Scotsman.com News - International - Zimbabwe announces 3,000% rise in hospital charges: "Zimbabwe announces 3,000% rise in hospital charges
ANGUS SHAW IN HARARE
ZIMBABWEANS, already reeling from the effects of rampant inflation, received another shock yesterday when health authorities announced up to 30-fold increases in state hospital fees.
Edwin Maguti, the deputy health minister, said consultation fees in accident and emergency departments in the main government hospitals would increase 3,000 per cent to nearly one million Zimbabwe dollars with immediate effect, state radio reported.
Surgery will cost the equivalent of about 55p a minute, more than the average Zimbabwean earns in a day. District hospitals and clinics will charge about 15 times more.
Special fees for the elderly, impoverished and other vulnerable groups remain unchanged, along with immunisation programmes, Mr Maguti said, adding that patients trying to cheat the system by claiming this status would be fined.
Mr Maguti said the increases were necessary to shore up crumbling public health services and ease overcrowding"
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Zimbabwe 'asks farmers to return'
Zimbabwe 'asks farmers to return'
Zimbabwe's white farmers say they have been invited to apply for land - in an apparent U-turn by the government which has seized their land.
All but 300 of the 4,000 white farmers have been forced off their land since President Robert Mugabe started his "fast-track" land reform in 2000.
A farmers' leader says some 200 applications have already been made and more are coming in.
Critics say the reforms have devastated the economy and led to massive hunger.
Foreign currency
Much of the formerly white-owned land is no longer being productively used - either because the beneficiaries have no experience of farming or they lack finance and tools.
Many farms were wrecked when they were invaded by government supporters.
The government has admitted that the exercise has been beset by corruption.
But Mr Mugabe blames Zimbabwe's economic problems on a plot by Western countries to topple him.
"There is an understanding that our members want to play a significant role in agriculture production, food security and generation of foreign currency for the country," Trevor Gifford, Commercial Farmers' Union vice-president told Reuters news agency.
"It is within this context that we were invited to submit the applications and I do know that instructions have been given to provincial land committees to process the applications and we are now awaiting responses," he said.
'No going back'
Didymus Mutasa, the minister in charge of land reform, could not be reached for comment.
But on Wednesday he said: "There is definitely no going back on our policy on land."
He also said that 99-year leases for commercial farms would be distributed by June, which he hoped would lead to higher agricultural output.
Earlier this year, Agriculture Minister Joseph Made told the BBC News website that any Zimbabwean was free to apply for land, whether white or black, as long as they used it.
Under colonial rule, the best agricultural land was reserved for whites - a policy which Mr Mugabe says he is trying to reverse.
But many white-owned farms were highly mechanised, productive businesses which formed the backbone of the economy.
The opposition says Mr Mugabe is using the land to buy votes.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4932060.stm
Published: 2006/04/21 16:53:56 GMT
© BBC MMVI
Zimbabwe's white farmers say they have been invited to apply for land - in an apparent U-turn by the government which has seized their land.
All but 300 of the 4,000 white farmers have been forced off their land since President Robert Mugabe started his "fast-track" land reform in 2000.
A farmers' leader says some 200 applications have already been made and more are coming in.
Critics say the reforms have devastated the economy and led to massive hunger.
Foreign currency
Much of the formerly white-owned land is no longer being productively used - either because the beneficiaries have no experience of farming or they lack finance and tools.
Many farms were wrecked when they were invaded by government supporters.
The government has admitted that the exercise has been beset by corruption.
But Mr Mugabe blames Zimbabwe's economic problems on a plot by Western countries to topple him.
"There is an understanding that our members want to play a significant role in agriculture production, food security and generation of foreign currency for the country," Trevor Gifford, Commercial Farmers' Union vice-president told Reuters news agency.
"It is within this context that we were invited to submit the applications and I do know that instructions have been given to provincial land committees to process the applications and we are now awaiting responses," he said.
'No going back'
Didymus Mutasa, the minister in charge of land reform, could not be reached for comment.
But on Wednesday he said: "There is definitely no going back on our policy on land."
He also said that 99-year leases for commercial farms would be distributed by June, which he hoped would lead to higher agricultural output.
Earlier this year, Agriculture Minister Joseph Made told the BBC News website that any Zimbabwean was free to apply for land, whether white or black, as long as they used it.
Under colonial rule, the best agricultural land was reserved for whites - a policy which Mr Mugabe says he is trying to reverse.
But many white-owned farms were highly mechanised, productive businesses which formed the backbone of the economy.
The opposition says Mr Mugabe is using the land to buy votes.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4932060.stm
Published: 2006/04/21 16:53:56 GMT
© BBC MMVI
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
More woes as Zimbabwe health costs double
IOL - April 11 2006 at 12:09PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More woes as Zimbabwe health costs double
Harare - Zimbabwe has lifted a freeze on private health care charges, the official Herald newspaper said on Tuesday, allowing fees to double in a move likely to add to the woes of Zimbabweans grappling with soaring inflation.
From April 1, general practitioners' consultation fees have gone up by 100 percent to $58 (about R360), the paper said, adding that specialist physician fees have also been doubled.
Zimbabwe's health sector is among those hardest hit by a deepening economic crisis widely blamed on President Robert Mugabe's mismanagement, and showing itself in perennial shortages of foreign currency, food and fuel as well as constant water and electricity cuts.
"I do not want to kill the private sector. I want it to thrive so that it can complement the public health sector," Herald quoted Health Minister David Parirenyatwa as saying in justifying the price hike.
It follows a raft of basic commodity price hikes over the weekend in response to a sharp jump in inflation, now the highest in the world.
Parirenyatwa was not immediately available for comment.
Official figures released last week showed inflation vaulted to 913,6 percent in the year to March, triggering a 60 percent jump in the cost of bread for struggling urban dwellers whose salaries have failed to keep up with soaring costs.
The Consumer Council of Zimbabwe says an average family of five requires at least 35-million Zimbabwe dollars every month but an average middle class citizen earns just 15 million.
Political and economic analysts say many urban Zimbabweans have so far survived the country's long-running economic crisis through wheeling and dealing and through subsidies from relatives abroad who send money for groceries.
Private hospitals and doctors, who still offer far better service than the country's run-down government hospitals which are chronically short of drugs and trained staff, had wanted to hike fees by up to 240 percent.
Government doctors and nurses have staged a number of strikes over the last seven years to press for better pay, while thousands others have moved to neighbouring countries and further abroad in search of greener pastures.
Mugabe, in power since independence from Britain in 1980, rejects charges he has misruled Zimbabwe and blames its economic woes largely on sabotage by his opponents in retaliation for controversial land reforms that has seen white-owned farmland forcibly redistributed among blacks.
Published on the Web by IOL on 2006-04-11 11:59:45
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© Independent Online 2005. All rights reserved. IOL publishes this article in good faith but is not liable for any loss or damage caused by reliance on the information it contains.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More woes as Zimbabwe health costs double
Harare - Zimbabwe has lifted a freeze on private health care charges, the official Herald newspaper said on Tuesday, allowing fees to double in a move likely to add to the woes of Zimbabweans grappling with soaring inflation.
From April 1, general practitioners' consultation fees have gone up by 100 percent to $58 (about R360), the paper said, adding that specialist physician fees have also been doubled.
Zimbabwe's health sector is among those hardest hit by a deepening economic crisis widely blamed on President Robert Mugabe's mismanagement, and showing itself in perennial shortages of foreign currency, food and fuel as well as constant water and electricity cuts.
"I do not want to kill the private sector. I want it to thrive so that it can complement the public health sector," Herald quoted Health Minister David Parirenyatwa as saying in justifying the price hike.
It follows a raft of basic commodity price hikes over the weekend in response to a sharp jump in inflation, now the highest in the world.
Parirenyatwa was not immediately available for comment.
Official figures released last week showed inflation vaulted to 913,6 percent in the year to March, triggering a 60 percent jump in the cost of bread for struggling urban dwellers whose salaries have failed to keep up with soaring costs.
The Consumer Council of Zimbabwe says an average family of five requires at least 35-million Zimbabwe dollars every month but an average middle class citizen earns just 15 million.
Political and economic analysts say many urban Zimbabweans have so far survived the country's long-running economic crisis through wheeling and dealing and through subsidies from relatives abroad who send money for groceries.
Private hospitals and doctors, who still offer far better service than the country's run-down government hospitals which are chronically short of drugs and trained staff, had wanted to hike fees by up to 240 percent.
Government doctors and nurses have staged a number of strikes over the last seven years to press for better pay, while thousands others have moved to neighbouring countries and further abroad in search of greener pastures.
Mugabe, in power since independence from Britain in 1980, rejects charges he has misruled Zimbabwe and blames its economic woes largely on sabotage by his opponents in retaliation for controversial land reforms that has seen white-owned farmland forcibly redistributed among blacks.
Published on the Web by IOL on 2006-04-11 11:59:45
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© Independent Online 2005. All rights reserved. IOL publishes this article in good faith but is not liable for any loss or damage caused by reliance on the information it contains.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Leizer Abrahamson celebrates his 107th birthday
In a country that has just been declared as having the lowest life expectancy in the world one unique man is celebrating his 107th birthday.
Leizer Abrahamson - a resident of the Savyon Lodge Jewish Old Age Home in Bulawayo - celebrated his birthday on the 2nd April with some 100 friends, family and fellow residents around him.
Rabbi Nathan Asmoucha of the Bulawayo Hebrew Congregation reported a very special party took place for Leizer. Valda Cohen said, " it is hard for anyone to imagine all the difficulties when Leizers family put on such an amazing function at Savyon - most of everything came with the family."
For full story on the birthday plus latest picture of Leizer and also pictures of his 105th birthday click here
In the true Jewish tradition - may we wish Leizer - "ad 120" ...until 120 years !
To read about Zimbabwe's life expectancy - click here
Leizer Abrahamson - a resident of the Savyon Lodge Jewish Old Age Home in Bulawayo - celebrated his birthday on the 2nd April with some 100 friends, family and fellow residents around him.
Rabbi Nathan Asmoucha of the Bulawayo Hebrew Congregation reported a very special party took place for Leizer. Valda Cohen said, " it is hard for anyone to imagine all the difficulties when Leizers family put on such an amazing function at Savyon - most of everything came with the family."
For full story on the birthday plus latest picture of Leizer and also pictures of his 105th birthday click here
In the true Jewish tradition - may we wish Leizer - "ad 120" ...until 120 years !
To read about Zimbabwe's life expectancy - click here
Zimbabwe has world's lowest life expectancy
Bloomberg Printer-Friendly Page: "Zimbabwe Has World's Lowest Life Expectancy of 36 (Update1)
April 7 (Bloomberg) -- Zimbabwe, which has the world's fourth- worst AIDS epidemic, overtook Swaziland as the country with the world's lowest life expectancy, data released today by the World Health organization showed.
In 2004, Zimbabweans could expect to live to the age of 36, with life expectancy for men at 37 and women at 34, the WHO said in its 2006 annual report released on its Web site. That compared with overall life expectancy of 37 in 2003. Life expectancy in Swaziland, where a greater proportion of the people are infected with the HIV virus that causes AIDS, rose to 37 from 35.
As of the end of 2003, the United Nations AIDS agency estimated that 1.8 million people in Zimbabwe carried the HIV virus. The country's infection rate was exceeded only by Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland. In 2003, Zimbabwe had a population of 12.9 million people, according to the Geneva-based WHO.
The country's economy shrank every year for the last six and its annual inflation rate of 914 percent is the world's highest.
People in Japan, where life expectancy is 82, live the longest, the WHO said.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Antony Sguazzin in Johannesburg asguazzin@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: April 7, 2006 09:59 EDT "
April 7 (Bloomberg) -- Zimbabwe, which has the world's fourth- worst AIDS epidemic, overtook Swaziland as the country with the world's lowest life expectancy, data released today by the World Health organization showed.
In 2004, Zimbabweans could expect to live to the age of 36, with life expectancy for men at 37 and women at 34, the WHO said in its 2006 annual report released on its Web site. That compared with overall life expectancy of 37 in 2003. Life expectancy in Swaziland, where a greater proportion of the people are infected with the HIV virus that causes AIDS, rose to 37 from 35.
As of the end of 2003, the United Nations AIDS agency estimated that 1.8 million people in Zimbabwe carried the HIV virus. The country's infection rate was exceeded only by Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland. In 2003, Zimbabwe had a population of 12.9 million people, according to the Geneva-based WHO.
The country's economy shrank every year for the last six and its annual inflation rate of 914 percent is the world's highest.
People in Japan, where life expectancy is 82, live the longest, the WHO said.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Antony Sguazzin in Johannesburg asguazzin@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: April 7, 2006 09:59 EDT "
Friday, April 07, 2006
FT.com / World / Middle East & Africa - Zimbabwe's economy spirals downward
Zimbabwe's economy spirals downward
By Tony Hawkins in Harare
Published: April 7 2006 03:00 | Last updated: April 7 2006 03:00
The warning by Christopher Dell, US ambassador to Harare, last week that Zimbabwe has "passed the point of no return" and will need substantial international assistance to achieve a recovery, echoes what Zimbabwean businesspeople are saying privately.
Some industrialists say their volumes have fallen by as much as 30 per cent in the first quarter of 2006 - and this after a five-year period in which industrial production has halved nationally. The Zimbabwe Tobacco Association estimates that production of tobacco, once Zimbabwe's chief export, will fall to 50m kilogrammes this year from a peak of more than 230m kgs in 2000.
Although this year's rains have been excellent, a number of quasi-official harvest forecasts suggest that the maize harvest will be no more than 700,000 tonnes, possibly less, against annual consumption of 1.8m tonnes.
In a remarkable climbdown from its previous "We can go it alone" stance, President Robert Mugabe's government has launched a $277m (€185m, £129.7m) appeal for humanitarian assistance. Food supplies worth $111m top the bill followed by requests for assistance for shelter, drugs and agriculture. The appeal estimates that at least 3m people, or a quarter of the population, will need food aid this year, but donor agencies say the figure is closer to 4m.
The business community is reluctant to speak out about Zimbabwe's worsening economic prospects and its political crisis. But privately its members say that there has been a strong fall in output in recent months that is not yet reflected in published statistics.
The business mood has been further soured by the government's threat to nationalise 51 per cent of foreign-owned mining companies. In response, mining groups and the Chamber of Mines, which represents the industry, have warned that the consequences would be "catastrophic" especially as the plan is to take 25 per cent of the companies' shares as "free carry", paying only for the balance of 26 per cent over the next seven years.
Fearing that such a move would put an end to any chances of attracting foreign investment in the industry, the government is seeking a compromise that would give it a 30 per cent stake, most of which it would pay for.
This week the government sought to mollify some of its mining industry critics by doubling the Zimbabwe dollar price it pays for gold - now the country's largest export. While this is tantamount to a 40 per cent devaluation of the official exchange rate (Z$99,200 to the US dollar), it is unlikely to have much impact on parallel market gold sales by small-scale producers, who are able to sell their bullion illegally to the black market at vastly preferable exchange rates.
The gold price move has led to calls from other exporters for similar treatment. They say that the pegging of the exchange rate for the last two months is eroding their profitability at a time when inflation is 782 per cent and forecast to reach 1,100 per cent by mid-year. In a belated effort to curb inflation, the central bank has tightened monetary policy and raised interest rates in recent weeks, but in so doing it has created a potential crisis in the banking sector.
Money market dealers are warning that if the daily "shortage" in the market gets to Z$10 trillion there could be casualties. "If the Reserve Bank goes on like this, you are going to see bank casualties," one dealer warns.
According to the International Monetary Fund, Zimbabwe is likely to run a public sector (budget) deficit of close to 50 per cent of its GDP this year. Financing this, economists say, at a time of sliding output, stagnant exports, increased food imports and maturing short-term offshore loans, will be hugely inflationary.
There are as yet few signs of any change of heart on the part of Mr Mugabe and his top advisers. "They are," says one businessman, "in bunker mode, convinced that someone or something is coming to rescue."
By Tony Hawkins in Harare
Published: April 7 2006 03:00 | Last updated: April 7 2006 03:00
The warning by Christopher Dell, US ambassador to Harare, last week that Zimbabwe has "passed the point of no return" and will need substantial international assistance to achieve a recovery, echoes what Zimbabwean businesspeople are saying privately.
Some industrialists say their volumes have fallen by as much as 30 per cent in the first quarter of 2006 - and this after a five-year period in which industrial production has halved nationally. The Zimbabwe Tobacco Association estimates that production of tobacco, once Zimbabwe's chief export, will fall to 50m kilogrammes this year from a peak of more than 230m kgs in 2000.
Although this year's rains have been excellent, a number of quasi-official harvest forecasts suggest that the maize harvest will be no more than 700,000 tonnes, possibly less, against annual consumption of 1.8m tonnes.
In a remarkable climbdown from its previous "We can go it alone" stance, President Robert Mugabe's government has launched a $277m (€185m, £129.7m) appeal for humanitarian assistance. Food supplies worth $111m top the bill followed by requests for assistance for shelter, drugs and agriculture. The appeal estimates that at least 3m people, or a quarter of the population, will need food aid this year, but donor agencies say the figure is closer to 4m.
The business community is reluctant to speak out about Zimbabwe's worsening economic prospects and its political crisis. But privately its members say that there has been a strong fall in output in recent months that is not yet reflected in published statistics.
The business mood has been further soured by the government's threat to nationalise 51 per cent of foreign-owned mining companies. In response, mining groups and the Chamber of Mines, which represents the industry, have warned that the consequences would be "catastrophic" especially as the plan is to take 25 per cent of the companies' shares as "free carry", paying only for the balance of 26 per cent over the next seven years.
Fearing that such a move would put an end to any chances of attracting foreign investment in the industry, the government is seeking a compromise that would give it a 30 per cent stake, most of which it would pay for.
This week the government sought to mollify some of its mining industry critics by doubling the Zimbabwe dollar price it pays for gold - now the country's largest export. While this is tantamount to a 40 per cent devaluation of the official exchange rate (Z$99,200 to the US dollar), it is unlikely to have much impact on parallel market gold sales by small-scale producers, who are able to sell their bullion illegally to the black market at vastly preferable exchange rates.
The gold price move has led to calls from other exporters for similar treatment. They say that the pegging of the exchange rate for the last two months is eroding their profitability at a time when inflation is 782 per cent and forecast to reach 1,100 per cent by mid-year. In a belated effort to curb inflation, the central bank has tightened monetary policy and raised interest rates in recent weeks, but in so doing it has created a potential crisis in the banking sector.
Money market dealers are warning that if the daily "shortage" in the market gets to Z$10 trillion there could be casualties. "If the Reserve Bank goes on like this, you are going to see bank casualties," one dealer warns.
According to the International Monetary Fund, Zimbabwe is likely to run a public sector (budget) deficit of close to 50 per cent of its GDP this year. Financing this, economists say, at a time of sliding output, stagnant exports, increased food imports and maturing short-term offshore loans, will be hugely inflationary.
There are as yet few signs of any change of heart on the part of Mr Mugabe and his top advisers. "They are," says one businessman, "in bunker mode, convinced that someone or something is coming to rescue."
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Print Page
Readiness to embrace democracy still a challenge
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
IT is my opinion that we have a very serious crisis in Zimbabwe. And I think its therefore necessary for us to try and determine what has led us to the situation we find ourselves in and hopefully try to see what we can do as individuals as well as collectively to get ourselves out of this crisis.
Over 30 years ago Ian Smith, was asked at a Press conference why he was not conceding to the demands of the nationalists who were then waging a war of liberation when what was then known as qualified or limited franchise was accorded some black people. He answered: "You people from Europe, romanticise the black people. You do not know them; we live with them and we know them better. Democracy as an institution, is foreign to the Africans. It came here with the white people and we are still in the process of educating the blacks on its merits. And it is a process which will take some time.
"What they know, that is the majority of the them, is that a chief is a chief, he does not have to be voted in or out of power. Now it is not good to give these people something they do not understand because it can quite easily be abused by the unscrupulous few at the expense of the vast majority."
He said something to that effect and I recall feeling indignant and coming to the conclusion that Smith was saying that simply as an excuse to justify his desire to cling onto power and protectthe privileged position whites occupied in Rhodesia.
I was convinced his observations were typical of a racist who believed his race superior and blacks inferior. I never tried to examine what he had said objectively.
I guess then and perhaps even today, Smith’s observations only confirmed what we had been telling each other, that he despised black people and therefore was an enemy of the blacks who must be fought.
It never occurred to me that his view deserved a sober assessment to see whether there was any truth in it. He was an enemy and everything an enemy says must be false and by extension everything those who were fighting against Smith said must be true.
It was against that background that I too threw in my lot and joined the swelling ranks of the forces that were fighting against the Smith regime. Little did I know that time would come when I would be forced to recall Smith’s observations and examine them in the light of events unfolding in the Zimbabwe which is claiming to be celebrating its Silver Jubilee "25 years of Independence and Democracy".
To what extent has Smith been proved wrong or correct by Zimbabwe’s experience for the past 26 years. That is the challenge I feel needs to be addressed by all of us in the wake of the MDC split.
In my opinion the split was over the question of democracy. The question was or is:
* To what extent is Morgan Tsvangirai democratic?
* To what extent is the general membership of MDC democratic?
* To what extent are Zimbabweans in general democratic?
That is the essence of issues at the heart of our crisis in Zimbabwe
It is my opinion that the question of whether or not Smith has been proved right or wrong in his observation 30 years ago about Africans not being ready to embrace democracy is still challenging us today just as it did then.
In my opinion, one of the fundamental aspects of a democratic culture is to accept that different views must be given a fair chance to be heard and where it is not clear which view has been embraced by the majority of the people concerned, then the vote is used to ascertain that.
The outcome of that vote must be respected and accepted as the view of the majority whether one likes it or not. The moment one feels that majority vote on any issue to which instrument of the vote has had to be resorted to is against the interests of be it a party or a country or a club is the wrong one and therefore must be rejected or overturned, unless if objections are being raised with regard to the unfairness of the process, one must know that he or she is violating one of the fundamental aspects of democracy.
What does all, this suggest? In my opinion it clearly demonstrates that we have not yet cultivated in our social and political outlook sufficiently high levels of a democratic culture to enable us to immediately sense the danger whenever anyone among us violates one of the fundamental principles of democracy. We still have the feudal mentality of generally being afraid to criticise a leader which mentality autocrats, thrive on.
We have not yet developed a love for justice, fair play and a love for certain ideas to a point where we are prepared to die fighting for ideas. We still ask who has said what and not why he/she has said what has been said and ask even further whether what has been said is not a violation of an idea we hold dear.
David Chikombera
Mutoko
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
IT is my opinion that we have a very serious crisis in Zimbabwe. And I think its therefore necessary for us to try and determine what has led us to the situation we find ourselves in and hopefully try to see what we can do as individuals as well as collectively to get ourselves out of this crisis.
Over 30 years ago Ian Smith, was asked at a Press conference why he was not conceding to the demands of the nationalists who were then waging a war of liberation when what was then known as qualified or limited franchise was accorded some black people. He answered: "You people from Europe, romanticise the black people. You do not know them; we live with them and we know them better. Democracy as an institution, is foreign to the Africans. It came here with the white people and we are still in the process of educating the blacks on its merits. And it is a process which will take some time.
"What they know, that is the majority of the them, is that a chief is a chief, he does not have to be voted in or out of power. Now it is not good to give these people something they do not understand because it can quite easily be abused by the unscrupulous few at the expense of the vast majority."
He said something to that effect and I recall feeling indignant and coming to the conclusion that Smith was saying that simply as an excuse to justify his desire to cling onto power and protectthe privileged position whites occupied in Rhodesia.
I was convinced his observations were typical of a racist who believed his race superior and blacks inferior. I never tried to examine what he had said objectively.
I guess then and perhaps even today, Smith’s observations only confirmed what we had been telling each other, that he despised black people and therefore was an enemy of the blacks who must be fought.
It never occurred to me that his view deserved a sober assessment to see whether there was any truth in it. He was an enemy and everything an enemy says must be false and by extension everything those who were fighting against Smith said must be true.
It was against that background that I too threw in my lot and joined the swelling ranks of the forces that were fighting against the Smith regime. Little did I know that time would come when I would be forced to recall Smith’s observations and examine them in the light of events unfolding in the Zimbabwe which is claiming to be celebrating its Silver Jubilee "25 years of Independence and Democracy".
To what extent has Smith been proved wrong or correct by Zimbabwe’s experience for the past 26 years. That is the challenge I feel needs to be addressed by all of us in the wake of the MDC split.
In my opinion the split was over the question of democracy. The question was or is:
* To what extent is Morgan Tsvangirai democratic?
* To what extent is the general membership of MDC democratic?
* To what extent are Zimbabweans in general democratic?
That is the essence of issues at the heart of our crisis in Zimbabwe
It is my opinion that the question of whether or not Smith has been proved right or wrong in his observation 30 years ago about Africans not being ready to embrace democracy is still challenging us today just as it did then.
In my opinion, one of the fundamental aspects of a democratic culture is to accept that different views must be given a fair chance to be heard and where it is not clear which view has been embraced by the majority of the people concerned, then the vote is used to ascertain that.
The outcome of that vote must be respected and accepted as the view of the majority whether one likes it or not. The moment one feels that majority vote on any issue to which instrument of the vote has had to be resorted to is against the interests of be it a party or a country or a club is the wrong one and therefore must be rejected or overturned, unless if objections are being raised with regard to the unfairness of the process, one must know that he or she is violating one of the fundamental aspects of democracy.
What does all, this suggest? In my opinion it clearly demonstrates that we have not yet cultivated in our social and political outlook sufficiently high levels of a democratic culture to enable us to immediately sense the danger whenever anyone among us violates one of the fundamental principles of democracy. We still have the feudal mentality of generally being afraid to criticise a leader which mentality autocrats, thrive on.
We have not yet developed a love for justice, fair play and a love for certain ideas to a point where we are prepared to die fighting for ideas. We still ask who has said what and not why he/she has said what has been said and ask even further whether what has been said is not a violation of an idea we hold dear.
David Chikombera
Mutoko
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