Letter from Cathy Buckle

Dear Family and Friends,

Every day things in Zimbabwe get just a little bit harder and while
ordinary families stagger from one crisis to the next, the country's
leadership seem to be completely bereft of ideas. The latest phrase from
government officials and ministers is "Very Soon". It's never completely
clear if 'very soon' is a threat or a promise but the litany is faithfully
regurgitated at every occasion. 'Very Soon' we will have petrol they say;
'Very Soon' we will grow enough food; 'Very Soon' we will drive out every
white farmer; 'Very Soon' we will turn around the economy and 'Very Soon'
we will change the currency again, this time with just one day of warning.
This week the threatened promise is that 'Very Soon' corrupt cabinet
ministers and members of parliament will be arrested. Somewhere along the
line, however, instead of arresting corrupt leaders, police this week
arrested top company directors. All accused of increasing prices without
government approval, the CEO's of Dairibord (milk), Lobels (bread),
Saltrama (plastic), Windmill (chemicals), ZFC (fertilizer) and Circle
(cement) were arrested. It is not clear how any business can maintain
prices when inflation is officially reported to be 1204% but is crystal
clear that when the ideas run out it is easier just to arrest and detain.

The arrests of people trying to express their dissatisfaction at events in
Zimbabwe also continued this week. At least 140 NCA members were arrested
as they marched in protest over the recent abuse and torture of union
leaders demonstrating in Harare. The NCA members were arrested in Masvingo,
Gweru, Harare and Mutare in a clear sign that unrest is spreading in the
country.

And in between the arrests there has been a whole rash of absurdity that
leaves you just shaking your head in wonder. This week email and internet
service was all but impossible in the country. Zimbabwe's Internet Service
Providers said that there had been a 90% drop in internet traffic and that
it was a situation of "virtual standstill." The state owned telephone
company Tel One apparently owes a massive seven hundred thousand US dollars
to a satellite company and were appealing to the central bank to bail them
out of the debt. At one point in the week a major ISP put out an email to
all its subscribers asking if anyone had a connection in high up places
that may be able to intervene in the crisis. Towards the end of the week
Tel One posted an advert in the state owned press saying that with
immediate effect the cost of internet services had increased by two
thousand seven hundred percent. Nothing is done in measured steps in
Zimbabwe. The Big Stick comes out, threat/promises of Very Soon are uttered
and prices are backdated by years not months.

The irony of arresting the baker for increasing the price of bread by 50%
but ignoring the government owned phone company for increasing internet
prices by 2700% is absolutely bone shaking. Until next week, thanks for
reading, love cathy.
Copyright Cathy Buckle, 23 September 2006.