Here is Cathy Buckle's weekly email from Zimbabwe. This
one is a shocker about prices and arrests inside the
country.
Jack Shepherd
PS: Since I am also now in southern Africa, I will be
sending these somewhat more irregularly than usual. Bear
with me.
--- Forwarded Message ---
Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 11:14:49 +0200
From: Cathy Buckle
Subject: 'Very Soon'
To: African Tears
---
Dear Family and Friends,
Every day things in Zimbabwe get just a little bit harder
and while
ordinary families stagger from one crisis to the next, the
country's
leadership seem to be completely bereft of ideas. The
latest phrase from
government officials and ministers is "Very Soon". It's
never completely
clear if 'very soon' is a threat or a promise but the
litany is faithfully
regurgitated at every occasion. 'Very Soon' we will have
petrol they say;
'Very Soon' we will grow enough food; 'Very Soon' we will
drive out every
white farmer; 'Very Soon' we will turn around the economy
and 'Very Soon'
we will change the currency again, this time with just one
day of warning.
This week the threatened promise is that 'Very Soon'
corrupt cabinet
ministers and members of parliament will be arrested.
Somewhere along the
line, however, instead of arresting corrupt leaders,
police this week
arrested top company directors. All accused of increasing
prices without
government approval, the CEO's of Dairibord (milk), Lobels
(bread),
Saltrama (plastic), Windmill (chemicals), ZFC (fertilizer)
and Circle
(cement) were arrested. It is not clear how any business
can maintain
prices when inflation is officially reported to be 1204%
but is crystal
clear that when the ideas run out it is easier just to
arrest and detain.
The arrests of people trying to express their
dissatisfaction at events in
Zimbabwe also continued this week. At least 140 NCA
members were arrested
as they marched in protest over the recent abuse and
torture of union
leaders demonstrating in Harare. The NCA members were
arrested in Masvingo,
Gweru, Harare and Mutare in a clear sign that unrest is
spreading in the
country.
And in between the arrests there has been a whole rash of
absurdity that
leaves you just shaking your head in wonder. This week
email and internet
service was all but impossible in the country. Zimbabwe's
Internet Service
Providers said that there had been a 90% drop in internet
traffic and that
it was a situation of "virtual standstill." The state
owned telephone
company Tel One apparently owes a massive seven hundred
thousand US dollars
to a satellite company and were appealing to the central
bank to bail them
out of the debt. At one point in the week a major ISP put
out an email to
all its subscribers asking if anyone had a connection in
high up places
that may be able to intervene in the crisis. Towards the
end of the week
Tel One posted an advert in the state owned press saying
that with
immediate effect the cost of internet services had
increased by two
thousand seven hundred percent. Nothing is done in
measured steps in
Zimbabwe. The Big Stick comes out, threat/promises of Very
Soon are uttered
and prices are backdated by years not months.
The irony of arresting the baker for increasing the price
of bread by 50%
but ignoring the government owned phone company for
increasing internet
prices by 2700% is absolutely bone shaking. Until next
week, thanks for
reading, love cathy.
Copyright Cathy Buckle, 23 September 2006.
http:/africantears.netfirms.com
My books "African Tears" and "Beyond Tears" are available
from:
orders@africabookcentre.com
--- End of forwarded message ---