Guys we are facing impending disaster caused by a drought that threatens to break all records. Passed through Victoria Falls the other day and was shocked to find that half of the mighty falls has dried up and on the Zambian side it has completely dried up and the mighty Zambezi is nothing more than a stream. With temperatures averaging 35-42 degrees celcius and no significant rains the entire region faces famine and since we rely on hydro for energy we can expect severe power cuts. The attached pictures show the mighty falls on the Zambia side.Yes its dry.
Its 11 months into the year meaning two things: The year is pretty much over and Christmas is here. I noticed a sparsely decorated Christmas tree like structure at Fazak the other day. In this part of the world, nothing much changes except the vegetation that was green when the year started and has been roasted brown by the fierce October sun. We had a heatwave that broke some records a few weeks back.It was so hot you could fry an egg by just putting it in a pan and leaving it outside for a few minutes. Then suddenly temperatures plummeted and out came the winter coats for a few days. Still no rain. The Met people are predicting an erratic rainfall season, we beginning to suffer the effects of climate change I suppose. The country is dominated by 2 types of people.Prophets and politicians.Sometimes the lines are blurred between the two as they all engage in the business of people.
The ordinary man in the street is caught up in a ritual of survival, consulting the prophet for a miracle and reassurance in an uncertain future and hoping the politician will have a Damascus road encounter. Somehow the country is still functional and peaceful. The shops are stocked up,commodity prices are falling in the deflationary environment, the stock market is falling, the value of the rand is falling so much that in the Eastern parts of the country they don't use it any more and ominously the peoples appetite for national issues is also falling. To survive you have to sell something, either food, clothes, gold, diamonds, livestock, your body and God forbid, your soul. Some rural people are now selling their children for as little as $100. Its not all doom and gloom though. The Courts recently have been emphatic in upholding the law though the enforcers are slightly reluctant to comply. The schools here are still functional and you will still find some of the best in Africa. The roads are still there and being repaired from time to time. The epitome of Zimbabwean greed, that Mr Cuthbert Dube has been dislodged from a comatose ZIFA and PSMAS. Socially its an eclectic mix. The kids live in their own world of Vuzu parties, sex drugs and hip hop. Naked parties have become trendy among the young ones whilst their parents populate prophetic churches
. The downward spiral has hit the entertainment industry with Delta reporting a sharp drop in beer and soft drink sales causing the corporate giant to struggle. Harare still keeps the country spirits up with its heady mix of prophetic churches, cultural events such as the recent carnival whose highlight was the bikini clad Brazillian Samba girls and the bare breasted Matebele maidens.It still is the sunshine city. Being one from the Diaspora the environment is a bit suffocating and from time to time I go out to get a bit of fresh air. We looking for wise men now, no longer just from the east but also from the West and from anywhere actually, as long as they can come loaded with gifts of gold frankincense and myrrh.
By Joseph Qobo Mayisa in Bulawayo!
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