Zimbabwe Archives

Say Goodbye to Bread, Hello to Air Pie!

Filed under: Africa ~ Zimbabwe

Good 'ole Mugabe, liberator of the people of Zimbabwe, has decided that enough is enough. The Western imperialists seeking to overthrow him have apparently become too powerful for his liking. As the country completely deteriorates, and the opposition begins to gain momentum, what does he do? Ban all aid organizations, of course! It only makes sense.

ZIMBABWE has cancelled the licences of all aid groups, accusing them of working with the opposition to oust President Robert Mugabe, sparking fears the ban could cut food supplies to hundreds of thousands of people in the nation dependent on handouts. Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said that all non-governmental organisations had been deregistered and would have to reapply for permits, reports said yesterday.
Dr Ndlovu said the authorities wanted to identify groups working with "agents of imperialism" to overthrow Mr Mugabe, who is facing growing resistance from Zimbabweans impoverished by his 27-year stranglehold on power, The Times reported.

"Pro-opposition and Western organisations masquerading as relief agencies continue to mushroom, and the Government has annulled the registration of all NGOs in order to screen out agents of imperialism from organisations working to uplift the wellbeing of the poor," Dr Ndlovu said.
The news shocked the local NGO community, stoking fears that the ban could stop desperately needed food aid reaching the country, the newspaper said. More than 1000 aid groups operate in Zimbabwe.

This is basically committing the entire country to suicide. This year's harvest brought in absolutely nothing. The only reason people have been surviving at all is because of Western aid programs that distribute food to people. That this happened though is not that all surprising. As opposition to Mugabe's rule mounts, so does his will to crack down on dissent. He has used food as a political weapon since the day he gained power, especially noticeable in the 2005 election when food was distributed all over the place in order to buy votes.

But now the situation has changed; there will be no food at all. If the Zimbabwean people don't fight now, when will they?

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Five Days in Zimbabwe's Jail

Filed under: Africa ~ Zimbabwe

Journalist Alex Perry, writing for Time magazine, was in Zimbabwe only 22 hours before plainclothes policeman picked him up and threw him in jail. Five days of rotting there without food, water, or sleep. His crime? "Dedicated journalist on a clandestine mission."

This kind of humiliation and repression is what the Zimbabwean people face every day, and often much much more. It's a pretty good read though. Check it out here.

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The World's Best Performing Stock Market

Filed under: Africa ~ Zimbabwe

It's certainly not the United States, London, or even China or India. Hong Kong pales in comparison, and Brazil is but an afterthought. Mexico? Where's that? All of these places are doing well enough, but they aren't top dog. The Ludwig von Mises Institute, however, has the answer we're all seeking.

Zimbabwe??

With inflation at nearly 1800%, unemployment at 80%, and GDP having been slashed in half over the years, a thriving Zim stock market seems, well, impossible. But the 12,000% year-over-year increase is well over the rate of inflation, so people are obviously getting rich and keeping their money safe . The Institute explains that the Austrian Business Cycle Theory has something to do with it.

The ZSE is growing some three times faster than consumer prices. This relative outperformance versus general prices is a result of stocks being a chief entry point for the flood of newly created money. Keep Zimbabwean dollars in your pocket, and they've already lost a chunk of their value by the next day. Putting money in the bank, where rates are pithy, is not much better. Investing in government bonds is the equivalent of financial suicide. Converting wealth into foreign currency is difficult; hard currency is scarce, and strict rules limit exchangeability. As for capital improvements, there is little incentive on the part of companies to invest in their already-losing enterprises since economic prospects look so bleak. Very few havens exist for people to hide their wealth from the evils created by Mugabe's policies. Like compressed air looking for an exit, money is pouring into shares of ZSE-listed firms like banker Old Mutual, hotel group Meikles Africa, and mobile phone firm Econet Wireless. It is the only place to go. Thus the 12,000% year over year increase in the Zimbabwe Industrials.

Though the government print more and more money and distributes it into the system via financial institutions such as banks, they are opting to put it into stocks rather than hold onto it. One day can cause its value to collapse, but the stock market is driven by demand. Therefore, all of the rich people, government officials, and banks are putting their money into stocks so that it doesn't lose value. Demand is high, so the price is too.

The everyday people of Zimbabwe don't see any benefit to this, though. Their masters may not see it for much longer either. Stock prices on the index are obviously inflated and unsustainable. It's only a matter of time before it comes crashing down, taking down many in its spiral.

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The Catholic Church Can Save Zimbabwe

Filed under: Africa ~ Zimbabwe

The latest Publius feature article title, "The Catholic Church Can Save Zimbabwe," can be found by clicking on this link, looking at the right sidebar, or clicking on the Articles tab. It explores the relationship of the Catholic Church's support for the liberation of Poland and ties it into the potential for support that it can give to the people of Zimbabwe in their own struggle. Check it out.

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Zimbabwe State Journalist Killed Over The Truth

Filed under: Africa ~ Zimbabwe

Disturbing images revealing Mugabe's henchmen brutally beating opposition leaders last month were leaked to the West, greatly amplifying the shock that many felt reading through the headlines. The name of this brave journalist is Edward Chikombo, a cameraman for state-run broadcaster ZBC. Or should I say, was? Revealing his name on this site makes no difference. Today, he turned up dead about 50 miles away from the capital.

A local journalist suspected of having links to Zimbabwe's opposition has been found murdered following an escalation of the government's campaign of violence and intimidation.
Edward Chikombo, a part-time cameraman for the state broadcaster ZBC, was abducted from his home in the Glenview township outside Harare last week. His body was discovered at the weekend near the village of Darwendale, 50 miles west of the capital, The Independent has learnt.

There are concerns in Harare that the killing may be linked to the smuggling out of the country of television pictures of the badly injured opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai after he was beaten up by police on 11 March.
A former colleague of Mr Chikombo said: "It's not clear whether the murder was a message to the media or a political killing." The footage of Mr Tsvangirai leaving a Harare courthouse with a suspected fractured skull, and then lying in a hospital bed, provoked a storm of international criticism of Robert Mugabe's regime. Journalists for the state broadcaster routinely film news as it happens in the country but cannot use the footage in heavily censored bulletins. Some pictures do find a way out of the country and in the past staff at ZBC have been sacked or harassed under suspicion of selling it to foreign broadcasters.

There is a fine mental line for most of today's leaders between collective savagery imposed on a nation, for that is collective and thus equally shared, and targeting the opposition politicos. The former is a constant regardless with totalitarian regimes. Morgan Tsvangirai and the Movement for Democratic Change represent the organized effort to oust Mugabe. If they're put out of commission, it will become all the harder to do so.

It is a sign of desperation on Mugabe's part that he is now physically attacking -- and now evening killing -- his rivals and betrayer rather than simply threatening and harassing them. International pressure, even some coming from African countries, is reaching fever pitch while the people of Zimbabwe increasingly see no difference between life under Mugabe and death. Yet the former they can do something about. At the risk of sounding overly optimistic as I have in the past, Mugabe may not see the next "election."

Further commentary at: The Osterly Times and AMERICAblog.

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Zimbabwe's opposition leader arrested

Filed under: Africa ~ Zimbabwe

A thin red line exists between what we morally can and cannot do. Such a line exists for all people, except for Robert Mugabe. His line is the horizon -- no matter how much he pushes the boundaries, it moves further and further away. He has systematically turned Zimbabwe into hell on earth, but even most tyrants will allow their opposition to exist in name while restricting their activities. Not Mugabe. He thinks that he's God himself. So I guess it should be no surprise that he has taken his rule one step further by arresting opposition leader Morgan Tsvangarai.

HARARE, Zimbabwe — Police stormed the main opposition party headquarters Wednesday and arrested its leader shortly before President Robert Mugabe left for an emergency meeting of southern African leaders about the crisis in Zimbabwe.
Morgan Tsvangirai and other Mugabe opponents were taken into custody hours before the opposition leader planned to talk to reporters about a wave of political violence that left him briefly hospitalized.

Police sealed off approaches to the Movement for Democratic Change headquarters and fired tear gas to drive away onlookers before taking Tsvangirai and the others away in a bus, said Eliphas Mukonoweshuro, an aide to Tsvangirai.
"We don't know their whereabouts. We don't know if they have been charged," he said.

Zimpundit says that this shows that Mugabe is willing to do anything to crush the opposition and remain in power. Certainly so. In the moment, one would find it impossible to believe that genocide in Rwanda and Sudan could actually happen until it is well underway, regardless of the plentiful signs pointing in that direction well ahead of time.

Meanwhile, the world stands by idly interpreting events and, rather than acting on that analysis, hopes that the horizon will eventually end. A cartoon posted by Sokwanele sums it up:

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Zimbabwe Archives

Say Goodbye to Bread, Hello to Air Pie!

Filed under: Africa ~ Zimbabwe

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Five Days in Zimbabwe's Jail

Filed under: Africa ~ Zimbabwe

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The World's Best Performing Stock Market

Filed under: Africa ~ Zimbabwe

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The Catholic Church Can Save Zimbabwe

Filed under: Africa ~ Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe State Journalist Killed Over The Truth

Filed under: Africa ~ Zimbabwe

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Zimbabwe's opposition leader arrested

Filed under: Africa ~ Zimbabwe