Ephraim Nsingo
25 August 2008
Harare — There was jubilation at Gokwe Centre in Zimbabwe's Midlands province when the Herald newspaper published a story headlined "Deal Sealed" on August 13 - a clear indication of the hopes Zimbabweans have pinned on the deadlocked talks over power-sharing between ZANU-PF and the two MDC formations.
Bus operators at the terminus in front of Rujeko Supermarket at the centre announced they had reduced the fare from Gokwe to Harare from Z$300 to $250 (roughly US$4 at the prevailing parallel market on that day).
Fares to Kadoma, Kwekwe, Gweru, Nkayi and Binga were also reduced significantly. But a few hours later, when it turned out that no deal had been signed, the operators reverted to the older price. The following morning, the fares had doubled. A week later, the fare to Harare was Z$1000.
Noel Hove, who was among travellers waiting for transport to Burure, close to 100 kilometres to the North, summed it up when he said: "Does this mean we have to wait a bit longer before we get out of this? How do they expect us to survive? As you can see, we only get power at night, and our cellphone network is always down," asked Hove.
At this time of the year, Gokwe Centre is usually among the busiest rural service centres as cotton farmers come to cash their cheques. However, this year there is a conspicuous decline in activity. Not much cotton was harvested because of floods that hit most parts of the district early this year. A prolonged dry spell worsened the situation.
"People have no money. Cotton is our major cash cow, but this year, things did not work well. It's now affecting even other businesses. For example, fruit and vegetable vendors are forced to sell their stuff at uneconomic prices because very few people can afford the high prices being charged elsewhere. People just do not have money," noted Hove.
Clarence Ndlovu, from Chitekete, further north in the district, says he has been camping at Gokwe Centre after failing to withdraw enough money from the bank. Members of the public and corporates are allowed to withdraw only Z$300 daily. The money is however not enough to cover long distance transport fares.
"I came here last week to withdraw some money from the bank. I realised the first withdrawal was not enough for bus fare, so I decided to hang around for a few days to make a few more withdrawals. It appears all the money will be finished on transport, as fares have gone up before I finished withdrawing. I won't be able to buy any groceries," said Ndlovu.
Some villagers are substituting small livestock like chickens and guinea fowls for cash. For a trip that costs Z$500, villagers now pay with two guinea fowl or three hens.
"Before the elections, we were told that we would get food aid. We are now being told the organisations that were supposed to give us food have been told to wait, pending the finalisation of some issues. The BACOSSI (Basic Commodities Supply Side Intervention) we got from government is now finished," said Maritha Shoko, also from Chitekete.
In June, the government suspended the work of all private humanitarian organisations, accusing them of meddling in the country's internal affairs. Through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), the government then introduced BACOSSI to cushion ordinary Zimbabweans from hyperinflation by offering them groceries at subsidised prices. Under the programme, the RBZ provides grocery hampers to rural and high-density urban households at highly subsidised rates.
There are however concerns from some civic organisations that most of the goods do not reach the intended beneficiaries. Instead, they are diverted to the parallel market by government officials and the same people who are implementing the programme.
Unlike NGOs that distributed supplies from international donors, BACOSSI is funded solely by the RBZ. Due to declined agricultural productivity over the last few years, most of the foodstuffs have to be imported, and paid for in foreign currency. This has plunged the future of the programme into uncertainty.
Living with the perpetrators
As the villagers await the outcome of the talks, there is another source of tension: the co-existence among victims of violence and the perpetrators.
"When these talks started, we were told that we were now supposed to reconcile with the people who were harassing us in the run up to the presidential run-off. Some of them have sought forgiveness, but others are remorseless. For example, I know a boy who stays three homesteads away from mine who led militias to burn down my hut on 27 May.
"I have met him many times, but he hasn't bothered even to greet me," said Mbuya Lilian Marufu, from Chief Njelele. She was beaten up and had her property burnt for her alleged support for the opposition.
The pastor of a protestant church at Gokwe Centre, who spoke on condition that he not be named, told IPS that over the last few weeks, he has been holding a series of reconciliation and forgiveness sessions with villagers.
"Generally, there has been a significant decrease in violent activity. There are still some pockets of violence here and there, but the situation is much calmer now," said the pastor.
He said his church was listed among those viewed as enemies of the state in the run up to the second round of the presidential elections.
"Together with other pastors, we've been holding community outreaches preaching the gospel of forgiveness and reconciliation, as prescribed in the scriptures. In some cases, the message appears to be falling on deaf ears, as the people now hate each other with a passion. But there are many instances where we have made great strides, bringing rivals to the same table and having them share a meal."
While many ordinary people pin their hopes on the talks, a leading political analyst, Professor Eldred Masunungure, has warned that the talks may fail to solve the crisis.
"The deal is not sustainable and it is not going to solve the crisis the country is experiencing. At least it provides a starting point for a settlement, but it's certainly not the solution," said Masunungure.
Another professor, Jonathan Moyo - a former University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer, who is now the independent Member of Parliament for Tsholotsho North - said the crisis would "not be resolved overnight".
"The first 100 days after the implementation of the deal are likely to be the most challenging. It's not about the signing of a document, it's about the implementation," said Moyo.
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