To-day’s Blog is not mine. A citizen of a
once beautiful and prosperous country by the name of Rhodesia
audience and Cathy has most kindly given me
permission to do so.
Dear Family and Friends,
> There's nothing quite like five days
without electricity to remind us
> how hard our lives were during the
first decade of the 21st century
> and to warn us how tenuous our grip on
normality is. The prolonged
> power cut in my neighbourhood left a
fridge full of mould and fruit
> flies, all the food on the compost
heap and tempers frayed to breaking
> point. Add a couple of days without
water to this picture and then
> decide whether to laugh or cry when
you read the message that comes in
> on the cell phone from the Ministry of
Health. 'Prevent diarrhoea this
> season,' it says, ' wash your hands
with soap or ash under safe
> running water before eating or
preparing food and after visiting the
> toilet.' Safe running water is a joke
when you haven't had any water
> for a couple of days; safe food is
absurd after five days without
> electricity and a fridge alive with
mould.
>
> As each month passes since the July
2013 elections it seems we could
> so easily slide back to the way things
were a decade ago and every day
> the press reports back up our fears. A
Ministry of Health whose
> hospitals owe US$36 million to
suppliers and yet who've only been
> allocated US$23 million in this year's
budget. A Ministry of Education
> which needs US$73 million to help
educate disadvantaged and vulnerable
> children but have only been allocated
US$15 million for the program.
>
> Meanwhile the 51% compulsory
indigenisation of privately owned
> businesses remains a looming threat
and there is no relief or clarity
> offered by authorities. The
uncertainty has left no one spending
> money, companies shrinking and more
and more workers being laid off.
> Fear of being targeted in the
indigenisation issue has left most
> affected people not prepared to speak
out, and not even prepared to
> publicise the absurd amounts of money
they're being told to pay.
> Some of these amounts include US$20 to
submit the mandatory
> indigenisation forms and then US$500
for born and resident Zimbabweans
> or US$5,000 for 'foreigners' to get a
'compliance certificate.' It's
> not clear what any of this money is
for, where it goes to, if it's a
> fee for not being black or if it's
going to prevent you from giving up
> 51% of your own company. It seems
beyond belief that people are being
> made to pay for the bureaucracy that
will facilitate them losing 51%
> of their own companies because of the
colour of their skin. Some
> 'indigenous' Zimbabweans seem to think
that the mandatory handing over
> of a 51% shareholding of a private
company is OK because they say the
> shares will be paid for. But does that
make it right you ask; being
> forced to cede the majority
shareholding of your own work? They have
> conveniently forgotten that farmers
who bought their farms after
> Independence
> the colour of their skin, were
promised compensation for fixed assets
> but fourteen years later 95% of us
haven't ever received a single
> dollar for the expropriation of our
homes, businesses and life's work.
>
Trying to make sense of it all I stood outside under a stormy night
> sky looking for answers. Clouds boiled
overhead but every now and
> again the moon broke through. Almost
full, it shed its light on the
> branches of a big Musasa tree,
exposing for a moment a little grey
> owl. Querulous and quavering were the
best words I could find to
> describe its strange, haunting call.
It sounded so far away and was
> almost inaudible over the voices of a
million crickets but in fact the
> little owl was immediately overhead. I
couldn't resist a quick flash
> of the torch to see the little grey
bird with its big round eyes
> staring down at me, its tail flicking
in surprise, alarm or maybe just
> annoyance. Our lives and future in Zimbabwe
> adjectives: querulous and quavering.
Until next time, thanks for
> reading, love cathy. 17th January
2014. Copyright Cathy Buckle.
>
> For information on Cathy’s latest
book: "CAN YOU HEAR THE DRUMS," or her
> other books about Zimbabwe
> "Beyond Tears" and
"IMIRE," or to subscribe/unsubscribe to this
> letter, please visit her website or
contact cbuckle@zol.co.zw
I once heard someone many years go, about
to move to Rhodesia South Africa
>
>
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