Zim Political Atmosphere

Credit - @welovebarcelona : Unsplash   On the day that Zimbabwe celebrated 32 years of independence, Chelsea FC celebrated a 1-0 victory against FC Barcelona in a UEFA Champions League match. I could not help but draw up these parallels in my head. In as much as I appreciate the sacrifices that the liberation heroes made during those tough times, I still think the government has undone those good works. Independence should be not only be from white rule, but it should be independence in the totalitarian nature of the word, encompassing economic, social and political independence. People should not be forced to align to a particular party violently as we see today. So in essence, the Independence celebrated on the 18 th of April is just but a vacuous one. Credit :Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi : AP It was therefore puzzling to see scores of people at the National Sports Stadium celebrating this empty occasion, as empty as The Blues’ win over FC Barca. Maybe, just maybe,

image:www.zimetro.co.zw There have been calls by a civic organisation for Gukurahundi and the 2005 Operation Murambatsvina victims to be paid at least $2 million each as compensation. The Zanu PF deputy national spokesperson Cain Mathema has since labelled these calls as “stupid and daft.” Firstly, I am curious to find out how this civic organisation (Zupag) came up with the figure $2 million. Can the value of the life of a loved one be enumerated in monetary terms? If it is, is $2 million enough? If ever this suggestion is taken seriously, I pray that a bad precedent is not set, a bad precedent that allows heinous crimes to be covered by money. Justice must still prevail. Politicians could massacre people at will as long as they have the economic muscle power to buy the forgiveness of the surviving victims. But even when some consolation is paid to victims and survivors, the long arm of the law should still catch up with perpetrators. Icala aliboli . Approximately 20 000

Credit: Engin Akyurt - Unsplash I don’t know about you, but I really like groundnuts, particularly roasted ones. They make good late night dessert/snack together with a hot cup of coffee. Never before in my life had I imagined anyone eating them as relish for sadza… until I read Bulawayo24NEWS on the 1 st of April 2012.  I read with shock and disbelief about prisoners surviving on sadza with groundnuts as relish Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison. Naturally, since it was April Fool’s Day, I tried to convince myself that this was some sort of a sick joke. But I quickly remembered an episode of Special Assignment which uncovered similar appalling conditions at Khami Prison. A quick browse through other news sites almost brought me to tears as I realised how terrible life is for other human beings! Malnutrition in Zimbabwean prisons rife This comes in the wake of a government ban on NGOs providing food for the prisoners. Yep, you heard right. BANNING FOOD. Like seriously???