29th anniversary of Zimbabwe’s independence

WE have just had the 29th anniversary of Zimbabwe’s independence – nothing to celebrate.

The latest development is the non payment of utility accounts. The municipality sends out bills for rates and refuse collection, making unrealistic demands and the rate payers pay only a fracture of the amount, because the services are non-existent. In our area the refuse has not been collected for the last three months. Street lighting has not worked for a similar period and the roads are full of potholes.

What is sheer neglect is to see burst water mains pipes unattended – no repairs and all this water literally going down the drain. It is estimated that 20% of Harare’s water supply is wasted in this manner. There is a shortage of pumping capacity. The equipment at the Morton Jeffray water is old and needs replacement after 29 years of independence. In spite of all this the municipality expects to be paid for services they do not provide. Many rate payers are only paying a token fee of US$10. The municipality can’t cut off services because there aren’t any and they cannot prosecute because they do not have a case. They require US$4,5 million to pay wages but receive only US$1,5 million. They simply cannot get started to repair their infrastructure because they have no money – so it is a vicious circle.

There have been appeals for billions of dollar from the wicked West – and also to remove “illegal” sanctions. I wonder what law is being broken to be declared “illegal”? As long as Mugabe remains in power and continues to flout the rule of law no one will come to our aid.

The glitter of the new unity government is beginning to wear off. What is annoying the MDC is that Mugabe makes unilateral appointments and decisions. It is a power sharing government and they should be consulted. As always Mugabe is not accountable to anyone and justifies everything with his rhetoric.

On the positive side the shelves in the supermarkets are now filled with allsorts of goodies most of it is imported. Now that local industry may keep all their foreign currency earnings through exports the economy is improving slightly.

Salaries are now paid in US dollars. Civil servants are complaining because they are being paid a paltry $100 per month. It is estimated that an average family needs about $450 pm to survive. The government does not receive enough money from taxes and has great difficulty in meeting payments. Of course it is not their fault – it is the “illegal” sanctions imposed by the wicked West. Mugabe has stated that Zimbabwe should put pressure on the West - exactly how is he going to do that? I am sure that the United States and European Union are quaking in their shoes!!!

Best regards
Benny and Rose Leon