Street children in the capital Harare find their sleep:
Secret Lives: Street children asleep. The glass-fronted building in the background is The Reserve Bank, Robert Mugabe's symbol of power. Harare, Zimbabwe. May 2007. (Guardian)
Andrew writes back with more on Zimbabwe:
Mugabe is a murdering bastard. And Jimmy Carter and Andrew Young have the blood of Zimbabwe on their hands for ENSURING this bastard became the President of Zimbabwe, and ignoring the terror and murder he inflicted on black Rhodesians, and whites too, to get there.
Inflation of 3,700% means that more and more Zimbabweans are forced out of the cash economy. They scavenge for food and firewood, and plastic for their walls and ceilings. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has wide-ranging support in the country, but a ruthless governing party ensures any voices of opposition are crushed. Zimbabwe. May 2007.(Guardian)
With unemployment now over 80%, Zimbabweans must make money any way they can. At rubbish dumps in Harare the unemployed search through waste for items to sell. Harare, Zimbabwe. May 2007. (Guardian)
Secret Lives: Murambitsvina, also translated as 'clean up the filth' continues. Street children are picked up by police and dumped miles out of town to discourage them from being on the street. Harare. May 2007 (Guardian)
The cost of living doubled in the course of April 2007 as Zimbabwe's annual inflation reached 3,700%. Some experts now estimate it has reached 15,000%. Harare, Zimbabwe. May 2007. (Guardian)
Previously:
A Letter From Zimbabwe- Hellish Conditions Continue
Zimbabwe is the poster child for the US to leave the UN at minimum and for that organization to be dissolved at maximum.
ReplyDeleteTHIS is what the fools at the UN think is a fine example of sustainable development. They must, because the made Zimbabwe the head of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development.
Andrew is right, St. Jimmah of Plains and his acolyte Andrew Young are responsible for this. But, then again, St. Jimmah never met a bloodthirsty dictator that he didn't love.
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ReplyDeletei am in total agreement re: the UN.. the very organization the Dems wish the US to be under the auspices of.. they'd like nothing better than UN global dominence, one world village, under one flag.. BS!!
meanwhile.. i think not only of the pollution contribution the so called 'Global Warming' Concert emitted, but how much more relevant the money it took to pull it off would have been had they remitted it to help saving these poor forgotten souls instead.. :(
not to mention.. the UN's whinning about funds.. and that's just the tip of the iceberg.. ie: Diplomatic Immunity costs taxpayers billions in revenue as well..it's plain to see where the UN's interests lie..
what is wrong with US?? what is wrong with the world?? where has compassion gone?? *sigh*
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ReplyDeletesorry, didn't mean to cap US re: what's wrong with US?? as the US is the most generous nation in the world..
what i meant is.. the people of the world in general..
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Understood bg.
ReplyDeletePlease leave Zimbabwe alone. Mugabe may have made mistakes but on the land reform program he is absolutely right. The time of white complete domination of black people must stop; whites in South Africa, Namibia, and Kenya must learn to share the land. If not, they're setting themselves up for a very violent future.
ReplyDeletesigned. american man.
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ReplyDeleteanalmouth @ 12:00 PM
"white complete domination of black people must stop"
sorry, but it looks like the Democrat Party isn't going anywhere (you can take that literally as well)..
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ReplyDeleteto paraphrase Malcolm X quote..
"If you're not careful, the politicians will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the politicians who are doing the oppressing."
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Hey Anonymous at 12:00pm! I know this will sound racist to you, but how many blacks died under white rule? Now the actual labels used should be 'native' and 'colonialist'.
ReplyDeleteWhat you are ignoring is that Mugabe is a Marxist, and he confiscated the private property of the whites (not to mention terrorizing and murdering hundreds of farmers and their families). While you would applaud his actions, the result is that the takings resulted in the foundation of the country's economy being ruined. Since the land was not maintained by compitent farmers, the crops failed. What Zimbabwe needs is a leader that would do a complete reversal of all of Migabe's actions. But then again, Mugabe is a Marxist Thug, and he will not let go of power until he dies. Unfortunately, Zimbabwe will die before him.
The only reason Zimbabwe is under attack by the “WEST” is because President Mugabe has taken back stolen lands from whites and redistributing it to indigenous blacks. Whites ran Zimbabwe for over 90 years, taking the best lands for themselves and herding blacks like cattle into “communal lands”, lands that were dry and not suitable for farming. I think it’s morally wrong that whites who comprised less than 1% of the population in Zimbabwe owned more than 75% of arable land. The land reform program will be a success in time and this is what the WEST does not want to see. In addition, Britain has taken a bilateral dispute what the Zimbabwe government and internationalized it by having the European Union and America impose illegal sanctions against the country. The vast majority of black Zimbabweans support Mugabe, along with black people worldwide. However, the WEST wants to send a message to blacks in Namibia, South Africa and Kenya that if the native blacks in these countries take back their stolen land, that they will be destroyed. Britain is the cause of the problems in Zimbabwe because they failed to live up to their promise to pay white farmers in Zimbabwe to leave the land as stated in the Lancaster Agreement. I agree whole with Mugabe that the future of Zimbabwe that white privilege in Zimbabwe must end and that the future of the country’s farming sector must be African. Black Zimbabweans have a right to take back their land; the land was a gift from God and this is why thousands of people died in the war. Britain is wrong for supporting the MDC to overthrow the legitimate government of Zimbabwe by inciting violence in the country and destroying the country’s ability to attract investors. The Chinese are smart and are investing in the country and are winning friends in Africa by supporting African ownership of their land. Britain’s action in Zimbabwe will backfire because people of color see the hypocrisy of her actions. The west does not care about black people; they just want to use them for cheap labor. Signed black American.
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ReplyDelete"whitey" did it, it's the "wests" fault.. i've nothing to do with it, i am the "victim"..
excerpt:
[The Mugabe administration has been criticized around the world for corruption, suppression of political opposition, mishandling of land reform, economic mismanagement, and deteriorating human rights in Zimbabwe.
According to most analysts his administration's policies have led to economic collapse and massive starvation over the course of the last ten years. As of 2007, Zimbabwe has the highest inflation rate in the world expected to hit 1.5 million% by the end of the year, and is, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Africa's worst economic performer With a record 60% unemployment and 70% interest rates, Zimbabwe is in its worst economic crisis since Mugabe took power.]
yeah right, spin baby spin!!
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ReplyDeleteAfrican leaders' condemnation of Mugabe erodes his legitimacy
excerpt:
[Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe is a thug. His repressive regime has long trampled Zimbabwean human rights. Finally, events may be tipping against Mugabe and for his long-suffering people.
Mugabe has led Zimbabwe since it gained independence in 1980. He was never an exemplar of human rights, and the situation rapidly deteriorated during the last six years as Mugabe struggled to respond to growing political opposition and a worsening economic crisis.
In Mugabe's campaign of repression, the rule of law has been hijacked and recent elections have been a farce. Government supporters have been implicated in assault, arbitrary detention and torture. Journalists have been arrested and newspapers closed. A new law bans foreign human rights groups and imposes restrictions on local groups.]
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ReplyDeleteHT : The Belmont Club
Archbishop: Thousands of Zimbabweans starve, die weekly from disease
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ReplyDeleteexcertps re: Archbishop link..
[Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, said about 3,500 people are dying each week in his country from a "unique convergence of malnutrition, poverty and AIDS." He said the world has forgotten about the plight of Zimbabweans although "hunger, illness and desperation stalk our land."]
["We remain in the grip of a dictator. ... We cannot compete for attention in a world fixated by events in Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Sudan and elsewhere. Yet we need the international community to maintain pressure on Zanu-PF now as much as ever before," he said.]
maybe Hollyweird will satiate the global community & throw a multi-million dollar concert to benefit THEMSLEVES.. or perhaps the UN will forego their multi-billion dollar re-vamping of the their Frog Palace & divert the funds to Zimbabwe.. gah!!
disclaimer: billions upon billions of aid has been sent to Zimbabwe over the years, what has all that money done, where is it?? my guess is most of it is where every other dictators revieved monies to aid their people's has gone.. into SWISS BANK ACCOUNTS!!
but what do facts matter hey black American?? i mean, according to you.. it's all "whitey & the wests" fault regardless.. *sigh*
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Brave anonymous poster who "signed. american man." is a poster child of everything that is wrong with those who still call themselves "liberals", "progressives" and "Democrats".
ReplyDeleteAny moral high ground they thought they could claim has been swept away by their words and deeds. They have proven time and again that they support everything they say they are against-genocide, racism, misogyny, totalitarianism, etc. They have become enablers to that which they say they loathe. They are integral part of the problem, and should be treated as such.
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ReplyDeletealbeit a report from the BBC via Amnesty International..
this is truly heartwrenching.. :(
excerpt:
[Life expectancy for women is just 34
years - among the lowest in the world.]
and "we the people" gripe about what??
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The media reports a lot of lies designed to fool the world about events on the ground in Zimbabwe. The reason the western media is reporting lies is to protect a small white minority population of Zimbabwe who want to continue to do business the old way: The old way is complete white (Britain) domination over the country's economy and ownership of large tracts of land. This was put to an end by Mugabe. This made the British mad and now they want to destroy the country. What does this mean? Britain does not care about black people; she just wants to use them for her economical benefits. Whites stole the land in Africa from the natives and are morally wrong to condem blacks for taking it back. The land was a gift from God and African blacks have a right to take back their land. Thanks for your time---Mugabe has made a lot of mistakes but I support him 100% on the land reform program in Zimbabwe.
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ReplyDeleteadd to previous links:
Fast Track Land Refprm Summary
excerpts:
[The "fast track" land resettlement program implemented by the government of Zimbabwe over the last two years has led to serious human rights violations. The program's implementation also raises serious doubts as to the extent to which it has benefited the landless poor. The stated aim of the fast track program is to take land from rich white commercial farmers for redistribution to poor and middle-income landless black Zimbabweans. Under the program, however, ruling party militias, often led by veterans of Zimbabwe's liberation war, have carried out serious acts of violence against farm owners, farm workers, and, using occupied farms as bases for attacks, against residents of surrounding areas. The police have done little to halt such violence, and in some cases are directly implicated in the abuses. The process of allocating plots to those who want land has frequently discriminated against those who are believed to support opposition parties, and in some cases those supervising the process have required applicants to demonstrate support for the ruling party, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF). Zimbabwe's several hundred thousand farm workers have been largely excluded from the program, and many have lost their jobs, driven from the farms where they work by violence or laid off because of a collapse in commercial agricultural production. Even those people allocated plots on former commercial farms appear in many cases to have little security of tenure on the land, leaving them vulnerable to future partisan political processes or eviction on political grounds, and further impoverishment.]
[This report considers the human rights implications of the so-called fast track process of land redistribution in Zimbabwe, under which the government has revised the constitution and amended legislation in order to allow it to acquire commercial farms compulsorily and without compensation, and the land occupations that have accompanied it since early 2000. We focus on the violence that has accompanied the land occupations of the last two years, on the discrimination on political grounds that has accompanied the allocation of new plots, and on adverse effects that the fast track land reform process has had for one of the constituencies which was supposed to benefit: the rural poor.
As has been widely reported, war veterans and associated Zanu-PF militia occupying commercial farms have intimidated, assaulted, and in at least seven cases killed white farm owners in the course of occupying commercial farms. A much larger number of victims have come from among farm workers on commercial farms; several tens of farm workers have been killed. In addition, Human Rights Watch collected numerous testimonies indicating that commercial farms are being used as bases for war veterans and Zanu-PF militia to intimidate alleged opposition supporters in neighboring communal areas. Our findings confirmed the reports of Zimbabwean and other international human rights organizations that the police have at best failed to take action against the alleged perpetrators of violent crimes, and in some cases have actively assisted illegal actions. The army, too, has played a role in organizing and facilitating the occupations, without providing any check on the violence.]
V P Msika in dramatic U-turn on land reform program
excerpt:
[“There was chaos in implementing the land reform programme,” admitted Msika. “The policy document did not say all white farmers should be chased out. I am not a racist and I refuse to be racist.
“As black people we think that every animal should be killed and this is leading to the fast disappearance of some animals. We are losing small creatures and this is leading to the extinction of small tender trees and creeping creatures”, added a contrite Msika.
Msika lamented the non-availability of milk in saying dairy farming had collapsed due to poor management and this had left the country facing milk shortages.]
Intended beneficiaries not getting land
excerpt:
[A similar scenario to Chiweshe can be found in the other provinces: in Manicaland, Masvingo and the Midlands. The lack of a transparent and effective redistribution programme has been blamed on corruption. A senior member of the war veterans' association, Mike Moyo, said his organisation would carry out a land audit because of the numerous complaints it had received. "We are extremely disturbed by the reports we are receiving. We decided to carry out an audit of how land is being distributed after many people approached us saying there are so many corrupt practices in the allocation of land," Moyo told IRIN. Moyo said the main culprits were apparently provincial governors, provincial administrators and district administrators as well as the land committees tasked with the processing of applications and the allocation of land. He added that most of the reports were received from people in Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland West provinces.]
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ReplyDeleteadditional excerpt re:
Intended beneficiaries not getting land
[Disgruntled would-be beneficiaries have complained that the government officials ask for bribes and other favours in return for a recommendation of their applications. In other cases, it was alleged that they favoured friends and relatives or supporters of the ruling Zanu PF. In Mashonaland West's Banket area, concerns have been raised that Zanu PF loyalists are using their political influence to obtain farming plots for their children, some of whom are still going to school, under the communal or A1 resettlement programme. John Mautsa, the director of the Indigenous Commercial Farmers Union (ICFU) said: "We are aware that families are being involved in the multi-ownership scandal. However, the problem is difficult to stem because some of the culprits use different names." Official figures put the number of beneficiaries under the A1 model at 330,000 while 54,000 have been approved under the A2 model. When the fast-track programme started, the government said it intended to resettle more than a million people over a three-year period. The recently appointed Minister of Land Reform, Flora Buka, played down allegations of corruption in the land redistribution exercise. "Concerning allegations of corruption in the provincial land committees, I do not have evidence. I can't act on the basis of speculation," said Buka. However, she said her ministry was doing an audit in the provinces and investigations could follow.]
yep, it's all "whitey's" doing.. duh!!
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