Zimbabwe-From Bread Basket to Begging basket

#000000">When I first came to South Africa in 2006 I was on leave. The main purpose of my visit was to study the job market here and then go back and come back later to look for employment.

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#000000">I was met at Park Station by my nephew who had lived here for some time and his first words were (in Shona) "Mazouyawo sekuru? Chero mabofu aona kuti hakuchagariki kwenyu uko" (You have finally decided to come, uncle. Even the blind can see that your country is no longer inhabitable). Today Zimbabwean beggars are found in almost all taxi terminuses and other busy intersections in affluent suburbs of Johannesburg.

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#000000">The country that used to be the bread basket of Southern Africa is now contemplating importing maize even from Malawi (BlackSeaGrain -22/4/2011). Since when did Malawi, a mountainous country, which is almost one huge lake, gain a reputation as a maize producer.

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#000000">Surprisingly, most Zimbabweans have recently been declared Malawians. I have a friend who was born in Zimbabwe, by a Zimbabwean mother (who is now late), educated and trained  as a teacher in Zimbabwe, taught in Zimbabwe for five years before deciding to come to South Africa in 2007 using her Zimbabwean passport.

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#000000">Her passport expired in 2008. When she tried to apply for a new one in 2010 she was told that she is a foreigner and has to go to Malawi first and denounce her citizenship because her father (whom she never knew) was from Malawi. She knows no-one in Malawi.

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#000000">What kind of a country wastes state resources educating people and then declare them foreigners?

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#000000">If I am not mistaken, in terms of good arable land, we are second only to Zambia in the SADC region. It's time for the region to act. You cannot get rid of cockroaches in your own house if the neighbour's house is dirty. Make sure the whole neighbourhood is clean.

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#000000">The responsibility of Zimbabwe is food security. How can then the region be secure if Zimbabwe cannot feed its citizens?

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#000000">The opposition parties have failed to deliver. Their policies and principles offer no change or solutions to the problems currently facing Zimbabwe. Their leaders have also declared themselves Life Presidents. What is needed in Zimbabwe is separation of State business from Party business, proportional representation in government and devolution of power.

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#000000">Of all the Political Parties currently flooding the political landscape in Zimbabwe, only ZAPU seems to be fighting for the people and not for the Presidency. When will the Zimbabweans ever enjoy their political independence? When will they ever know that true democracy means that your vote is not for sell and you should never be blackmailed into voting against your conscience?

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#000000">With ZAPU one day Zimbabweans will wake up to a Zimbabwe where my wife supports and votes for MDC while I vote for ZAPU and we never fight about it. According to ZAPU policies, we will one day have Zimbabwe as a nation not as separate tribes and races dominated by Shona and Ndebele speaking people.

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#000000">One day, Zimbabwe will belong to everyone who lives in it, regardless of where their grandfathers came from.

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#000000">Mpumelelo Ndlovu can be contacted on South African numbers +27824052216, this article was sent to us (bulawayo24.com) via send-us with Mpumelelo's physical address and we (bulawayo24.com) removed the address for his security.