Posted on 07/05/2008 6:51:40 PM PDT by Clive
Dear Family and Friends,
It is now clear that the will of the Zimbabwean people as expressed in the March 29th elections has been ignored and, as a result we find ourselves in the deepest crisis. Hundreds of people: men, women and children have started arriving at foreign embassies in Harare, begging for temporary refuge and humanitarian assistance. First it was the South African embassy, then the American embassy: crowds of people who are cold, tired, homeless, hungry and frightened and who have nowhere else to go and no one to turn to. They don't shout, scream, protest and demand, instead they simply sit down on the roadside and wait patiently for someone to help them.
Such is the tragic image of our broken, desperate people that even for those of us living here, the ruination of ordinary lives and the suffering that people are enduring is utterly heartbreaking. Everyday holds tears and trauma and the most common phrase in our lives is: "We are in God's hands."
The MDC say that a quarter of a million people have been displaced from their homes since the end of March. It is undoubtable that thousands more have by now fled for our borders and crossed over into Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia and South Africa - legally and illegally. They have done this to stay alive and unless something happens to change the situation urgently, hundreds of thousands of others will have no choice but to follow the exodus to our borders.
This morning, as I write this letter, hundreds upon hundreds of people are crowded outside banks across the country desperately trying to withdraw their own money. This is because most shops no longer accept cheques and the Governor of the Reserve Bank has limited daily withdrawals per person to one hundred billion dollars. With one hundred billion dollars you can, today only, buy just three single blood pressure tablets. Or, today only, you can buy one copy of a local weekly newspaper and and two small green onions. In my home town, even if you had the money, there is almost no food left to buy. In the week since Mr Mugabe was again sworn in as President, our supermarkets have become emptier than ever. There are no dry staple goods at all, no milk or eggs and no wheat or flour. In my home town the main bakery is closed and we've had no bread for over a fortnight.
This is why hundreds and thousands of people now have no choice but to leave the country. It is truly a most desperate situation and people from all walks of life are in dire need of help - primarily for food and life preserving medicines but also for shelter and protection. We hear the words from abroad and from the AU, the UN and some of our neighbours but we don't need words, we need help and we need it now, literally to save lives.
Until next week, thank you for reading, with love, cathy
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why any whites are still in the country,
i don’t understand.
“why any whites are still in the country, i don’t understand.”
While I largely agree with your sentiment, I can understand why some haven’t left. Remember that Zimbabwe was a prosperous nation not so long ago. Then a Marxist took over based on a racist ideology with US democr@p support. Gee, sound like a familiar possible scenario for, say, the US?
It would take longer to ruin our nation, but ruined it would be. If that happens, I will NOT leave. Would you? I doubt it...
Someone needs to organize a rescue mission to load Cathy into a helicopter and get her out of that country while she is still alive.
Her courage in staying is awe inspiring, but enough is enough. It’s time for her to get out while she still can!
Did you know that Cathy Buckle, her activist-lawyer husband, and her father were leaders in the cause to expel the evil white colonialists in the late ‘70s and install Mugabe? Cathy Buckle can stay right where she is.
Besides, were would we go? Most of the world is either under communist control, socialist governments or worse yet … muzzie shari’a law. We are in a corner, and if Obama gets in office, that corner is gone. ;-(
That SOB from South Africa Mbeki is the chief enabler of the horror at this point.
Latest word is that he is enroute to meet the G8 leaders after talks in Zimbabwe.
The G8 should light a fire under his pants.
She landed a sentence in a nation-concentration camp.
That was GREAT!!!
courage is as courage does
It is foolish and self sscrificing to sit and wait for “help” - any country in the world that could “help” has been absolutely demonized for trying to “help” stop depotism. That Mugabe will only be carried out over the scorched earth of his country and many dead bodies- was predictable for the past many years
A successful revolution would have to follow the example of people who got up and “helped” themselves at the risk of death even for many, instead of spending all last energy wandering about looking for food
All that is necessary for evil to succed is that good men - do nothing. This means Zimbabwean good men.
No, I didn’t know that.
I think I’ll be quite and think about that for a spell.
...make that quiet.
Good points, except that I really don’t think the corner would be gone. One word: Heller.
OK. . .that said; Cathy has risked her life/liberty et al to write the story of the degrading, evil unfoldings that so inform us as to the intolerable situation in Zimbabwe. We read of Zim's descent into hell.
That said; how many here read this; and still - albeit mistakenly - think they have the luxury of sitting out this Election; if only to teach Repubs a lesson.
Keep saying this year; absolutely, 'too late smart' is just that. . .And they are still those here to argue, of course; but at least; for the moment; they are free to.
ping
Is it courage that she shows in staying? To what point? GET OUT!!
haHA, you are kidding? Oh man, talk about ‘just desserts.’ Then I am just going to assume she is SO SURPRISED and still trying to grasp these consequences.
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