A Land of Misery

This letter comes out of Botswana where this white Zimbabwean is working, because there is no work in the Zimbabwean tourist industry.

27th February 2003

Hi Mary,

Thank you for your very kind words - much appreciated.

I don't really know whether I achieve very much but I just cannot sit here and watch the world go by knowing that there is so much suffering going on. I'm not necessarily talking about whites, I am a lot more concerned about the millions of very poor impoverished black people - people who have little or no voice to the outside world. Will the world ever realise just how bad it has been for these poor people? Somehow I doubt it and to be perfectly honest I don't think that most people really care - why should they when there is so much chaos all over?

A few months ago I happened to stop my car to look at some wood carvings that were displayed on the side of the road. I recognised the vendors from the way they were dressed as Zimbabweans. They seemed somewhat hesitant and nervous, their eyes continually shifting all over the place - its how most black Zimbabweans in Maun are these days - I would say that at least 80% of them are here illegally - most are refugees who have jumped the border to get away from Mugabe - the only way they can survive is by selling carvings and/or stuff like cannabis. When I greeted them in chiShona there was a spontaneous reaction, they all smiled and said "Ah, you are one of us." They relaxed and we started chatting about everything - they were jovial and I felt they were genuinely pleased to see another Zimbabwean. I did not bother to ask them about how they managed to get into Botswana as I did not want to embarrass them but I did ask them about how things were in Zimbabwe - everyone wanted to speak at once - they described the chaos and the misery, voices raised as a means to try and express the pain and suffering that the people were experiencing - "aaaah, you know back home w e can go 3-4 days without eating, there is no food". One chap said to me, "you whites never really know what goes on because you are always in the towns and cities, you don't see what happens in the rural areas where our homes are - you never see what happens at night when the "green bombers" (Mugabe's militia) come around. I listened to their stories about all the beatings and how people were forced to praise Mugabe, forced to purchase ZANU PF cards - night after night, week after week, month after month. (I already knew all this). After being there a few minutes one of the vendors called to a young man who was lying a few yards away on his stomach under the shade of a tree (I had not previously seen him). "Shadi, Shadi, wuyai kuno" (Shadi come here). The young man slowly got to his feet, I noticed that he appeared to be stiff, his movements were slow - as he got to his feet he said to his friend "why are you calling me, who is this man you are talking to." When he came close I was introduced - they told me that his name was Shadreck and that he came from the Mberengwa area - I asked if he spoke Sindebele and he just nodded - he was very solemn and he had one of those blank, expressionless stares. One of the other vendors spoke to him and told him that I (meaning me) was OK - that I wasn't a problem - it was OK. Then the vendor asked him to turn around and lift his shirt - he initially hesitated then after some coaxing obliged and carefully lifted the tail of his shirt. I have seen many scars bruises and injuries in my life - I have been through a war - nothing phases me too much. I have to tell you that this poor young man (I estimated his age to be between 21 -24) had deep cuts criss crossing practically every few millimetres right across the lower portion of his back - some of the wounds were still festering - most were healing and had formed scar tissue - he was obviously still in agony from some of the wounds. What happened I asked "I was beaten." "By whom, for what" I asked - he replied "they told me that I was a MDC supporter". I could see that he didn't want to talk about it, he was still traumatised - he just walked away, back to the same tree where I had first seen him - he lay down on his stomach, turning his head away, to be left alone to face his agony and misery.

I thought to myself "my goodness he has some serious injuries" but as serious as they were I knew that the wounds would eventually heal - the thing I worry most about is the terrible mental scarring that is taking place - how do people "white and black" recover from all these kind of wounds. It is this more than anything that I worry about because these kinds of wounds are usually lot deeper and a lot more permanent!

As I have said so many times before, coming to terms with this overall deterioration of my country is hard enough but the thing that absolutely crucifies most of us beyond all belief is the attitude currently being displayed by people like President Mbeki of South Africa and some of the other world leaders such as President Chirac of France. How can they be so totally and utterly blind to what is happening in Zimbabwe - how can they so easily and without displaying any obvious conscience, distance themselves from all these massive wrongdoings - how can they claim that the violence and intimidation has been grossly exaggerated - that Mugabe has been treated unfairly and unjustly? Why don't these people want to face up to and acknowledge the truth - how does anyone have any faith or trust in them anymore - the very people who could influence Mugabe?

Many of us get the distinct impression that this whole horrible saga is about to be neatly covered up by the likes of Mbeki and the AU. The South African Minister of Foreign Affairs is saying things like "Yes, maybe Mr. Mugabe has made a few mistakes but we cannot dwell on the past, we have to move forward to try and prevent further suffering, I don't think Mugabe is as bad as what some people make him out to be." These kinds of gross distortions drive us all insane - its fades our hopes for any chance of recovery. Many of us now believe that the Mugabe regime will come out of this unscathed - there is unlikely to be any justice.

Mary, somehow we have to expose this to the world - we cannot allow this to go on. I'm not only talking about Zimbabwe - look what happened in Rwanda, Angola and the DRC - millions of people are dying - something has to change - foremost attitudes have to change, world leaders have to be a lot more honest and a lot less "self centred" otherwise this chaos is just going to get worse. Its just not fair - these poor people do not deserve it - somehow it has to stop.

My best wishes to you and thank you for all your encouragement and support - goodness knows what we would do without it.

God Bless,

John