When I was a kid, it was Rhodesia, and it was like Africa’s breadbasket. But that was with those horrible vestiges of British colonial government in place: white people. The African population KNEW they shouldn’t be ruled by white people, and guerrilla warfare by more than one group was established. The legitimate government moved towards reform, but not nearly fast enough for the opposition groups. The opposition groups were the darlings of the liberal world. Rhodesia suffered under the censure of the world, and eventually buckled. Elections were held, and Robert Mugabe was elected president.
That was 1980. He’s still president. Zimbabwe WAS a democracy. In agreements, white Zimbabweans were to retain 20 seats in the parliament. That agreement was revoked in 1988. The country has since descended into a thugocracy, complete with a “president for life”. Under the euphemism of “land reform”, white farmers have been driven off thier lands and the farms turned over to Mugabe’s cronies. Needless to say, this was not conducive to good crop yields. Zimbabwe shivers on the edge of famine.
Mugabe has extended similar management expertise to other arenas of public life. Inflation in Zimbabwe has run in the hundreds of percent per year for the last several years. Financial mishandling is so bad that the IMF (interational Monetary Fund) has dropped Zimbabwe’s membership.
The country is a wreck. Here’s a recent developement:
Huge hike in Zimbabwe health fees
Zimbabwe has announced a huge increase in the cost of health care at public hospitals, as it grapples with the world’s highest inflation rate.
Public hospitals fees have gone up from Z$300 to between Z$800,000 and Z$1m (US$10) with immediate effect, the state-owned Herald newspaper reported.
The costs of consultations, maternity services, surgery and intensive care are also increasing.
The government says the rises will help pay for improved care.
The 333,200% increases come a month after the government lifted a freeze on private health care charges, which have since doubled.
So you ask WHY a 333,200% increase?
Correspondents say the old fees of Z$300 were no longer practical, as $100 notes have become virtually worthless and disappeared from circulation.
Deputy Health Minister Dr Edwin Muguti told The Herald that people were going to hospitals if they had colds because the fees were so low.
…
Oh, come on… You mean they have to PAY? Visit the emergency room of a hospital in this town after hours. You’ll see more than one case of the sniffles in there because the hospital can’t refuse care to our “poor” at all.
But I digress. They had to raise the prices in Zimbabwe because the paper money used to pay the old fee was so worthless nobody carried it around any more…
The health sector has been hit hard by Zimbabwe’s deepening economic crisis.
Conditions have deteriorated with drugs and trained staff in short supply.
The doctors and nurses who have not gone to work abroad have staged a number of strikes over the past few years.
Zimbabwe has the highest annual rate of inflation in the world at more than 900%, and the lowest life expectancy, at less than 40.
But you have to admit, at least they ain’t being ruled over by those white people…
Go talk to Kim du Toit. He’s watching the same thing coming down the road in his homeland, South Africa…
Correspondents say poverty, because of the crumbling economy, and deaths from Aids are responsible for the decline.
It also faces shortages of foreign currency, food and fuel as well as irregular water and electricity supplies.
President Robert Mugabe blames Zimbabwe’s woes on opponents who he says have sabotaged the country over his land reform policy when white-owned farms were seized.
Aid workers estimate some 3m people, mostly in rural areas, need food assistance this year.
Like I said, Zimbabwe USED to EXPORT food, when it was Rhodesia…
Ox-drawn ambulances have been introduced in rural areas in recent years, in what the opposition alleges is a sign that President Mugabe is taking Zimbabwe back to the stone ages.
“Ox-drawn ambulances… back to the stone ages.” Ya think?
You posted about Zimbabwe, and the same principle could be applied to New Orleans. Its a crying shame.
I think, Wilson, that is what MC was gently implying. If not, that’s what I read anyhow.
From what I can gather reading the history of much of southern Africa there were not a lot of the ancestors of the current native population there when the first European settlers took contol of the land. There was a migration into the area and the Eurpeans took advantage of the cheap labor–much as the American companies are taking advantage of the illegal invaders from south of our borders. It back fired on the Europeans in Africa and it will back fire on us once the Latino immigrants have the majority. We can stop it now or pay the price later.
Mugabe knew that it was Ok to discriminate against the white farmers because that is politically correct around the world. Besides, that bulwark of freedom, the USA does it every day. If you are a legal alien or an American citizen, better do right. But if you are an illegal alien you can choose which laws you obey and which you chinger.
Mugabe makes his own laws, decides which ones he will enforce based on the race and national origin of the criminals and he knows that family issues just don’t stop at the border. Before we are too harsh on ol’ Mugabe, isn’t it just a matter of degree between him and our President?
Watch the criminals demonstrate and demand tomorrow and think about ol’ Mugabe. Wanna bet he would have the sense to crack down on foreigners taking over his country? Think we will ever have Ox-drawn ambulances?
Ehhh.. the worlds got too many people anyway…
But don’t we have ourselves to blame? With the countless “save africa” charities, and Bobby G putting on high profile charity concerts, we have the leaders of these countries thinking, “I can live off the blood of my people, Geldoff will stop them from starving”…
By giving these nations food aid, we keep them alive, they come to rely on us as a source of food and life… We are keeping them placid and grateful..
If some of these countries were dogs and you took them to a vet, they’d recommend putting the poor thing to sleep..
In our own history, if people starved and were mistreated by their leaders, they revolted, strung up, beheaded, beat to death those responsible, coz there was no foreign aid… It taught people selfreliance, it made them strive for a better life cost what it may… It created thinkers, doers, fighters for human rights, philosophy, medicine, moonwalks and walks on the moon… It’s what made us what we are today.. (warts and all)
Are we just reinforcing their ‘slavery’ and substandard living with our charity?!
I dunno, Like this charity stuff, I don’t have the answer either..