Thursday, May 22, 2008

MY SHORT STAY IN SOUTH AFRICA

I first went to South Africa passing through into Swaziland to look for a nursing job.I had no intention of staying there i had no love for the place it just felt so allien to me maybe thats the feeling you get when one gets to a new place. Call me naive. As i had no place to stay in Swaziland and the stay was expensive since i had to convert my Zimkwatshas into rands, and Malangenis. That meant i could go to KwaNgwane for a few days then back to Jozi.

During my short stay in Jozi i was one morning mugged in broad daylight at 100hrs in the morning had a cellphone and the last ten rand i had in my pocket rudely taken away from me in broad day light in full view of the public. For the first time in my life i had the police stop me get a dog out of a car for me and i searched.The search felt like the deepest invasion of privacy i have evr encountered in my life. i felt like i had been rapped. These were the most traumatic six months in my life. I suffered from post traumatic stress disorder i got very paranoid when somebody ws walking behind me, i felt jittery even though i knew who was walking behind me, i was loosing my mind. I got missed by a kombi in the city centre near the small street exit , thats when i looked at my life and saw that i was no longer who i was.

I remember visiting this friend of a friend he seemed to be doing well he rented a single bedroomed flat by himself, had a big flat screen tv, and a big hi-fi system and a fridge. What he said, made me re-evaluate my situation and think twice about where i was falling into.He told me that if you are a professional, and when you get to jozi, you see yourself drowning untill you get to a point where you decide to get any job that comes your way, go back home and start a new, otherwise your years of training will be a waste.That hit home as i had swapped my nurse's unifrom and skills for a shovel and mortar mixing skills. I went home the following weekend and started to aply for jobs in Australia got a job and left Zimbabwe for Aus i have not looked back ever since.

Why i am writting this is because of the sad scenario that we find ourselves ,and other fellow Zimbabweans in today. We are talking of 22 people dead to date the number has not stopped rising. We find learned people who were forced by the unrewarding enviroment in the Zimbabwean workplace to move to SA, being killed and maimed by the scam of this earth just because they were not born in SA. It is a sad scenario.Even here in Australia there is no gurantee of safety, just last weekend there were racist pamphelets posted in maill boxes targerting AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS in Sydney.So dire are our straits that we are damned if we stay put at our motherland and still damned if we leave.

This is a sad scenario that only us understand. I know fully well that most of the people live in SA because they have no choice. Our prayers are with you guys in SA MAY THE LORD SHOW THE LIGHT TO THOSE PERSECUTORS.WE PRAY THAT WE MAY ALL BE SAVED FROM THIS PAINFULL EPISODE. WE FEEL YOUR PAIN AS WE SEE SOME OF YOU GUYS IN THE VIDEOS AND PICTURES I CANNOT HELP BUT WONDER WHY WE HEARD WE HAD TO BE REDUCED TO SUCH. ONLY GOD CAN SHOW US THE WAY NOW.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

From Prim's desk

Dear Sir/Madam,

Re: Representing the Plight of the People of Matabeleland

Who we are? – Our introductory Message and Announcement

We are working as a body called Umhlahlo we Sizwe sika Mthwakazi - The brainchild of the victims of Matabeleland – a people who have endured one of the worst Government sponsored cruelty, ethnic cleansing, suppression and torture- carried out by the Mugabe-ZANU PF Regime of Zimbabwe Agents.

Umhlahlo we Sizwe is an umbrella body of Civic Groups and all Activists of Matabeleland who united in the cause of the truth, morality and justice for all nationals: to help all affected people – ‘Matabeleland minority Groups of all Tribes and Races’.

The Announcement - Requesting immediate Release to the public:

We are requesting all Media and Press Organisations, Groups and individual Journalists to help us publicise our below stated *position ‘preferably before the Zimbabwe Elections of the 29th March 2008.

Our *Position concerning the Zimbabwe Elections due on 29 March 2008 Speaking on behalf of Umhlahlo we Sizwe sika Mthwakazi, our *position concerning the Zimbabwe Election process is that: - We, the people of Matabeleland of all Tribes and Races, wish to make it known that we have nothing to do with the above Zimbabwe Elections.

However we support and wish the huge population of Zimbabwe which now lives in Matabeleland all the best; even as we support all helpless hurting people of Zimbabwe (a country which is also known as Mashonaland) – wishing success. There is a huge population of people from Mashonaland who live in Matabeleland: and we shall always support them whenever we can, in their good attempts.

We also wish if only provisions, in many more countries, should have been created to help Zimbabweans (or Mashonaland nationals) enabling them the environment or premises to Vote: So that (as we have done in Matabeleland) the people from Mashonaland could have been given a chance to make their contribution towards determining the direction of their country – i.e. by being able to vote from wherever they may be outside their country: Considering the fact that millions of them now live abroad outside their country Zimbabwe (or Mashonaland). This help could have been best created in Countries where this population is concentrated; like Tanzania, South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and in the UK: Sadly, the UN and concerned host countries have been silent about enabling the large population of the people of Mashonaland the ability to Vote from these countries. End of Our Announcement.

The Invitation to members of the Press

We wish to inform and invite you to attend our Press Conference which is called to highlight the Plight of the people of Matabeleland And launching the Campaign seeking support and assistance for the Process through which we seek redress.

Pointers to the Press Conference Message are: - (I. & II.)

I. The Remedy to address the Plight of the People of Matabeleland

II. SECURITY 1. Security for the victimised and traumatised people of Matabeleland Due to lack of security, people of Matabeleland, our elders and leaders cannot freely speak – not even about this course of action we are now taking.

2. Security for members of the Press and all professional Media services a. We all know that most Media Bodies have, for a number of years, been officially forbidden by the Mugabe-ZANU PF-Zimbabwe Regime, banned from carrying out Media coverage of whatever has been happening - affecting the people of Matabeleland. b. We, the people of Matabeleland, believe in freedom of the Press. c. And we consider the Media / Press services crucial and helpful to human development and key to every country’s economic success. d. The banning of Press Freedom is a very concerning and discomforting matter to us: and we consider the whole secretive activities detrimental, dangerous and disadvantageous to the survival of the people of Matabeleland.

3. Security for Development - is crucial to us

4. Security for Private Property: Considering many of us have been officially robbed

5. Security for Investment and Security for Investors

6. Security for Tourists and for all foreign nationals

Objectives of the Press Conference We are appealing for assistance and seek support as we embark on a Process - (which shall be covered at the Press Conference) - through which we seek redress to end the humiliating predicament in which we find ourselves.

We (the people of Matabeleland) have endured the worst traumatising experience over a period of no less than 11 decades: (87 years under the Oppressive and Racial Regimes, succeeded in 1980 by the worst Mugabe-ZANU PF Iron-fist rule, which, for almost 30years now - has continued to perpetrate the worst cruel methods upon us using the majority Shona Tribe.

The presenter of this document / Representative of the Process

My name is Sithabiso Primrose Ncube: I am the External Envoy at International level -representing our cause - and presenting the remedy and Process towards addressing the Plight of the People of Matabeleland).

Once again may we appeal to members of the Press / Media, to help publicise our message - of making our *position clear to the International Community - particularly before the end of the Zimbabwe Election process.

Your assistance in announcing the above, your attendance to our Press Conference and your support shall for-ever be sincerely appreciated.

Thank you

Yours faithfully For - The Restoration of the Kingdom of Matabeleland

Ms Sithabiso Primrose Ncube External Envoy