LETTER FROM ZIMBABWE: SILENCE IS CAPITULATION
By Cathy Buckle

Thank you for your letters in response to mine last week, there were hundreds of them and I tried to respond to you all.

My email seems to have cleared now and I hope that our communications are no longer floating around in electronic limbo. I am delighted to be able to say that, for the first time in almost a year, we at last saw a very small light at the end of our long tunnel of darkness in Zimbabwe.

After a very violent Mayoral election campaign in Masvingo, the people finally proved that they can do it, they can overcome their fear, they can actually use their voices and say "enough is enough". The ruling party lost their hold of Masvingo at the polls. When the votes were counted and the results announced, it proved that everything that is good and right will actually triumph in the end.

Every dirty trick in the book (and some not in the book) had been used to try and sway the voters. Two vice presidents had spoken, a couple of MP's, Mr Grass Hat and dozens of 'war veterans' had added their voices to the melee. The town had been closed down completely, millions of dollars had been used to terrorize and bribe the electorate, voters had been beaten, bitten, arrested and threatened and yet still they voted the way they wanted to.

The enormous courage shown by the people of Masvingo restored our faith, gave us hope for the future and, for the first time, showed our leaders that we have had enough and are no longer afraid.

Holding on to the goodness of ordinary Zimbabweans though, became a very fragile thread as the week wore on and the invasion of companies in the cities continued.

'War veterans' raided the huge Danish factory which makes chewing gum in Harare. The Danish Prime Minister, Mr Rasmussen, immediately made a protest to the Zimbabwe government. Top employees had been threatened and some members of management had gone into hiding. The behaviour of war veterans was 'unacceptable', he said, immediately suspending all production in the factory and laying off 150 black Zimbabwean workers.

As before though, ordinary Zimbabweans said nothing, did nothing - it wasn't affecting their daily lives and so they did nothing. More than 300 companies have now been invaded and still Zimbabweans do and say nothing. More than 3000 fams have been (and still are) invaded, and yet Zimbabweans say nothing, do nothing. What on earth is wrong with us as a nation, as a people. Until each one of us suffers directly, until each and every one of gets hurt, loses our farm, business and home, are we going to keep saying nothing and doing nothing - keep waiting for someone else to do it, waiting for someone else to speak out?

Silence may be golden for the majority of Zimbabweans, for me it is capitulation.

This week as dozens more farmers were prevented by 'war veterans' from planting winter wheat, the price of bread went up to $33.00 a loaf. This might be a pittance in your currency but for the majority of Zimbabweans, a loaf a day is now going to consume an horrific 60% of their minimum wage. If Zimbabweans as a whole do not find their voices soon to get these farm invasions stopped, by this time next year the bread we will be forced to import may well consume more than their entire monthly wage. Meanwhile, in front of Parliament this week is a Bill called the "Rural Land Occupiers Protection from Eviction Bill." It hasn't been passed yet but if it is then imported bread is going to be the norm for many years to come.

Mid week saw what at first appeared to be a major U turn by our government. The Minister of Home Affairs announced that all company invasions were to cease, immediately. To enforce his words, the police then started arresting 'bogus war veterans' in Harare. 28 have been arrested so far but Messers Grass Hat and co - the organisers - have not been picked up, a bit strange? 'War vets' staged a demo in Harare to protest the arrests - the police fired tear gas at them. It seems to me that an awful lot of people have been used, paid and bribed to bring the country to its knees - it is those very same people now sitting in the cells. My God, for how much longer are we going to keep quiet?

Sometimes I just want to get on top of the tallest building and shout at the top of my voice: Is there anybody out there?

A little personal note to finish on - one which may encourage Zimbabweans to find their voices. After weeks of emails and questions, a complete stranger in England is so moved by the plight of ordinary Zimbabweans that he has given African Tears a full page on the SKY news website. Thanks Sam, and thank you all for still trying to help us - there are many days when I don't think we deserve your support.

With much love, until next week,

Cathy

Cathy Buckle is the author of African Tears, available from the following worldwide distributors: South Africa [email protected] USA [email protected] UK and Europe [email protected] Australia [email protected] New Zealand [email protected],