Posted on 06/30/2002 4:26:31 AM PDT by Clive
DESPITE president Robert Mugabe's claims that nobody will die of hunger, critical food shortages in the country have so far claimed about 30 lives through malnutrition-induced diseases in the drought-stricken provinces of Matabeleland North and Masvingo, it emerged this week.
A staff member at Binga District Hospital this week said food shortages in the district had reached critical levels and a considerable number of local people were surviving on roots and leaves.
The staff member said the hospital had recorded 27 child deaths due to malnutrition-related diseases since the beginning of the year.
"The situation has been worsened by the pulling out of two donors, CCJP and Save the Children Foundation, which used to distribute food to starving rural folk," the staff member said.
The two organisations pulled out after war veterans allegedly demanded that priority in food distribution be given to Zanu PF supporters.
A medical officer in Masvingo province said HIV and Aids- related deaths had risen by at least 25% due to malnutrition.
"It is a basic fact that a good diet, especially proteins, can prolong the life of a person carrying the virus," said the medical officer.
"With this severe drought, malnutrition has played havoc on Aids sufferers and we have begun to see an increase in HIV- related deaths. I can say the rate has gone up at least 25% in the last six months," he said.
Apart from the massive food shortages, there is a real threat of water shortages in Matabeleland and Masvingo provinces.
According to a United Nations Water and Sanitation Assessment report, the situation is set to get worse as there are indications of a serious reduction in groundwater in the most affected areas.
11,365,366
"11,365,366"
Of which, no more than 70,000 are white (Most likely, 50,000).
One year ago the membership of the Commercial Farmers' Union was about 4,500, of which 15% were black. They ran about 6,000 farms.
Last week, the membership had fallen to less than 3,200.
There are 2,900 farmers subject to section 8 orders which required them, as of last week, to cease using their land for any purpose. These 2,900 may remain in their homesteads until August 10, when the eviction order matures.
Section 8 orders are still being issued.
The displaced and dismissed farm employees will exceed a quarter of a million
I will send a link to this post in yet another mass email to the usual suspects- I seem to always have one or two about the deteriorating conditions in Africa in each new one.
The best thing the US could do is to find a more moderate black leader in Zim who could effectively replace Mugabe, ala the situation with Karzai in Afghanistan. Then to have the courage to enter Zimbabwe with western troops to remove Mugabe and his puppet regime; as well as to get rid of the outlaws that are taking land and destroying it.
There you go.
Unfortunately, from the sound of it the "Zanu PF supporters" will just trample the rest of the population when the famine becomes really severe and claim that their political affiliation, naturally should afford them some higher degree of protection against their own actions.
It's kind of like Saddam. He and his men will be the last people who will starve because of the sanctions their actions brought on.
In a just world, they would be the first ones to feel the crunch. But, obviously we don't live in a just world. (not in the short term anyway.. )
That's what's gonna happen, but unfortunately Mugabe and the Zanu's will be the last ones to bear the burden. As the article demonstrates.
PS: Hey! Where's the UN?
Why, I would have thought they would be all upset over this. Right?
There is such a leader. He is Morgan Tsvangirai who is the leader of the MDC party.
The party elected 55 members to Parliament in the 2000 general election. (see Note below)
This despite massive fraud, intimidation and ballot rigging.
In the 2002 presidential election, Mugabe's Zanu PF party went to extremes of violence, fraud, statutory poll rigging and ballot box stuffing. When even that seemed to be insufficient to prevent Tsvangirai's election, they simply cooked the vote count.
Most international observers described the election as neither free nor fair.
In spite of this, Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, southern Africa's, and the Commonwealth's, most influential leader, while admitting that the election was not "free and fair" called it "legitimate by African standards".
Note:
Parliament consists of:
120 members elected by voters
8 provincial governors appointed by the president.
10 chiefs elected by the Chiefs Council
12 non-constituency members appointed by the president.
As you can see, even an honest election does not necessarily guarantee that the party that gets the majority of elected seats will have a msjority in the House.
However, Morgan Tsvangirai will never be able to govern if he is installed by Western vi et armis.
The Shona people and probably the Ndebele people of Zimbabwe would resent it as much as they now resent Mugabe's thugs.
Africa will never recognize such a government.
What is needed is an honest presidential election and an honest parliamentary election, enforced by international sanctions.
Instead, the African leaders are pushing for a "government of national unity" which would simply swallow up the opposition party.
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