Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the Southern Hemisphere, with an area measuring 390,000 square kilometers. It shares borders with South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia and Botswana. The estimated population based on the census of 1992 is 13 million, with 50% under the age of 20 years. However, population growth is now calculated to be nearing zero due mainly to high mortality rates caused by the prevalent HIV/AIDS and by emigrations.
Up until 1965, Zimbabwe was a colony of the British Empire. A white only owned political party "Rhodesia Front" led by Ian Douglas Smith declared unilateral independence from Britain in 1965, and ruled the country up to majority independence in 1980 after a bitter armed struggle that left more than 40,000 people dead. The War of Liberation was fought on the front by two wings of national movements ZAPU, Zimbabwe African Peoples Union led by the late Joshua Nkomo and ZANU, Zimbabwe African National Union finally led by Robert Mugabe. The latter’s party emerged as the winner after the 1980 general elections which ushered in the multiparty and supposedly democratic government.
Zimbabwe is an agricultural based economy, with the agricultural sector contributing to more than 20% of the gross domestic product. At least 70% of the total Zimbabwean population live in the rural areas where they depend on subsistence agriculture for survival. Other leading economic activities are mining and and tourism.
At Independence 1980, Zimbabwe was regarded as the bread basket for Southern Africa together with South Africa. Today it could fit well to be described as the economic dustbin of Southern Africa mainly due to a number of factors, chief amongst them being state mismanagement and state interference in privately owned enterprises, condoned state corruption and generally unreliable economic policies.
Currently, the economy is slowly grinding to a complete halt. The country is dry of the much needed foreign currency for import of raw materials. The foreign currency earners, Agriculture, Mining and Tourism have been greatly affected by the political climate that exists. At independence in 1980 and soon after, the currency was trading at one Zimbabwe dollars fetching USD 1.5. Today, 1 USD fetches ZD55 at the official rate and about $ 300 on parallel markets.
However, with good management, Zimbabwe still has potential to be on its own feet and to contribute to the world’s emancipation, since it has plenty of natural resources to take wealth from.
On the political front, Zimbabwe situation is in a sorry state. The rule of law, respect for human rights, freedom of statement etc. does not exist in the vocabulary of the Zimbabwe government today. What exists is tyranny and dictatorship — rule by decree though indirectly. All the state institutions, army, police, prisons, state security and those in the social and economic sectors, have been politicized to the extent that army personnel are appointed to head the institutions. It started with condoned corruption and followed by intolerance of opposing political views, resulting in inhuman treatment for those who dare to speak, such as the mid—eighties massacre of thousands of people in Matabeleland and parts of the Midlands province when the government tried to eliminate the Ndebele tribe majority of whom formed the opposition political party then.
The rejection of the government’s proposed constitution in the February 2000 referendum by the people, revealed the true colors of the present day government. Also the potential threat to wrestle power through the ballot box for the June 2000 national elections by the newly formed political party seemed to have fueled the governments madness. The government learned from the referendum results that the people no longer supported it and went on to apply violence to coerce people into voting for it during the Parliamentary elections.
Under the cover of liberalizing land, citing pre-independence land imbalances on racial grounds, the government enlisted the services of war veterans of the liberation struggle and armed forces and wreaked havoc amongst the people of Zimbabwe, especially the white farmers and those who supported the opposition party. More than one hundred people have been killed, hundreds maimed, millions of dollars lost in property destruction and other forms of harassment, rapes etc. The situation continues to worsen as the country approaches the Presidential Elections in early 2002. The ruling party has intensified its violent campaign and have defied all internal and international efforts to save the country from complete collapse. Apart from the farms, the industry has not been spared either. Factory and non-governmental organizations were invaded and both the owners and workers assaulted and displaced. This was being used as a strategy to weaken the urban support base of the opposition party. Yet in reality, this has worsened the poor economy, factories closing, people loosing jobs, investors scared, tourism affected, shortage of commodities and worsening of poverty. In 2001 alone, more than 300 Business entities closed down worsening the unemployment situation to about 70%. More than 250 000 farm workers lost their jobs and are homeless due to the government land grab. This in turn have resulted in the increase of people living in the streets.
On the social front, the situation is also pathetic. About 40% of the deaths in Zimbabwe happen at home as people shun hospitals as there is nothing to get from. The public health delivery system has collapsed. The health infrastructure has deteriorated and there is no maintenance, the drug and other essential supplies are empty due to lack of foreign currency and the health personnel are leaving because of the frustration. The private health sector, which is still struggling and manage a little, are out of reach of the about 80% of the population affected by poverty who can not afford the high fees. The situation is made worse by the prevalent HIV/AIDS the spread of which is more rapid because of the prevailing social, economic and political situation. The situation is equally bad in other social sectors such as education etc. One in every 4 of the sexual active adults is infected by the HIV/AIDS and the government does not seem to be moved by this fact. It continues to maintain the business as usual.
The recent (September 6, 2001) Abuja Agreement for the restoration of normality
has not moved even an inch on the ground. It has remained a paper agreement
so far (02/11/01/) while the situation is worsening. Notwithstanding this scenario,
the people of Zimbabwe seem to be determined to withstand the treachery and
decide their future through the presidential ballot of 2002. On the other hand,
the opposition leadership, and its 56 members of Parliament have stood firm
despite political harassment of their individual persons and their pathetic
welfare.
Occupational safety and health is well practiced in the business entities that
continue to operate albeit under the difficulties. The companies seem to adjust
equally to all their operating factors according to the dictates of the economy
on the ground. On the other hand, the institutions that facilitate OSH such
as National Social Security Authority continue to do their best also under these
difficulties. It is however difficult in the agricultural sector and in those
companies invaded to ensure OSH because of the kangaroo decisions applied by
the invaders. The government is sponsoring a new Labour body headed by members
of the War veterans to counter the original Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions
which it accuses of backing the opposition political party. This group is terrorising
the business community, the non governmental organisations and embassies pretending
that they are solving labour disputes.
Once more, all Zimbabweans of sane minds are however continuing to work towards achievements of normalization. It is also hoped that the international community will continue to assist for the same purpose, noting that the world today is one big global village which can not afford to watch one of its sub villages going into smoke, not only for humanitarian purposes alone but for the other simple reason that the smoke billowing can drift into the rest of the global village.
On March 13, 2002, the nation of Zimbabwe resembled a funeral parlour situation. The people could not believe the results which were announced by the ruling party controlled Register Generals’ office and government appointed Election Supervisory Commission . The people had been robbed during daylight! Heavily armed army and police details were patrolling the streets and villages in anticipation of the people upraising against the clear fraud of the election results. The figures had been fidgeted and fiddled with.
Surprisingly, there were no jubilation even in the rural areas reported to be ZANUP’s strong hold. With no one celebrating, the biggest question people were asking in low tones was that who then voted for Mugabe. The irreputable and overwhelming evidence showing that the Presidential elections were rigged to ensure victory for Mugabe. The local Zimbabwean poll observers, and the international observers of the Commonwealth countries and the African, Caribbean Pacific — European Union (ACP-EU) condemned the elections as blatantly and fraudelant, and that they were not free and fair. This further resulted in the expulsion of Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth group of countries. The only group that sanctioned the elections was that of the Southern African Development Community, made up of immediate neighbouring states whose Head of states are close associates of Mugabe.
The pre-election government instigated political violence claimed more than 150 lives, mainly of the opposition party supporters and the commercial farmers. More than 150,000 people were displaced from their homes.
Thousands of the trained ZANUPS (ruling party), Militia and ZANUPS, backed war veterans of the liberation struggle became with the assistance of the police, the army and state security agents law unto themselves, terrorising people of opposing political views. The post election unfolding events continue to plunder the country socially and economically, sending the country deeper into a state of hopelessness. Lawlessness, negative social and economic effects worsening, are result of government turning a blind eye on illegal activities by its militia and war veterans.
At least 15 people have been killed in political violence during the first two weeks after the elections, hundreds injured while also hundreds of homes were burnt out with over 50,000 people made homeless. The violence is done under a well calculated retribution programme targeting mainly opposition party leadership and those who represented the opposition as polling agents during the elections. The aim is to cow the people into silence and for the opposition party to vaporise into thin air.
The agricultural, the manufacturing industry and the civil servants have not been spared by the post election violence either. The association of the war veterans which backs the government in issuing one ultimatum to white commercial farmers to leave their properties without compensation. By early April, more than 800 farmers had received these letters. Andrew Ndlovu, one of the leaders, reported that all the white farmers are to be issued with these ultimatums. However, there is another group of Liberation War veterans who are opposed to the Ndlovu association accusing it of comprising of fake war vets and thugs hired by ZANUPF = Patriotic Front, to plunder the country into mess. This eviction of farmers will result in more than 300,000 jobs being lost directly, and many others down stream.
On the labour relations, the government recently created the Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions (ZFTU) to rival the existing and democratically elected Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). The latter is viewed as sympathetic to the opposition party, while the former is led by War Veterans supporting the government. The governments’ intention is to derecognise the ZCTU. The ZFTU is causing havoc and operating with impurity, harassing the industry and the civil servants where individuals and companies suspected to be anti-government are harrassed and dismissed from employment. This development continues to worsen the economic situation of the country.
On the other hand, the derecognition of the ZCTU is going to comprise the issue of Health and Safety at Work. The ZCTU’s trained Health and Safety practitioners, together with the Civil Servants under the National Social Security Authority (Health and Safety Department) were forming the backbone of sound health and safety practices in the industrial sector. But since they are now suspected to derecognition and harassment, the future of OSH in Zimbabwe is doomed if normalization does not come early. As the country continues to plug deeper into both political and economical crises caused by tyrrany, it is left to be seen whether the internationally initiated (South African and Nigerian presidents) talks between Mugabes’ party and the opposition MDC will yield results.
In the meantime, the mood amongst Zimbabweans in general and the opposition party in particular is that of continuing with the struggle for democratic change, for a better Zimbabwe.
Blessing Chebundo
MDC
P.O. Box 1908
Kwekwe
Zimbabwe
Telephone: +263-23827372
E-mail:chebundob@yahoo.com