Zim revisited

I know I might be sounding redundant about this Zim issue, but I'm getting so sick of it falling on deaf ears.

Yesterday as my husband and I were approaching our house after a run, we spotted a guy who had studied with my husband in previous years (and had lectured me last year). We were really surprised to see him: he had left SA last year with his family to be a pastor in a congregation in Zimbabwe. This man is just so full of life, laughs and love for people. Even though he was smiling and laughing when we saw him, I could see he was strained.

He is here to drop off his wife and children, he told us. Then he would go back to Zim by himself. Another friend we know, who too is in Zim as a pastor, has sent his Norwegian wife and their child back home.

"The country in unlivable" our friend told us.

Unlivable.

And SADC leaders sit by and say that the Zim crisis has been exaggerated. They applaud Mugabe as if he's a hero. WHAT is going on here? What has this evil man done to manipulate these leaders over to his side? Anyone with 2 brain cells* can see that he is making a colossal mess of Zim.

We are worried about both our friends. Especially because they are not likely to keep quiet about the injustices going on. Who knows what could happen to them if they (too publicly) denounce the government.

Before we parted, our friend said: "The only way things will get better is if blood is spilt".

I think he's right.

All of you out there who believe in prayer: please pray.

*Perhaps I am giving SADC leaders too much credit by claiming that they have at least 2 brain cells.

Inconvenient truths

Sometimes I surprise myself with my own naivety. I always like to give people the benefit of the doubt. Somewhere in my mind I still believe in honesty, and that the truth will be victorious in the end. I'm an idealist of the Lord of the Rings/Harry Potter kind - in my mind, love and friendship are the strongest forces that can defeat all evil in the end.

Maybe in the world beyond.

Reality on this earth is quite different.

The truth gets suppressed by powerful and evil people that get away with it. As you might have guessed from the heading, I have recently watched An Inconvenient Truth. For those who haven't seen it, or heard of it, it's about global warming. Al Gore gives a (sometimes rather emotional and political but mostly scientific) convincing account of the truth about global warming. Even though this is a widely publicised problem in the world, some countries still just don't get it.

I can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that Pres Bush is ploughing billions and billions into war and ignoring the fact that the country he is trying so hard to make safe is under a much greater threat than he ever imagined. Makes me wonder how the world would have been different if Al Gore would have won the election...

But it's not only the global warming issue. It's politicians that blatantly lie about things. Statistics, motives, money... Whatever. Stuff that effects you and me. And what for? To protect the people? Their reputation? To cover up mistakes or get rich?

My naive mind is going into overdrive. I still just can't grasp and accept the fact that some powerful people are just all bad. Yet I get disappointed over and over and over again. Still I just won't learn.

Maybe this is one of my strengths though. The fact that I refuse to give up on people, and become negative. Regardless of how many times I get disappointed...

Something fishy

OK.

So 10 prisoners (murderers and rapists) escape from Qalakabusha Prison. Helped by corrupt prison officials. 13 of them have now been suspended.

"Suspended?" I ask.

Yes. Suspended. Obviously helping dangerous criminals escape is not enough to have someone fired.

And then who can forget the Travelgate Scandal. Corruption at its best. And what do they get? Oh - they get to pay all the money back (interest free), and have all the time in the world to do it.

Now the Deputy Health Minister, Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, who is one of the only government ministers that has come to the party i.t.o fighting HIV (and has thus criticised the pres as well as the health minister), has been FIRED (yes, FIRED) for a minor detail (although some say that the reason for her sacking is unclear). She flies to Spain for an AIDS conference, gets there and finds out the pres didn't give her permission, so she hops on the next plane home.

Um. So what exactly did she do wrong?

She criticised the pres and the government.

Is this legal? There is something seriously fishy going on here...