zanupf Policies Backfire Time and Again
- From: "Zvakanaka" <lalapansi@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 06:42:00 +0200
Government Policies Backfire Time and Again
Institute for War & Peace Reporting
No let up in directives that alienate and demoralise the population.
By Hativagone Mushonga in Harare (AR No. 140, 23-Oct-07)
The Zanu PF-led government appears to be shooting itself in the foot with
policies it has implemented in the last few months.
In addition to continuing farm seizures, these include the imposition of an
import duty in foreign currency for items including clothing, footwear and
electrical goods, thereby cutting the source of livelihood for cross-border
traders; and the price slash in July that resulted in empty supermarket
shelves, job losses, company closures and the arrests of company executives.
Some commodities are slowly starting to re-appear, but at unaffordable
prices for ordinary Zimbabweans, whose salaries had also been frozen through
a government directive. The prices of some commodities have now gone up by
as much as 800 per cent.
"I simply cannot afford anything now. Some of the prices are now too high
for small people like me. What this means is that the prices are going to be
even worse on the black market," said Mary Chanakira, an administrator at a
factory.
"I have to earn at least 100 million Zimbabwean dollars to live comfortably
in Zimbabwe. At the moment, I earn five million a month. How many things can
I buy? My salary is worth only five bars of one-kilogramme washing soap."
The official exchange rate is currently one US dollar to 30,000 Zimbabwean
dollars, ZWD, but on the black market it's trading at around one million
ZWD.
"You tell me where we are now," said Chanakira. "I have never felt so
helpless in my life and I never thought I would be forced to go hungry -
this is not the reason why I went to school and university. When is change
going to come?"
The few goods that have been delivered to supermarkets have found their way
on to the black market at double or treble the gazetted prices.
Meanwhile, essentials like sugar, salt, maize meal, cooking oil and all
meats including beef, chicken and pork are still in short supply.
As if that is not enough, Harare residents now have to fork out between five
million and 24 million ZWD for their water bills, despite the supply being
erratic.
The government has approved high water tariffs - a rise of between 3,000 and
8,000 per cent, depending on the area - thereby violating international laws
and universal declarations, which make access to basic water requirement a
fundamental human right.
At the same time, several suburbs of the capital are experiencing water cuts
of more than four days and in some cases even one to two weeks.
The Zimbabwe National Water Authority, Zinwa, has started cutting supplies
to residents who have failed to pay the huge bills and has threatened to
continue doing so if they are not paid on time.
In the leafy rich suburbs of Highlands, Borrowdale and Mandara, residents
were shocked to receive bills of up to 24 million ZWD.
Pensioner Sekuru Murehwa, who looks after five orphaned grandchildren in the
poor suburb of Highfield, could believe it when two weeks ago he received an
eight million ZWD water bill.
In previous months, he used to pay an average 250,000 ZWD. At first, he
thought it was a mistake, only to be told that water charges had gone up by
a huge percentage.
"Where am I going to get eight million ZWD? I have never held that kind of
money before. I am not the only one, everyone is crying about their water
bills. I think they will have to cut us off if the government does not
intervene because I know for a fact people in this area cannot afford to pay
even a quarter of their bills," he said.
"I know the water authority is looking for money to buy chemicals but to do
so this way is wrong. It is very cruel. How many ordinary Zimbabweans earn
that kind of money? And even if they did, they also have to eat, go to work,
educate their children and clothe them. We are suffering already and all
blame falls on the government. Things have to change."
People should not be mistaken by the crowds at Harare International Airport
welcoming or bidding Mugabe farewell to assume that Zanu PF still commands
huge support in Harare.
These are borrowed crowds from Harare's largest vegetable market, Mbare
Musika, and the nearby flea market at Mupedzanhamo.
IWPR spoke to some vendors at the two markets, who are forced to attend such
events.
"We are required to close the markets and we all have to go to the airport
to welcome or bid the president farewell. If we don't go, we lose our space
in the market. There will be people there taking a register of everyone. So
my dear, you either attend or lose your source of livelihood," said one
vendor.
"So we go, chant slogans, sing songs praising [Mugabe] but deep down in our
hearts, we will be cursing him and normally by the time I leave I am so
angry because I know he is the same man that has impoverished me, the same
man who is making my kids go to school on empty stomachs, the same man who
is making me live in near-destitution."
When asked about his party's campaign for joint presidential and
parliamentary elections next year, an opposition Movement for Democratic
Change, MDC, legislator from Morgan Tsvangirai's camp said jokingly their
electioneering was being done for them by the ruling party, through their
bad policies.
"No need to campaign," he said. "Zanu PF is doing it for us. Whatever move
they are making is convincing people why they should be out of power. So
really we are just watching Zanu PF destroying itself. But still with
politics we have to be always on our toes and work hard to get the
Zimbabwean vote."
If the situation continues its downward trend, which is likely, Zanu PF will
have to come up with a bag of tricks to convince the electorate why the
party should be allowed to continue to rule the country for another five
years. If not, it will have to employ the same tactics as it did in previous
elections, of violent intimidation and vote-rigging.
Hativagone Mushonga is the pseudonym of an IWPR reporter in Zimbabwe
.
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