Opinion / Letters
Where are the jobs, Zanu PF? - Open Letter
17 Apr 2015 at 05:23hrs | Views
International Labor Day: 1st May 2015, where are the jobs, Zanu PF?
First letter to the 95% of the working population who are not working in Zimbabwe
Dear Workers/Izisebenzi/Vashandi
A one minute silence for those who have died in xenophobic incidences in South Africa!
Revolutionary greetings to you all workers, home and abroad! We all know that Labor Day is celebrated in almost all countries of the globe. It has been accepted as a day when countries reflect on their labor conditions. Trade Unions will be at all rally platforms telling their members about the agreements between unions and the employers, how they regulate wages and working conditions they may have agreed on including health and safety of workers in their respective work places. Are the wages within the poverty datum levels? Are our members working within defined working hours stipulated in labor laws? Physical and mental wellbeing of the workers is checked at trade unions, is the work load manageable to the workers? What about the laws that protects sick workers? What does a maternity leave mean to a woman employee? How the communication between the worker and the employer is, is it healthy? Is the environment at work positively charged? Is the place of work hazard-free to the workers? These collective agreements between the unions and the employers guarantee minimum acceptance terms of employment.
In Zimbabwe we are not much concerned about the conditions of work, not that they don't matter to us, but we are mostly concerned about the absence of work in the first place, 95% of the population is out of employment. Zanu government promised the electorate 2 million jobs during the election campaign of 2013. We are asking very pertinent questions to this government, why did you tell us such blatant liars? Are you taking us for grunted because we are weak? Yes, we are weak because we do not have maize, hupfu, mangai, gwadla, impuphu to make isichwala and we eat. Our bellies are empty, Zanu PF. We are talking about the politics of the empty stomachs that applies to 95% and also those who are in employment, Zanu PF. Those who are in formal employment, some of them can go for six to 10 to 18 months without any payment. How do you expect a worker to survive without any wages, and he/she has a family to feed at home? You are very cruel, a very cruel regime. You have reduced this great nation, otherwise a very proud people.
I am appealing to the workers of Zimbabwe who are not working to lend me your ear. But when I say workers of Zimbabwe as you all know, I will be talking to 5% of the population that is formally working in government institutions and mines or let's say the rest of the industries that still exist in the country. We should then extend our appeal, talk to non working communities; those 95% of the population who are in informal sector trying to make ends meets by just buying and selling: this government has reduced many millions to vendors. To put some humor into this we say "kukiyakiya." How long are you going to suffer, how long are you going to stomach rudeness of life, suffering in the land, how long are you going to stomach the rudeness of economy under Zanu PF in your life, and suffering in the land. Don't you think you deserve better than the sufferings you are going through now? How long are you going to take this absence of insensitivity on the part of the rot government of Zanu PF? They are looting and we are looking on, we are shown on our faces how they spend the loot coming from our diamonds sales? They are looting everything, the farms, the mineral resources, the best conservatories; Grace Mugabe is even looting animals to put in her private national park after evicting 200 families who were legitimate residents of the area in Mazoe. Is this crudeness of life not enough to go out into the streets and demand what belongs to you by right? We need a change of government at all cost now! The change is in your hands dear workers, you can effect change anytime, and our genuine freedom is long overdue.
The crime rate the country is going through is a sign that all is not well in the country. In the newspapers it's mostly about rape to young toddlers and children. Sex is becoming a hobby to the idle minds. One person is cheating another to survive. Where is that UBUNTU we all knew from old times? We never lost that during the time of racist regime of Ian Douglas Smith. Our UBUNTU and culture remained intact, only to lose it under the black government of Zanu PF. It would appear Zanu PF enjoys seeing people suffering. These small elite of Zanuists looking down at the majority, pitying them sarcastically when they struggle for almost everything, water, hospital treatment, funeral costs, school fees, electricity, transport, just name it, people will struggle to put that together and see their dead buried decently.
When we talk about work and workers, a lot is lost regarding village women whose work is not recognized as work but as part of life of a rural Zimbabwean woman. Women in rural areas are the most vulnerable women to date. It is hard work for them, mostly alone with children. Their men will have gone to work in towns or even gone to South Africa. She will be barer of children, work in the fields, renovate huts, makes sure the daily food is always present. Everything collapses when she gets ill. It means going to hospital, there is no money to cover health costs, and they will prefer to look for those traditional herbalists hoping for a cure. Life for a village woman has never changed despite the independence since 1980. To talk about independence to village women is to directly mock them on their faces. Think about the sacrifices the village women made in the struggle for independence. They were harassed and they were raped by those very comrades that were liberating the struggle. They were told to butcher the last chicken that was supposed to lay the golden egg, to eat in the night, mate with young girls and leave before dawn. On the other end, Smith's army beat them up and asked them if they were terrorists in their homes by the night. Some women were raped again by the Selous Scout, special Branch and all those army personnel hunting down freedom fighters. It can be said with equal truth that women in villages paid the highest price in liberating the country. Who knows them today, who talks about their sacrifices. Did they get remunerations in the way the freedom fighters, the soldiers got the piece of cake? Alone to mention the atrocities meted on both sides risks one to be termed "enemy of the state." Women are second class citizens in Zimbabwe even today in 2015. Mugabe has said this at the Africa conference in Addis Ababa: "women can never be equal to men" at the glare of the international press. More than 50 African Presidents laughed at this utterance. Now the question, were they laughing at the nonsense coming from an ageing lunatic or did they share his disposition? The village women worked very hard to liberate Zimbabwe. History of Zimbabwe should recognize this work contribution. They are still working tirelessly to put life together under most difficult circumstances.
Just for a minute silence, please let's give our minute silence to the workers that went to South Africa looking for those jobs they could not get in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe has for a long time been a shutting down economy. The workers of Zimbabwe braved it to be there in South Africa. Some had to cross the flooded Limpopo, the fast flowing river, risking crocodiles and when they crossed it was the South Africa Police and the police dogs they had to face. Some died, did not make it to South Africa, those that made it are now being hunted and butchered by jobless youths, mercilessly holding machetes and long sticks to beat to kill, the international press got it all and raw, sending warnings to all other foreigners to pack and leave South Africa for good. It is nerve breaking to imagine being hacked by a machete. It would appear as if South Africa is not doing much to assist the foreigners from the killings that are spreading to most towns and cities. President Zuma is making vague speeches, not upright in this open and barbaric xenophobic purging against Zimbabweans.
Another hidden labor in Zimbabwe is the children, working to put life together by offering to work either in the fields or as gold panners. Both mama and papa may have passed on and there is nowhere they can go as the austerity is naked in every family. How do they manage to take other children if they are barely managing with their own? Some girls will be sent for early marriages to bring some income to the family, this is happening in Zimbabwe today. Zimbabwe is said to be one of the countries with the highest child marriages to date. This child who will have been married, offers labor in the new home, she will work like a slave. At night she is the wife to contend with those unloving conjugal rights to the man she is married to at the age of 12, 13, or 14 years.
There is a lot of gold panning taking place in most rural areas. Because the rule of law has broken down in Zimbabwe, most of these activities have gone very criminal, fighting occurs in these remote mining places resulting in loss of life. These abandoned gold pits are not safe places to do small scale mining. There are reported cases of deaths due to dangerous pits that collapsed during the mining operations killing the miners inside. The best thing to do dear workers is to demand your lives back. There should be street protests in the towns and cities of Zimbabwe, kick the government out and we begin afresh with a new government that has people in their hearts. You can form a trade union for none workers a strong trade union that is non political but will take the monster by its horns and tell yourselves it's enough. You will be surprised how much power you have in your hands. Go out in the streets and unite with other international workers who will be in the streets telling their governments what to do. Tell your government what to do too; to pack and go, they have failed dismally. 35 years of corruption and mismanagement is the reason why we have lost relatives in South Africa in xenophobic purges. You will get your second letter soon dear workers until the first of May.
Chirikadzi
Ugogo omncane
Nomazulu Thata
First letter to the 95% of the working population who are not working in Zimbabwe
Dear Workers/Izisebenzi/Vashandi
A one minute silence for those who have died in xenophobic incidences in South Africa!
Revolutionary greetings to you all workers, home and abroad! We all know that Labor Day is celebrated in almost all countries of the globe. It has been accepted as a day when countries reflect on their labor conditions. Trade Unions will be at all rally platforms telling their members about the agreements between unions and the employers, how they regulate wages and working conditions they may have agreed on including health and safety of workers in their respective work places. Are the wages within the poverty datum levels? Are our members working within defined working hours stipulated in labor laws? Physical and mental wellbeing of the workers is checked at trade unions, is the work load manageable to the workers? What about the laws that protects sick workers? What does a maternity leave mean to a woman employee? How the communication between the worker and the employer is, is it healthy? Is the environment at work positively charged? Is the place of work hazard-free to the workers? These collective agreements between the unions and the employers guarantee minimum acceptance terms of employment.
In Zimbabwe we are not much concerned about the conditions of work, not that they don't matter to us, but we are mostly concerned about the absence of work in the first place, 95% of the population is out of employment. Zanu government promised the electorate 2 million jobs during the election campaign of 2013. We are asking very pertinent questions to this government, why did you tell us such blatant liars? Are you taking us for grunted because we are weak? Yes, we are weak because we do not have maize, hupfu, mangai, gwadla, impuphu to make isichwala and we eat. Our bellies are empty, Zanu PF. We are talking about the politics of the empty stomachs that applies to 95% and also those who are in employment, Zanu PF. Those who are in formal employment, some of them can go for six to 10 to 18 months without any payment. How do you expect a worker to survive without any wages, and he/she has a family to feed at home? You are very cruel, a very cruel regime. You have reduced this great nation, otherwise a very proud people.
I am appealing to the workers of Zimbabwe who are not working to lend me your ear. But when I say workers of Zimbabwe as you all know, I will be talking to 5% of the population that is formally working in government institutions and mines or let's say the rest of the industries that still exist in the country. We should then extend our appeal, talk to non working communities; those 95% of the population who are in informal sector trying to make ends meets by just buying and selling: this government has reduced many millions to vendors. To put some humor into this we say "kukiyakiya." How long are you going to suffer, how long are you going to stomach rudeness of life, suffering in the land, how long are you going to stomach the rudeness of economy under Zanu PF in your life, and suffering in the land. Don't you think you deserve better than the sufferings you are going through now? How long are you going to take this absence of insensitivity on the part of the rot government of Zanu PF? They are looting and we are looking on, we are shown on our faces how they spend the loot coming from our diamonds sales? They are looting everything, the farms, the mineral resources, the best conservatories; Grace Mugabe is even looting animals to put in her private national park after evicting 200 families who were legitimate residents of the area in Mazoe. Is this crudeness of life not enough to go out into the streets and demand what belongs to you by right? We need a change of government at all cost now! The change is in your hands dear workers, you can effect change anytime, and our genuine freedom is long overdue.
The crime rate the country is going through is a sign that all is not well in the country. In the newspapers it's mostly about rape to young toddlers and children. Sex is becoming a hobby to the idle minds. One person is cheating another to survive. Where is that UBUNTU we all knew from old times? We never lost that during the time of racist regime of Ian Douglas Smith. Our UBUNTU and culture remained intact, only to lose it under the black government of Zanu PF. It would appear Zanu PF enjoys seeing people suffering. These small elite of Zanuists looking down at the majority, pitying them sarcastically when they struggle for almost everything, water, hospital treatment, funeral costs, school fees, electricity, transport, just name it, people will struggle to put that together and see their dead buried decently.
When we talk about work and workers, a lot is lost regarding village women whose work is not recognized as work but as part of life of a rural Zimbabwean woman. Women in rural areas are the most vulnerable women to date. It is hard work for them, mostly alone with children. Their men will have gone to work in towns or even gone to South Africa. She will be barer of children, work in the fields, renovate huts, makes sure the daily food is always present. Everything collapses when she gets ill. It means going to hospital, there is no money to cover health costs, and they will prefer to look for those traditional herbalists hoping for a cure. Life for a village woman has never changed despite the independence since 1980. To talk about independence to village women is to directly mock them on their faces. Think about the sacrifices the village women made in the struggle for independence. They were harassed and they were raped by those very comrades that were liberating the struggle. They were told to butcher the last chicken that was supposed to lay the golden egg, to eat in the night, mate with young girls and leave before dawn. On the other end, Smith's army beat them up and asked them if they were terrorists in their homes by the night. Some women were raped again by the Selous Scout, special Branch and all those army personnel hunting down freedom fighters. It can be said with equal truth that women in villages paid the highest price in liberating the country. Who knows them today, who talks about their sacrifices. Did they get remunerations in the way the freedom fighters, the soldiers got the piece of cake? Alone to mention the atrocities meted on both sides risks one to be termed "enemy of the state." Women are second class citizens in Zimbabwe even today in 2015. Mugabe has said this at the Africa conference in Addis Ababa: "women can never be equal to men" at the glare of the international press. More than 50 African Presidents laughed at this utterance. Now the question, were they laughing at the nonsense coming from an ageing lunatic or did they share his disposition? The village women worked very hard to liberate Zimbabwe. History of Zimbabwe should recognize this work contribution. They are still working tirelessly to put life together under most difficult circumstances.
Just for a minute silence, please let's give our minute silence to the workers that went to South Africa looking for those jobs they could not get in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe has for a long time been a shutting down economy. The workers of Zimbabwe braved it to be there in South Africa. Some had to cross the flooded Limpopo, the fast flowing river, risking crocodiles and when they crossed it was the South Africa Police and the police dogs they had to face. Some died, did not make it to South Africa, those that made it are now being hunted and butchered by jobless youths, mercilessly holding machetes and long sticks to beat to kill, the international press got it all and raw, sending warnings to all other foreigners to pack and leave South Africa for good. It is nerve breaking to imagine being hacked by a machete. It would appear as if South Africa is not doing much to assist the foreigners from the killings that are spreading to most towns and cities. President Zuma is making vague speeches, not upright in this open and barbaric xenophobic purging against Zimbabweans.
Another hidden labor in Zimbabwe is the children, working to put life together by offering to work either in the fields or as gold panners. Both mama and papa may have passed on and there is nowhere they can go as the austerity is naked in every family. How do they manage to take other children if they are barely managing with their own? Some girls will be sent for early marriages to bring some income to the family, this is happening in Zimbabwe today. Zimbabwe is said to be one of the countries with the highest child marriages to date. This child who will have been married, offers labor in the new home, she will work like a slave. At night she is the wife to contend with those unloving conjugal rights to the man she is married to at the age of 12, 13, or 14 years.
There is a lot of gold panning taking place in most rural areas. Because the rule of law has broken down in Zimbabwe, most of these activities have gone very criminal, fighting occurs in these remote mining places resulting in loss of life. These abandoned gold pits are not safe places to do small scale mining. There are reported cases of deaths due to dangerous pits that collapsed during the mining operations killing the miners inside. The best thing to do dear workers is to demand your lives back. There should be street protests in the towns and cities of Zimbabwe, kick the government out and we begin afresh with a new government that has people in their hearts. You can form a trade union for none workers a strong trade union that is non political but will take the monster by its horns and tell yourselves it's enough. You will be surprised how much power you have in your hands. Go out in the streets and unite with other international workers who will be in the streets telling their governments what to do. Tell your government what to do too; to pack and go, they have failed dismally. 35 years of corruption and mismanagement is the reason why we have lost relatives in South Africa in xenophobic purges. You will get your second letter soon dear workers until the first of May.
Chirikadzi
Ugogo omncane
Nomazulu Thata
Source - Nomazulu Thata
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
