongside the Zimbabwean dollar. These include the [South African] rand, US dollar, Botswana pula, euro and British pound among others."

-o00o-

Yesterday there was a little confusion as to whether the MDC, as a party, would back their leader in unity government.

Happily, the party has chosen to give Morgan Tsvangirai their full and complete support.

"The opposition has accepted the idea of a government of national unity in Zimbabwe together with the regime of President Robert Mugabe, said sources in the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The party's leaders earlier had a meeting on the hypothesis.

"We have decided to adhere to the agreement because we have been given concessions by SADC,'' explained the sources, referring to the Community for the Development of Southern Africa, the most important regional organisation which has mediated between the parties. ''We have been guaranteed that our concerns would be taken into consideration, and we have noticed that some are already being resolved. This is the best way for us and the country."

We, as observers can only hope that this is a positive step - albeit one into the unknown.

-o00o-

Before you read this, let's remember that about a month ago Mugabe told the world that cholera in Zimbabwe had 'gone'. The following day his office tried to explain away his claim as him being 'sarcastic'.

How anyone can be sarcastic about a disease that is spreading even as you read and has already killed in excess of three thousand people...

"The United Nations World Health Organization announced Wednesday that the numbers of Zimbabweans who have died from Cholera passed 3000 people. This number includes over 1000 who have died within the past fifteen days. This epidemic is the worst outbreak of the illness that the world has seen in fourteen years.

Since August, 2008, a total of 3028 people have died from the disease, with another estimated 57,702 citizens affected by symptoms. According to aid workers, these latest numbers reflect the outbreaks move from urban to rural parts of the country.

Cholera is an intestinal, water-borne bacterial disease. It thrives in contaminated water, which has been prevalent in Zimbabwe due to "erratic" water supplies, massive shortages of purification chemicals and devices, broken water and sewer pipes and piled up, uncollected garbage. The waste-disposal system has also collapsed, providing heaps of garbage at the sides of streets that children have been seen playing in and around."

Another record for Zimbabwe - and they are not all any claims to fame.

"Unfortunately, the epidemic is only likely to get worse, according to Zimbabwean Health Minister David Parirenyatwa, because January and February are the peak months for Zimbabwe's rainy season. More standing water provides more fertile grounds for the bacteria.

The cholera crisis has become a "stark illustration" of Zimbabwe's political and economic strife, which shows little signs of going away."

The sentence which says it all, is the last...

"Zimbabwe has moved from a crisis to a disaster to passive genocide."

-o00o-

Again, I must apologise for the extreme lateness of this posting.

Take care.

'debvhu