God hears the cries of the oppressed.

I am persuaded to think about the little ones, the elderly, the sick, and the prisoners, who, quite often, are neglected when a revolution or change occurs.

Prisoners are experiencing hell on earth – lack of food and clothing, the weather and ill-treatment are all skinning them alive. Some die because the lack of food aggravates ill-health – and all because the Government’s budget is overloaded. If churches and non-governmental organisations do not pull together resources to provide for the welfare of inmates in such institutions, which includes foodstuffs and medicinal drugs, these precious souls will continue to die in numbers each day.

These are God’s creatures, who must be allowed to live despite their state of confinement due to different crimes, committed or allegedly committed. Our brothers and sisters who leave prison life at the end of their jail sentences are expected back into society to contribute meaningfully to their families as well as to the entire nation.

Many have dreams they need to accomplish. In view of the assertions by the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference (2002), the most valuable treasure of any nation is its people. Without this asset, true nationhood cannot be possible.

It is not just prisons. Orphanages, homes for the elderly and hospitals could be experiencing the same fate. The sick, especially those whose ailments require special drugs and good diet, suffer. To these, I would want to say: soldier on. The God of Israel is your real guard (Isaiah 52:12).

Political responsibility
My plea is that politicians should take personal responsibility for people’s social and living needs by reorienting themselves to focus on these issues and to attach value to human life, even at the cost of their alignment to party politics.

One needs to be confronted by a Zimbabwean dragging his or her feet through the streets of foreign cities. Zimbabweans do not beg; they are disciplined people. But, their mutilated outlook and dejectedness mirror a high degree of social and economic need. An expression of heaviness, saturated in fatigue, because of long and tiresome walks in search of jobs, which are not easy to come by – this, by itself, shows the country of origin and the background of the individual.

Back home, corruption has heightened, involving even the uniformed forces. Although I do not condone corruption at all, on closer examination, it is not the perpetrator who is to blame. One is almost tempted to want to lobby for forgiveness on the part of those who have been reprimanded for corruption because of the extenuating circumstances attached to the act, given the struggle for survival that characterises their everyday economic life.

What is the practical reality here – when one gets Z$250m per month, but his or her total expenditure in terms of basic commodities alone for the same period is a billion dollars? How does one account for the deficit of Z$750m, unless one defies the rule of mathematics and economics miraculously.

How many of us would guarantee ourselves the faith in the power of the miracles for survival? So, many have resorted to unorthodox means to survive.

Economy in tatters
How does Government account for the notion that the once-oppressed has become the oppressor of his/her own people, by even denying them justice? One wonders if the present Government is replaced, the one that assumes office would not also harness initiatives towards ego-centeredness, ethnicity or tribalism in the long run. God knows.

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country and her economy is agro-based. Zimbabwe’s agricultural production has traditionally sustained life and the country’s economy has always been boosted by agriculture. But agriculture has been affected by the haphazard land redistribution exercise, not because there was no need for land among our people, but because the Government had not planned for it carefully and, because of that, output from agriculture has deteriorated tremendously.

Added to that, Zimbabwe’s international relations have been tarnished by its internal political affairs. In any case, the future Zimbabwean Government should make attempts to mend bilateral relations where this has not been so or improve them where necessary. Zimbabwe does not have to stay in isolation from the rest of the world. We need more friends than enemies. The widely-preached Look East policy was not a choice, but the only option. While the nations we have been exchanging trade with have benefited from the programme, it actually has not worked in our favour – instead, it has pushed the country further into a mess. We will not totally shun these old friends, but they will form part of the larger global village, where we will create a win-win situation for both of us.

Zimbabweans are God’s people in the same way that God regarded the Israelites who were oppressed in ancient Egypt. Our hope is underpinned in the unlimited power of God to deal with seemingly unpredictable situations. The good God who delivered the Israelites from Egyptian bondage (Exodus 6:6-8), is the same God who will ultimately emerge victorious over all the evils threatening our people.

We have cried enough, but let’s hold onto our staff firmly and face the reality of life, and see how we can cross the flooded sea separating us from the land of milk and honey. As the Catholic Fathers (2000) put it, Zimbabwe is richly blessed, having a young, well-educated, hardworking and creative population of people from different backgrounds.

Zimbabweans are peace-loving people, and have always worked hard for their livelihood. When the Israelites walked on dry land across the sea, they could only marvel at the great works of God, and they sang songs of praise. If God guides Zimbabweans through this phase of life and we find ourselves in a situation devoid of suffering, we must remember to sing songs of praise in our joy.