There’s not a lot to show for two years because every day and every week there’s been another delay, excuse and stalling tactic to prevent real power being handed over to the MDC. To say that the MDC is in office but not in power is the most accurate description of our situation two years after elections.
Because there wasn’t a referendum to ask the people of Zimbabwe if they wanted a Government of National Unity, we’ve had no choice but to put up with it. For two years we’ve been patient and lived from hand to mouth while the winners and losers of the election have squabbled over the basics. South Africa, called all manner of things from midwife to mediator, point man to facilitator, has overseen the squabbling.
This week South Africa’s ANC youth leader, Julius Malema, arrived in the country. He’s been in the spotlight for some weeks for stirring up racial tensions in his own country and singing a revolutionary song translated as “shoot the Boer.” The song has now been declared hate speech and a gagging order has been issued, so the arrival of Mr Malema in our very fragile and tense Zimbabwe, is cause for concern.
The usual fanfare awaited him at Harare airport: people wearing Zanu (PF) clothes, their chests, backs and other places sporting pictures of Mr Mugabe. “Welcome to the Promised Land,” one banner being carried by running, frenzied Zanu (PF) supporters read.
Surrounded by bodyguards it wasn’t long before Malema made it quite clear that he wasn’t playing the ANC impartiality game. He didn’t mention young people in general in Zimbabwe but instead said he’d come to see Zanu (PF) youths and to talk to them about empowerment. Malema said he was going to visit farms and mines in Zimbabwe.
To learn, or to teach – it remains to be seen.
We have become very familiar with all manner of hate speech this last decade so rather than take in anymore, we look to nature to give us a bit of peace this Easter 2010. Summer is coming to an end and the grass is tall and golden and littered with pink and white Cosmos flowers along many of our roads.
In the vleis the red hot pokers are in full bloom and in our gardens we compete with Mousebirds and Bulbuls to get to the guava trees first! The temptation to eat guavas straight off the trees is just too hard to resist; rain fed and sun ripened they are very more-ish, every mouthful watched by Mousebirds who sit nearby, scolding and fidgeting, impatient for you to go away.
Days end with golden sunsets, the call of a Heuglin Robin or a nightjar and then the evening star, clear and bright in the twilight. There’s no place for hate speech here. Until next week, thanks for reading, Ndini shamwari yenyu.
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