Regards, Ivan
Posted on 01/03/2003 5:25:17 PM PST by MadIvan
Robert Mugabe is refusing to let Zimbabweans import food, a decision which is condemning millions of people to shortages, United Nations officials said yesterday.
More than 5,000 people gathered at Viriri School, Murambinda, 140 miles south of Harare, to collect hand-outs of corn, beans and oil from the World Food Programme.
Patience Mukondomi, 31, was not given any. As a teacher she has a job and therefore does not qualify for aid. "There is nothing in the shops. We have money, but there is no food to buy, please sell us some," she implored officials.
But Luis Clemens, a WFP spokesman, explained that doing so would be against the rules. "We cannot sell food, however much we want to help people," he said.
"We would be able to feed many more people if the government allowed private importation of corn."
The Mugabe regime has awarded a monopoly on trading in grain to a government agency and there are countless verified reports from opposition supporters that they have been denied permission to buy this food.
At the WFP distribution centre another desperate woman, with a baby on her back, said her husband was in the army 40 miles further south and so she too did not qualify for food aid.
"We are starving," she said. "Even if my husband sent money, which he doesn't because I am the second wife, there is no food to buy. My neighbour helps me. Without her we would be dead."
The neighbour is one of three million people receiving food from WFP, half of those on the brink of starvation. Mugabe undertook to feed the rest, but has been unable to find foreign currency to import anything but a trickle of grain from South Africa.
"Private importation of corn would change the situation dramatically," said Mr Clemens. "We have made the offer to facilitate the importation of food, but there is no change in policy."
He said the WFP would need to continue its Zimbabwe operations beyond April, when harvests are due.
Few crops have been planted by the inexperienced farmers who replaced more than 4,000 white commercial farmers evicted in the past three years under the government's land reforms.
Teresa Madamombe, 41 a mother of five, said: "This is the first time in our lives there is no food to buy. In 1983 and in 1992 there was drought, but we could buy food, but not now, and I do not know why."
She said she knew nothing of the destruction of Zimbabwe's commercial agriculture. "We do not get news here. We are far from the commercial farms. Have they all gone?"
A thin young man overheard the conversation, sidled up and whispered: "There is no food because of politics. You must know that. Industries which make food have closed down now that the farmers have gone.
"We can't talk politics because there has been violence here, but we do know why we have no food."
Regards, Ivan
The same goes for Bush. The Bush administration is barely even trying to oppose Mugable.
How can you be so cold? Remember this nation of people tried to get rid of him, but rigged elections etc. did not allow it to happen. I will not condemn the people of Rhodesia for the sins of a sick bastard.
Um, Tony Blair, or George Bush, have as much to do with starvation in Zimbabwe as Milton Berle. The people elected Mugabe, mistake number one. Then he took over and made it a dictatorship. Oops, where have we seen that before? So, who is to blame? Primarily Mugabe and his henchmen, secondarily the people of Zimbabwe.
Take that blame Britian/America crap somewhere else. Those two countries don't starve anyone, but you knew that, didn't you?
We aren't talking Chad-gate here. Do you NOT recall quite recently people who walked miles and miles to vote (over days) to vote that sick bastard out. And he closed the polling stations? Indigenous Rhodesian people, I believe, do not condone what this sad sick individual has brought on his nation in terms of famine. (One of the few African Nations capable of being self-supportive??!!). And now those who tried to resist most, are those who must suffer most. How ironic.
I agree Bush and Blair have other priorities, namely saving the world from nuclear devastation at the hands of Hussein and Kim Jong-Il. The responsibility is mostly Thabo Mbeki's, without his cooperation, it's much harder for any intervention to take place.
Frankly, I am sick of the starvation problems in Africa.I have read and heard of them my entire life.Throwing money and food at them will never "solve" the problems of third world countries.Was that not why the Black Africaans kicked out the "Europeans" in the 1980s?
Certainly, the "West" could end the misery and suffering of the people of Africa,but the people of Africa would have to change in order for this to be done.
They appear not to want to actually join the 21st century.It seems fairly obvious they just want the rest of the world to subsidise their continuation of tribal society, but with "free" food, clean water, electricity and medicine.
If the CIA or any agency killed Mugabe today, it would not truly matter.Another "leader" of the same ilk would simply take his place, and the whole process of hope denied would repeat itself.
Should the Imperialistic West conquer and colonise Africa again?Is that why you blame Blair/Bush for African starvation?Because they do not use military power to conquer Africa and force "free" food upon the starving masses?
Think maybe the people will start fighting back??
So sick of hearing of the problems in Africa. Yeah. On a full belly, it's easy to dismiss, I guess.
Throwing money and food at them will never "solve" the problems of third world countries.Was that not why the Black Africaans kicked out the "Europeans" in the 1980s?
The 1980's. Yeah that was AGES ago. I'm Irish, now living under the Celtic Tiger. But in the 1970's Irish people were only learning sophistication, and many went with hunger in their bellies. So your point is?
As for Mugabwe's regime, people forget Rhodesia is a state that is self sufficient in Africa. A place that can fend for itself, and the people attempted to topple (by democratic means) Mugabwe but the bastard wouldn't let them vote. This is not like Irish people going up to vote, or Floridians spoiling a vote or what have you..these are people who walked to polling stations for two freakin' days. How DARE you challenge their belief in democracy, when most Americans won't get off their fat arses to drive their chevvy's down to a polling booth? I'm sorry. But you do not espouse conservatism to me.
It can be done, but the price seems too high for those who believe in utopia.The price of survival requires change.
BTW, I have experienced actual hunger, and have stolen food,for survival, in the USA, many years ago.
Perhaps you need to step back for a moment and look at who wants and needs food now, and why.I know hunger.I also know if I did not change, my hunger would be everlasting.
There are lots of "rich" people in Amerika, but I can testify, there are many more who are not rich, who have busted their @ss to keep food on the table, and who are not willing to continuously cast pearls before swine.
I will always offer a hand up, but I know better than to offer a hand out.Been there, done that, and used the t-shirt to wash my car!
Take your self-righteous attitude to God for judgement.I will continue to help my neighbor, or quietly donate money I can ill afford to true charities, or just cover the woman in front of me at the check out counter at the grocery store, so she does not have to "put back" the $1.99 cocoa with marshmellows treat for her children.
What do you do with your childs outgrown clothing? Do you sell it at a garage sale, or do you find a charity who will freely give it those in need at a faith based charity, not of your own faith ? Do you write it off for tax purposes?
Your thinly veiled holier-than- thou attitude does not impress me much.
The people of "Zimbabwe," easily able to live on their racism and hatred alone, showing true black fury and wrath as they starve, are getting what they wanted. They didn't care if the hand of their rulers beat them, starved them, stabbed them, shot them, as long as that hand was not white.
Only black Zimbabweans are left, but now there are 14 million of them, used to being fed by the whites no longer there.
It should be remembered that (at the stone age level of black technology which existed in that country before 1890 and after 2005) it will only support about 200,000 persons, and those at levels that a chimpanzee would not envy.
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