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Eddie Cross's Website

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Eddie Cross - Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

2008 Articles
25 Dec Kingdom Come
21 Dec Christmas
15 Dec Step Forward
5 Dec Beginning
1 Dec Amendment
30 Nov Facilitation
26 Nov Genocide
24 Nov Running Out
17 Nov Crisis
15 Nov Somalia
12 Nov What Next?
8 Nov Leadership
2 Nov Chipo
1 Nov Rome Burns
29 Oct Failure
25 Oct High Noon
19 Oct Never Easy
10 Oct Abyss
8 Oct Filibustering
4 Oct Chaos in Zim
29 Sept A Mule?
21 Sept On Step
16 Sept The End
12 Sept New Beginning
11 Sept Deal?
6 Sept Consequences
3 Sept Need a Deal
2 Sept Dollar Died
31 Aug Steering
29 Aug Unstuck
23 Aug Betrayed
18 Aug The Devil
13 Aug 13 Aug 08
12 Aug Today
11 Aug Cliffhanger
8 Aug Whats Going On
27 Jul Progress
22 Jul Agree to talk
21 Jul Mbeki kicks
16 Jul Crunch Time
13 Jul Economics
9 Jul Reality Looms
2 Jul Where?
30 Jun Looking Glass
26 Jun Battle
22 Jun What Now?
21 Jun The Commitment
16 Jun Do or Die
13 Jun Morning After
10 Jun Closing Doors
26 May Current Outlook
24 May Fan Club
19 May Tyranny
17 May End Game
15 May Flushing
8 May Violence
6 May Bizarre Process
25 Apr Cornered
20 Apr Electoral Fraud
19 Apr Jesse
17 Apr This Farce
11 Apr The Devil
6 Apr Wounded Buffalo
1 Apr Dying Kick
31 Mar Politcl Tsunami
27 Mar Current Situ.
26 Mar 4 days to go
21 Mar 8 days to go
15 Mar Election Time
27 Feb Games Begin
17 Feb Public Office
11 Feb Choices
4 Feb Decision Time
26 Jan Ambushed
25 Jan The Struggle
20 Jan Truth or Fiction
12 Jan Mugabe Mistake
8 Jan Surprise
2 Jan Kenya Lessons

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The Zimbabwe Crisis in Focus

With so much going on, the crisis in Zimbabwe hardly rates attention. But in the midst of an electrifying election in the USA, the global meltdown in financial and stock markets and the fast changing situation in South Africa, we must be reasonably satisfied that we are not forgotten.

By and large events have strengthened the hands of those who seek a solution to the Zimbabwe crisis. The new leadership in South Africa is more amenable to democratic change in Zimbabwe and there is no doubt that the Obama administration will continue the policies of the Bush administration in Africa. If anything pressure from Obama will be more difficult for the regime in Harare to handle.

In the context of the global financial crisis it also seems that international donors remain committed to the stabilisation and reconstruction of the Zimbabwe economy, once we demonstrate that we are implementing new policies that will deliver change and growth with respect for the rule of law and the norms of good governance.

The failure of the SADC leadership to resolve the crisis is a disappointment but it's by no means the end of the road. The response by the MDC gives regional leaders a chance to support the implementation of the Global Agreement in a way that makes it possible to start the process of stabilisation and recovery. Initial reaction to the MDC position is positive - it looks as if Zanu PF and Mutambara will not be able to go ahead with a new government until the demands of the MDC are met.

How quickly those demands can be satisfied is entirely in the hands of the local leaders. A draft of the required legislation exists, Parliament is on stand by to meet to debate the draft and then vote it into effect. All Parties are then ready to nominate their candidates for the many positions that must be filled to bring a new administration into existence.

Once the new government takes over from the Junta it can then begin meeting the laid down benchmarks that have been decided we must satisfy to qualify for aid. These are not onerous and this should be achieved quite quickly. As they are satisfied the volume of aid will gradually escalate until it is able to meet our essential needs.

But time is not on our side, the situation in Zimbabwe is deteriorating rapidly. Most children of school going age are no longer in school, 2008 has been almost a complete failure, pass rates in public examinations are expected to fall to 3 per cent. We now have outbreaks of Cholera in many centres - in Harare it is out of control with hundreds being affected.

The food crisis is spiralling out of hand - hundreds of thousands of our people are facing starvation. People are collapsing in queues, children are dying of malnutrition and hunger. Deaths from disease now outnumber deaths from aging by a wide margin - perhaps 3 to 1.

But perhaps most seriously is the rapid reduction in our capacity to recover from the crisis once its roots are torn out. Government departments are perhaps most affected - nearly all are shadows of their recent past. Skilled and experienced civil servants are fleeing in droves. In my last letter I mentioned that a recent survey had said that 53 per cent of all Zimbabweans had considered emigration in 2008. In fact I have seen the survey now and the actual figure was 43 per cent of all Zimbabweans having attempted to leave the country since 2000. This was in a sample of those who still live here - it shows just how widespread and substantial the flight of our human capital has been,

Estimates of our current population are as low as 7 million. I do not think it is as small as that - but it could be 8 million. If that is so then Zimbabweans in the Diaspora must be approaching 5 million. That assumes that 3 million have died since 1997 as a consequence of rising death rates from a myriad of ailments.

In the private sector many executives and owners have hung on hoping that change would come in time to save what was left of their enterprise. Even the most determined are now giving up the struggle to keep their businesses running. A long time ago they lost many of the skills they needed to run their enterprise properly - but what is happening now will make it very difficult to resurrect the business network that essentially have kept Zimbabwe on its feet through the crisis.

As one of the 'change brigade', I have always striven to encourage people to hold on and fight to maintain their homes and enterprise in the belief that eventually we would get change. But I never thought that this struggle would last 10 years. But it has and I still think that the end is in sight even though it's hard to see that at present.

So where does this put us? Well first of all, I think our struggle to establish the conditions needed to put Zimbabwe back on its feet has been worth all the sacrifice - we have all given up a great deal to stay and see this thing through. We are not wavering in the struggle - not for one minute. We are right; we have chosen the difficult but principled route and will stay the course for as long as it takes.

But it is becoming very difficult to persuade others to stay the course with us in these terrible conditions. But to those who choose to stay the course, I want to say a special thank you for your courage and commitment. I respect the decision of those who feel that the price of staying is too high and decide to go. You go with our blessings and wishes that wherever you land you will make a home and will not forget those of us who chose to stay and fight.

But all of you can help us love our neighbours - we need your help, wherever you are, to try and meet the immediate needs of those who live around us. About US$25 a month will feed a family for a month. We need to keep people alive while we fight for their rights and our future. So much of official aid and commercial supplies controlled by the Junta are denied to millions - you can help us defeat this tyranny by standing with us in this way. If you want to know how, just drop me a line.

Eddie Cross
Bulawayo, 15th November 2008