Zim: worse than you imagine

The situation in Zimbabwe is worse than anything the Elders had imagined. The Elders, comprising former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former US President Jimmy Carter and human rights advocate Graca Machel, were speaking at a media briefing held after a three-day assessment of Zimbabwe's humanitarian situation.

The conference served to highlight the extreme to which Zimbabwe's people are suffering. The Elders had planned to visit Zimbabwe, but were informed by mediator Thabo Mbeki that their presence was unwelcome in Harare. Instead, they met with political leaders, businessmen, aid workers, donors, UN agencies and civil society representatives over the weekend.

They described their findings as "heartbreaking". Said Machel: "We were expecting a gloomy situation but the crisis is much worse than anything we had ever imagined. Either the leadership there doesn't have a clear picture of the suffering or they don't care."

Machel said that "anyone sensible" would not delay doing everything possible to stop deaths in Zimbabwe.

"What we have learned in the past few days is shocking. It is not just the extent of Zimbabwe's humanitarian crisis, but the speed of deterioration in the past few weeks that is most worrying. The scale, depth and urgency of the situation are underreported," said Annan.

They described a situation in which Zimbabwe citizens are left without food and have a fraction of the crops they require. Zimbabwe was once an agricultural beacon on the African continent.

About 15% of the population is infected with HIV. Cholera is breaking out because of poor sanitation. Four major hospitals have closed their doors to almost all patients.

School attendance has fallen from over 85% in 2007 to just 20%. Teachers do not earn enough to cover three days' transport and are thus not present at schools.

Said Carter: "The signing of the September 15 [Global Political Agreement] raised hopes in Zimbabwe and around the world, but the failure to implement it in good faith and create a workable power sharing government is leading to despair and accelerating the crisis. Regardless of the challenges in implementing the agreement, all parties should now make the welfare of the people their people the first priority and put an end to the unnecessary suffering of millions."

The Elders did not make any radical statements, such as a denouncement of former South African President Thabo Mbeki's mediation role or a call for military action.

Annan did say any advice he'd give Mbeki would be done in private.

Machel said that the change in South Africa's tone was an improvement. South Africa, under President Kgalema Motlanthe, has withheld agricultural aid from Zimbabwe. She said that Sadc (South African Development Community) needs to be more assertive and forceful.

The Elders made the following recommendations:

• All political parties should implement, in good faith, the Global Political Agreement as a matter of urgency, and work to form a truly inclusive government to tackle the humanitarian and economic crisis, also working with regional and international partners.
• Donors should provide sufficient resources to meet emergency humanitarian needs, including the current $140m required to feed people until April. They should also support the consolidated appeal of €550m by 35 agencies to address urgent needs in all sectors in 2009.
• Humanitarian agencies must have unimpeded access, to assess needs and deliver humanitarian assistance without restraint.
• The Elders call on the United Nations to work with the government and others to bring critical support to smallholder farmers in particular, especially in seed and fertiliser. This could enable a new "Home Grown Help" initiative to be launched in time for the 2009/10 agricultural season.
• They said it is essential that the region comes together to set up a medical task force to help deal with those affected by cholera and to contain the spread of the disease.
• The government of Zimbabwe, working with the UN and international agencies, should find creative ways of retaining doctors, nurses and other essential staff, and to ensure that medical supplies are available.
• Extraordinary measures to attract qualified health workers from surrounding countries should be brought in to address the fatal cholera epidemic. The Elders called on Sadc to ensure proper capacity, regional coordination and co-operation.
• Government, with assistance from donors and aid agencies, should create incentives for teachers to go back to school, including transport allowances, adequate salary, housing and access to food.
• Government, with assistance from donors, should ensure that the emergency treatment of existing water sources, along with efforts to rehabilitate water and sanitation infrastructure.
• The Sadc region needs to acknowledge that the crisis in Zimbabwe is affecting neighbouring countries and it is in the interests of all that it be addressed immediately.

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responses to this article

You can always count on the ANC to do nothing Graca is married to Mandela, an icon of the ANC, yet the ANC has done nothing. They should all hang their heads in shame. by Sad Days on November 24 2008, 18:49 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

The ANC must love Mugabe They have done plenty to support him. They will do the same to SA as Mugabe, the most hated person in Africa, has done to Zimbabwe. Kill the oppostion bring me my machine gun ... does this not sound like Mugabe and his mob of killers? In my opinion if . .more Zuma and his partner Malema get in next year then we are finished and will need the Elders to help us. . .less by Afropessimist on November 24 2008, 19:36 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Why This is what makes me furious.. "The Elders did not make any radical statements, such as a denouncement of former South African President Thabo Mbeki's mediation role or a call for military action. Annan did say any advice he'd give . .more Mbeki would be done in private. " Why? WHY? Every responsible and caring person should be standing up and screaming it at the top of their lungs. Why are they now P****-footing around the very man who is largely to blame for this catastrophe? This is insane. Cyril, Tokyo, Trevor etc, why are you not screaming? . .less by Bruce on November 24 2008, 19:46 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Don't understand why they need agricultural help Afterall, the highly intelligent Zimbabwean "war veterans" took the farms away from the colonialists so that they could do a better job. Must be; why else would they take the land unless it was plain common theft. Why then do these highly experienced . .more farmers now need help? When the colonialists/imperialists/racists/counter-revolutianaries (oops sorry that is our term) were farming the masses had food; now they are starving. I wonder if they are now happy that the whites are no longer farming there? Perhaps they should ask some of the locals... . .less by Democrat on November 24 2008, 19:59 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Suffer in Silence Once again BOB gets away with murder. He should be put on trial and tortured until he dies. Why should the world suffer because of one moron? The neighboring countries should save guard their borders and let the people of Zim reap what they sowed. by Suffer on November 24 2008, 20:55 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

African excellence Let's put a different perspective on this. W W2 saw the deaths of about 25 million people over a period of about 7 years. This includes 6 millions jews exterminated by the Nazi thugs and a further 8 million Russins killed by their own . .more government. In a situation where there is no declared war, Africa manages to kill abou 5 millions a year just through devilish management of the political economy. Look at Congo, Somalia, Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau, Chad, imbabwe, Ruanda, Western sahara, etc etc etc . Africa s thus killing more of its citizens per annum than a fully operational wstern war conducted on an Industrial scale Truly Africa is far beter at some things than we can ever imagine . .less by Plutarch on November 24 2008, 21:06 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

afriken exilense well stated plutarch!! by fred on November 24 2008, 21:50 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

DISGUSTING the SADC AND MBEKI ARE COMPLICIT IN CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY ALL IN THE NAME OF PROTECTING SOME EVIL DESPOT BECAUSE HE ONCE WAS A FREEDOM FIGHTER. EVEN THOUGH INNOCENT PEOPLE ARE DYING DAILY, THEY REFUSE TO REMOVE THIS NATIVE. ITS DISGUSTING AND THE DEATHS . .more OF THESE INNOCENTS ARE ON THE HANDS OF MBEKI AND HIS ILK - PERIOD. THERE CAN BE NO JUSTIFICATION FOR PROTECTING THIS MAD PERSON. SIMILARLY, IN SA, THE GOVT IS PREPARED TO LOSE NO LESS THAN 18 000 OF ITS INNOCENT CIVILIANS TO VIOLENT CRIME AND MURDER ANNUALLY INSTEAD OF PUTTING A STOP TO IT. ALL THE WHILE, ALL THE FUNDING INTENDED FOR THE POOR IN SA, IS BEING STOLEN AT EVERY LEVEL OF GOVT WITH IMPUNITY. EVEN THOUGH THESE PEOPLE ARE CAUGHT THEY SOON RE- APPEAR ELSEWHERE IN GOVT WHILE THE MAJORITY OF THE BLACK POPULATION SUFFER IN SQUALOR BEING DENIED FREE ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION. . .less by msholozi on November 24 2008, 22:12 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

African Blacks Here we have a murderer, a man who lost the election, a man hated by many, a man who has detroyed his country, a man who is enormously wealthy according to the media, a man who cannot stick to agreements, a man who has caused poverty hunger on the . .more grandest scale, a man with the worst humanitarian record in recent African times. Have you ever read anything even remotely good and positive about Mugabe in the last 10 years? Yet Mbeki supports him and wants to keep him in power as do the ANC (what have they done to prove the reverse?). It is not as if any of the useless ANC bunch are saying this has to be fixed now and Mugabe must go. My view is that most African Blacks cannot govern and thus most of Africa is a complete mess and a sea of poverty and failure. Give me Ian Karma or Nelson or Obama any day but Mbeki and Zuma and Malema well I do hope they never ever are voted into power as that will mean SA will become another African failure. They are not fit to govern. Montlanthe looks ok but Malema will not tolerate him. Oh well, bring me my machine gun and lets kill the opposition as that is how they do it in Africa according to the ANC leaders so might as well join in . .less by Sad on November 25 2008, 00:13 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Solution Helen Zille for president of SA - stands to reason. Simba Makoni for Zim! by Zim Exile on November 25 2008, 05:35 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Zimbabwe I find it ironic that one of the "Elders" Jimmy Carter supported Mugabe's election back in 1980... bit late now to try and solve the mess... but we told you so.... by Earthwalker on November 25 2008, 09:37 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

tilting at windmills If the prior posts are a snap-shot of the superior intellect of the aryan, god help us all! by Jean Racine on November 25 2008, 17:21 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Jean Racine As compared with? by Zim Exile on November 25 2008, 18:56 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

So much insight by... a fomer peanut farmer, former first lady of Moz whose country still flounders in abject poverty and the former head of the UN who was unable to pass a formal audit! by Sipho on November 26 2008, 11:03 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

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