Tourists return to Zimbabwe

Doesn't sound like they are "tourists" in the traditional sense. More like businessmen looking to turn a quick buck - the whole country is for sale. Produce US dollars - point at what you want and it's YOURS...

I agree with you Marius,why not speak to the tourists themselves who have been flocking into Zim as is alleged rather than relying on hoteliers,businessman & entreprenuers as the yardstick for tourist activity?

I think they're used to adding a few zeroes behind numbers. Perhaps they should use normal figures and they'll realise that that figures have tripled, quite correct, from 2 to 6

Welldone Zimbabwe, let the Rhodies wallow in their self pitty and misguided belief that only they can turn around our economy. We are our own masters and as Zimbabweans we have already shown the rest of Africa that empowerment can bring success to the majority in the long run. We are not guided by short termism which Rhodies want us to believe we should live for but rather by the long term benefits of having a broad based economy owned and run by the majority.

"We are our own masters and as Zimbabweans we have already shown the rest of Africa that empowerment can bring success to the majority in the long run" - Exactly how far in the future is this success? Because from where I'm sitting, I don't think even the Hubble Telescope can see success on this path... ;-)

Jason Olivier, the report above demostrates just what it is I'm talking about. Like I said the big bone of disappointment might just choke you as this is not the sort of headline you want to see on Zimbabwe. The world is moving on and living you Rhodies and your sympathisers living the past. However long it takes us but the signs are very encouraging judging from this report and the situation prevailing in the country.

Crapola Fungayi,...the place is falling apart under our feet; or maybe you just see what's there and think 'this is fine'...I hadn't thought of that before. Low standards FD?

LA QUEBECOISE, dream on Rhodies! We defeated you once we will defeat you again on the economic front. We had wanted to work with you but you chose to work against us to protect your unfairly gained privileges. All you can do is see just the negatives to please yourselves but the reality is much more positive than that. They are our standards, Zimbabwean standards by Zimbabweans. We will define our own standards and destiny. Zimbabwe is rising again with more resilience much to the chagrin and annoyance of Rhodies and their sympathisers. No matter how much you try to play down these positive gains Zimbabwe will continue to march on without the Rhodies. Any attempts at subversion and Bennett's fate will befall you.

@Fungayi...yeboo man, you're 100% right:

"They are our standards, Zimbabwean standards by Zimbabweans." 18 hour power cuts, no municipal water, streets lined with trash, food that only your elite can buy, rude service, which I guess is better than no service at all, horrendously expensive..."

"They are our standards, Zimbabwean standards by Zimbabweans. "

and please tell me why tourists would want to come, and what they would see?

LA QUEBECOISE, you should tell me why they are coming if it was as bad as you say?

Hey Fungayi, they're not coming...no worries. they may cross over at the bridge to see Vic Falls, and they may 'check off' tourism, if they're coming in to sniff around for business ops...but tourists, hmmm those potholes, those empty service stations, those road blocks of hungry police at the end of the month, those roadblocks of drunken soldiers with their weapons pointed at you...shall I go on? Of course, you must be very wealthy and move only in the nicest circles, because I guess you don't have those problems.

It would also be interesting to learn where all the visitors come from; the groups of Chinese? and who else?

Everyone is fascinated by Zimbabwe. This article could explain the recent noises from Khama, afraid of the master?


EU petitioned to suspend aid to Malawi over bankrolling Mugabe
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/

Malawi has been highlighted in a petition to the EU calling for
punitive action against SADC countries over Zimbabwe's affairs

The Zimbabwe Vigil presented the petition to the EU's Commissioner for
Development and Humanitarian Aid, Karel De Gucht in Brussels this week.

The petition reads: "A Petition to European Union Governments: We
record our dismay at the failure of the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) to help the desperate people of Zimbabwe at their time of
trial.

"We urge the UK government and the European Union in general to
suspend government to government aid to all 14 SADC countries until they
abide by their joint commitment to uphold human rights in the region. We
suggest that the money should instead be used to feed the starving in
Zimbabwe".

The petition was handed over by Geoffrey Van Orden, MEP for the East
of England, who received it at a ceremony last month to mark the Vigil's
seventh anniversary.

"Our argument is that SADC countries have been derelict in their duty
to Zimbabwe. Why should countries which support Mugabe's tyranny receive
money from EU taxpayers?

"Why, for instance, should Malawi get £70 million in balance of
payments support this year from the UK alone when its people face starvation
because of a reckless loan to Mugabe, which predictably has not been repaid?
" reads the petition.

SADC has ordered urgent talks in Zimbabwe to resolve differences over
the Global Political Agreement. But Mugabe has shown what he thinks of this
by flying off to Rome with a retinue of 60 locusts to tell the UN World Food
Summit how badly Zimbabwe has been treated.

The loan Malawi government gave Zimbabwe has also be blamed to have
bee n one major cause of fore shortage in Malawi, the country which is
currently experiencing fuel shortage, power black-outs on daily basis and
water scarcity.

Fungayi, the reason "tourism" has increased so much, is because there is NOW a currency that foreigners can use in Zimbabwe. It's called the US Dollar. Very African, I know. ;-)

And contrary to what you think, I don't CARE about tourism in Zimbabwe. Merely watching the scene unfold. The moment a "unity government" appears, showing ZANU losing some of its grip, tourists return. Or should I say PEOPLE return. They may not even BE tourists. ;-) I'm merely waiting to see how it affects the people on the ground. And if it becomes lucrative, how long it will take for your Uncle to screw it up. ;-)

LA QUEBECOISE, what's wrong with Chinese tourists? The UK government actually has tourism activities aimed at Chinese toursits and sends delegations to attract Chinese tourists. Open your eyes the world has changed, it's no longer just white people who have money to tour other countries. Rhodesia and apartheid SA are gone. I know you find it hard to accept that Zimbabwe's tourism industry is recovering but as they say time is the healer you will learn with time. I am sure you can move to Australia where your fellow Rhodesians Never Die Brigade will throw you a big party.

Whether they are crossing from Zambia or Botswana or SA, the fact is they are visiting Zimbabwe on that day and spending money in Zimbabwe. However, since hotelliers are saying room occupance has improved from 30% to over 70% that means they are also staying over as well. Choke on your own vomit over this, we don't give a toss. We only feel sorry for your backwardness.

@Fungayi, wow, you've hit bottom, I think: "Choke on your own vomit over this"...where did you grow up?

We spoke of education, you may wish to know that I am listed as La Quebecoise...that's a province of Canada, not Australia.

And Fungayi, if you hate whites so much, who do you want to visit Zimbabwe and to join it in the world community?

Can you quote for me where I said I hate whites so much? If do not want to visit then the Chinese, Japanese and Arabs will visit. I know some Rhodies moved to Canada as well and I am sure they will welcome you the pomp and splendour.

@Fungayi. I think everyone who reads these posts has the opinion from all of your words that you hate white people. No one I know says 'I hope you choke on your own vomit" and all the "Rhodie" curses to someone who may not even be a "Rhodie'.

Good luck to you Fungayi, you will really need it

@ Fungayi. You know Fungayi, when I first came to Harare many years ago, my first experience was of an opening at an art gallery. I saw all these wonderful works painted by Zimbabwean artists; black artists, white artists; asian artists, so-called 'coloured' artists; young & old, men and women, and I thought what an amazing place. SO much beauty, so much talent. I know I'm going to love it here.

Then I lived for a while, and encountered the hatred of people like you, and the woman at the bank who cursed me as a 'f*&^ing white b*$#h" because I couldn't get out of her way fast enough as she reversed her car into mine; and the thievery and violence, and the dishonesty, and the total lack of any civility towards anyone.

And I ended up, with my friends beaten and robbed in their own homes, and the 82 year old mother of friends beaten and robbed in her own home, and her dogs poisoned, and her house burned down, and her farm stolen, and I thought to myself, will it be my turn next.

And I came away. Good luck to you Fungayi, you will need the help of others some day, and they will remember the awful things you have written in these posts.

I know... It's an influx of pedophiles!? One dollar for a quickie three dollars all night long! Zimbabwe is now desperate enough to whore itself at any price.

LA QUEBECOISE, I have got no sympathy whatsoever for your friend's 82 year old mother losing her farm. I highlighted for you the number of people who lost their lives when Rhodes and his crew arrived and helped themselves to our land. At 82, she is well aware of this history otherwise like Simon Chimbetu sang, Hendrik don't forget to tell your children that we stole this land and when the owners come to claim it back do not be surprised.(My own translation of his Shona song). She was lucky because she was not beheaded or hanged like Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Kaguvi and Chief Makoni.

I know you have a very low opinion of black people but I would not say from your words you hate black people. In Zimbabwe's case Rhodies are like the Nazis, no one likes them because they are unrepentent and think they are superior. Just because Rhodies are white does not translate to them representing all white people unless you are saying speaking against Nazis shows a serious dislike of white people because Nazis are white after all? Your logic is astounding.

LA QUEBECOISE, follow the lead below and read for yourself.

http://www.lalr.org.za/news/a-new-start-for-zimbabwe-by-ian-scoones

@Fungayi: When you're done in England I believe that De Doorns is quite a nice place to settle.... Amazing how quickly the wheel turns. Today you're beating the white farmer and his wife... tomorrow it's your turn to be chased...

Fungayi: you are sick and twisted. A heart so full of hatred.

Marius de Kock and Megan Holden you both might benefit from following this link as well and school yourselves without the blinkers.

http://www.lalr.org.za/news/a-new-start-for-zimbabwe-by-ian-scoones

oh yes, that great unbiaised commentator on farm issues...Sam Moyo.

LA QUEBECOISE it's research carried out by:

Ian Scoones is a Professorial Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, UK. He is an agricultural ecologist by original training and has worked in rural Zimbabwe since 1985. His PhD thesis was entitled Livestock Populations and Household Economy: A Case Study from Southern Zimbabwe (University of London, 1990). He is the author of numerous articles, chapters and reports on rural Zimbabwe, including the 1996 book “Hazards and Opportunities: Farming Livelihoods in Dryland Zimbabwe” (Zed Press). He is a member of the Livelihoods after Land Reform project team.

@Fungayi : It's a year old!?!? And your point would be what? Where do you fit in. A1, A2? Absent A2? No matter how rosy the review you choose it does change the reality of what is going on (OR NOT) on the ground. http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/ gives a daily account. Since that paper the Zim dollar was cancelled. The government has only been able to raise a fraction of the funds needed for agriculture. Banks are not accepting offer letters or leases as collateral. Banks don't have foreign currency reserves to loan. Seed production is down 80%. Less than 50% of the fertiliser required has been sourced. We are already a month into the planting season, so I look forward to hearing of the preparations you have made by cellphone. Have a look at Zimbabwe on Google Earth. You can see the areas the bush has reclaimed - vast swathes of the country formerly worked has a rash... and you can see the new teensie plots all higgledy piggledy. The size of the new plots are immaterial as mechanised agriculture has been cancelled due to a lack of petrol. Production has been going down consistently and I see nothing to turn it around. Argue the facts: http://www.slideshare.net/Sokwanele/zimbabwe-economy-october-2009

YAY Marius de Kock; the entire area east of Harare towards Marondera and around there is completely barren, well not barren, the 'new farmers' have sown weeds. And not only towards Marondera/Nyanga, but north towards Kariba. Of course you can't eat them, but it looks nice and green when you come out for the weekend braais.

what a waste.

@La Quebecoise, Marius De Kock & Jason Olivier
You so-called "white Africans" are full or yourselves and a lot of shit! You are the biggest losers because in the end a whole lot of Africans in Southern Africa would not care a bit about you. You sound bitter, negative, foolish ash-holes and cry babies. I have never seen such negative lot as your kind.

I forgive you, because you still think that you have control of the natives. I'm so sorry that you are losing it. You must be the bitterest of all bastards in Southern Africa. Shame you..ass-holes!!! Thank God the white spoil system in Zimbabwe was ended. In Zimbabwe whites cannot pull a power trip, because we will crush you!!! Ask Bennett, he knows better, what his place is in Zimbabwe!!! The white Africans I met in Europe were the bitterest and most evil people....We spoiled you to death!!!But now you are on your own and most of you are not that successful!!!

@zodwa sibanda, fungayi and (former?) Zimbabweans of your ilk; It will come as a surprise to you to know that my friends who have lost their farms, are dancing little dances of joy at no longer 'controlling the natives", no longer having to scrounge for food for them, drive them to the hospital at 3 in the morning to have wounds from drunken fights stitched up, providing teachers for the farm schools and nursing sisters for the farm clinics and all the myriad acts of 'compassion' that we do.

My friends want(ed) to farm, and are sorry they can no longer do that; as farmers of whatever colour, they deplore waste; wasted opportunity to make land productive, as well as wasted opportunities to turn things around.

For people who profess to value 'respect' above all else, and that is how it appears throughout this newspaper, you 3, and your pals, speak in a manner which I have not heard normal people speak.


And the way Robert Mugabe speaks towards the world, if I were a black Zimbabwean and my head of state spoke in that manner, I would make sure to vote him out of office at the next possible opportunity. I have never, never, never understood why he gets standing ovations by crowds of black Africans; could they possibly think this foul-mouthed ignoramus, despite his long distance degrees, including the degree in violence, is showing that he is standing up to the so-called colonial masters? He is simply reinforcing the idea of the most backward of us, of the black African.

And if so, there are plenty other places in Africa to see wildlife and waterfalls.

@zodwam fungayi and friends, I have just had an email from a friend; I thought you might enjoy reading part of it....

"Another woman (I’ll call her Gail – not her name) who teaches with her and whom I know slightly helps out black women in a nearby community with a sewing group. A younger woman in the sewing group was a continual trouble causer and finally Gail had told her to either settle down or get out. Others in the sewing circle had then decided to discipline the woman and beat her and killed the baby on her back. That Gail even goes so far as to help out in the community is remarkable considering that her aunt who was kicked off her farm in Ruwa last year was raped by 4 of her assailants at the time of the eviction. Gail’s brother was a GP here at the time and ended up testing the 4 assailants for HIV – all were positive. He decided this was incompatible with his Hippocratic oath and emigrated to New Zealand.

So, wouldn't you like to come and visit beautiful Zim with all its 'nice, warm, friendly people'

@zodwa, fungayi, and friends; I just received this morning's email from Zim,

" Apparently, maintenance work is going on at both Kariba and Hwange so we are back to 48 hour
power cuts interspersed with random 8 hour cuts. Poor XXXX has been without
power for 9 weeks now and we are all very careful not to mention zesa to her at
all! Fuel has gone scarce again, and that means XXXX is out sourcing for all his worth. "

So, wouldn't you like to come and visit beautiful Zim" Come to think of it, we haven't heard from Fungayi recently...do you think he's alright, or maybe he's gone back to Zim for a visit and can't communicate.

@LA QUEBECOISE You damn fuckin bastard!!! It is a good thing that Mugabe kicked your fuckin dirty ass. I don't care about your colonial undemocratic stories! Most of you have not been successful outside of Zimbabwe or South Africa...You are a batch of miserable so-called white Africans. I attended University both in England and Australia and I run into a lot of the former white Africans!

You have identity problems and a very screwed up white superority complex. Most of you do not fit in your new homeland. There are no servants or garden boys to bully around...Basically, you are a nobody where you are! In Zimbabwe or South Africa at least we entertained you.

You are bitter because the white spoil system of priviledge was removed from you during independence. You should thank Mandela and other SADC leaders for liberating your very small minds!! And perhaps you were also involved in murderous white savage behaviours. Who the hell do you think you are??? You Fuckin Idiot!!!

No No Zodwa.... say what you really mean. I do notice that your posts are somewhat bare of facts which is a pity considering the bile you spew...

Zodwa, I think it's pointless to engage the two bitter unrepentent Rhodies Marius de Kock and LA QUEBECOISE. They are still stuck in the past. Like you rightly said they could not make it in the west where they have become commoners and all they hope for is bad news coming out of Zimbabwe with the vain hope that someday they may get their ill gotten privilages back.

They always quote events like power cuts which are just as endemic in SA, Zambia and Botswana as though they are unique to Zim. All we can say is they can dream on. Here in the west we have shown them that their perception of blacks as workers is just as misplaced as their view that they know what's best for us. They refused to be Zimbabweans in Zimbabwe and now they want to associate themselves with events like Zimfest in the diaspora because they cannot fit in with their fellow whites. Their only undoing is trying to continue patronising black people that we are in the same boat when we are not.

Mugabe gave them a hand of reconcilaition and they slapped him across the face, Mandela did the same in SA and they are slapping him across the face. When the SA blacks's patience just like Malema has intimated runs out then Zimbabwe will be like paradise for these ungrateful sods. The UK is unfriendly to them, Canada is unfriendly to the spoilt lives they were used to in Zim same as Australia and New Zealand. This is why they are so bitter and spewing all this vile on news websites comments pages.

Zimbabwe will NEVER be a colony again. It belongs to all who live in it, all who call it home and not the elite spoilt colonial offsprings and their colonial parents. If they do not want to share they must ship out.

@Marius, Alasdair and others of the Bitter Unrepentant Class;

What do you think, should we go out and invest in sackcloth and ashes, and acknowledge that all the murder, thefts, and demolition of a an entire country has been a pack of lies? Then maybe the silver tongued Zodwa, and his/equally silver tongued Fungayi might welcome us into the land of barren fields, rubbish piled streets, lightless and heatless homes, and dry water taps? Oh, darn, I didn't mean to write that, it must be the feeling of not-belonging that makes me sound like a...oh, that's the word, human being.

p.s. Zodwa, wow, those must have been some universities in the UK and Australia; you have quite a little vocabulary. In my culture, your mother would have washed out your mouth with soap.

LA QUEBECOISE, out of Zimbabwe you are like fish out of water! You had it so easy that it pains you to have lost all that privilege that you had anly because of the colour of your skin. Out there it's dog it dog, there is no shefu, baas, master, madam or sir . I pitty you!

Sorry, Fungayi. I didn't quite get that.

LOL @ Fungayi. Best response yet. How's the "farm" coming along? You can still find it? Imagine your surprise when you arrive there and the nice Chinese man welcomes you to HIS land, "Hurro!" Nongqawuse had nothing on you, you are so dumb!

Marius de Kock, it's not the Chinese I worry about it's the Rhodies. The Chinese with all their faults did more for African independence from European occupation than they could ever do damage to it. They are the only investor country putting infrastructure development in Africa ahead of cosmetic things like democracy and human rights which Europeans and their American cousins would never know even if they hit them on the nose. They try to use these terms as a means of controlling Africans on what they can or cannot do yet the Chinese respect Africans as equally capable beings who can make their own choices about how they want to run their affairs.

affairs into the ground....

Yay Marius again. You go for it...tell him.

Fungayi is so ignorant, and so blind with his "(the Chinese)...are the only investor country putting infrastructure development in Africa ahead of cosmetic things like democracy and human rights..." Lord Lovely Jaysus; the money the 'evil west' put into roads, electricity, hospitals, schools telephone lines, railways and I can't think of what else which we know as 'infrastructure', the training, the degrees, the mentoring...all of it for naught.

LA QUEBECOISE all of it for their own benefit hence the liberation struggle.

@Fungayi...

all of the development assistance investment in infrastructure was AFTER the African countries attained independence. All of it.

THose who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.