If you were having coffee with me would be happy you had a moment to visit, it’s the season to be jolly, despite the challenges this year has put us through, yet here we are still. I will not be sleeping on New Year’s eve into the New Year not because I want to see the dawn of a New Year, but to make sure 2020 has really left.
Its that time of the year after Christmas but before the New Year when all the days just sort of blur and you have to constantly remind yourself what day it is and sometimes it doesn’t even matter… Maybe there’s something in the Coffee ^_^
If you were having coffee with me I would ask how your Christmas went. Mine eventually turned out ok and for that I give thanks and for a little while everything was perfect… you can check out my Christmas Day write up on The Year We Almost Cancelled Christmas
Some people never made it in time for Christmas such people who were trapped at the Beitbridge Border Post between South Africa and Zimbabwe, a very busy gateway between not just South Africa and Zimbabwe but also Africa. Travellers were stuck in an over 15km blockade due to the painstaking bureaucracy in safeguarding against COVID with the border closing at 10pm each day.
Ironically in trying to curb the corona virus, authorities created super spreader conditions. The situation also devolved into a humanitarian crisis as the travellers had no access to water, ablution facilities and even food not mention being stuck in the sweltering heat. 15 people are reported to have died in the past week waiting to cross the border.
The two governments have been throwing responsibilities at each other with a South African minister going as far as telling the Zimbabwean government to fix their economy so that Zimbabweans wouldn’t have to migrate to South Africa. According to media reports the Beitbridge Border Post has streamlined the customs clearing process cutting down some of the requirements for truckers and the backlogged traffic has been cleared.
If you were having coffee with me, I would tell you that last week I first came into news of a low pressure system in the Indian ocean that had potential to develop into a cyclone. The tropical storm which resulted reached critical windspeeds for it to be classified as Tropical Cyclone Chalane.
Cyclone Chalane made landfall in Madagascar downgrading to a tropical depression but is predicated to gain momentum as it crosses the Mozambican Channel following the path taken by Cyclone Idai almost year ago although forecasted to have windspeeds at about half the strength of Cyclone Idai.
I worry about how our disaster management protocol seems to be more of a wait and see approach than actively preparing for an event, although news reports seem to suggest that the government is on high alert (they said the same thing about covid) I cant say I have seen anything that shows they are on top of the situation except the president praying.
Imagine if Noah after being told a flood was coming and instead of building an ark knelt to pray… At least we have a prayerful president, so he cant be as bad as the big bad west says he is right?
If you were having coffee with me, I would tell you I was reading The 2020 Festivus Report on the US Government’s wastage after I saw a tweet from US Senator Rand Paul citing how the US Government committed 10 million dollars and five years in improving Zimbabwe’s political process.
Well a part of me is like well the way our political space is so polarised we should take all the help we can get but then another part of me is like who made USA: The Guardian of the world’s democracy I mean isn’t that why we have the UN, EU AU and SADCC; never mind the antics president Trump which werent exactly exemplary behaviour from a president.
Also how exactly would they intend to Improve our political process… or is it more like interfere through financing civic pressure groups as the government is always quick to point out whenever there are protests and riots that 3rd forces and misguided elements are furthering imperialistic agendas of foreign governments?
If you were having coffee with me, I would tell you it was a circus watching a branch of a Zimbabwean opposition party conduct its extra-ordinary congress to elect its president and the then current president ordered the ballot be stopped and tried to suspend the winning candidate on grounds of rigging and corruption, who in turn refused to be suspended citing that a candidate cant suspend another candidate during electoral process…
If this any indication of the nature of politics then looks like we are doomed to be trapped in a circle of politicians looking out for number one yet claiming to have interests of the people at heart. A quick look at the recent situations; in Uganda on coverage of Bobi Wine’s rallies subjected to state crackdown of journalists and in Zambia which had state security using lethal force break up an opposition gathering.
Its a crazy world out there, whats been happening in your neck of the woods?
~B
Becoming The Muse 
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