Doing us proud

I’ve been thinking how it’s so easy for a blog to become one big moan — and reflecting that I’ve been doing quite a bit of that over the past few weeks. Now I’m not one of those people who believes journalists should start closing their eyes and years to all the bad and depressing stuff that’s happening, and bring us only happy thoughts. But I do think that we need to remember that it’s not all gloom and doom. There is good news out there — and often there’s something inspiring or encouraging to be found even within supposedly bad news.

So, listening to the radio yesterday, I found myself feeling quite proud and encouraged. The first thing that caused this was the news that Tanzania has lost its fourth minister on corruption charges. Andrew Chenge, the Minister for Infrastructure has resigned amid allegations that he took bribes during the purchase of a radar (See www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=752835).

No, it’s not good news that there is corruption in the top political ranks in Tanzania, but it is very encouraging that it’s being rooted out. A couple of weeks back I went on a rant about this, saying Tanzania provides a good example to South Africa — so I’m happy that this good example is continuing. What was even more heartening was the comment by the Tanzanian government spokesperson who was interviewed — he said that it is the right thing for a minister to resign, even when there’s the appearance and suspicion of impropriety. To which I can only once again say, AMEN! and hope that some of my compatriots are listening.

The second encouraging thing is also a ray of light amid bad news. It’s a terrible and very worrying thing that there’s a shipment of arms headed for Zimbabwe. But it’s wonderful that the trade unions have so far been effective in preventing the ship from docking, unloading its cargo and thus delivering this deadly package to Harare. As soon as the news broke that there was a Chinese ship in Durban harbour, with arms on board destined for Zimbabwe, the transport workers’ union Satawu went to court and successfully blocked the ship from using an SA port in this way. The International Transport Workers Federation (IFT) prevented the vessel from docking in Maputo. Now Satawu has called on unions and employers in all African countries to prevent the ship from docking anywhere on the continent (See
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/Zimbabwe/0,,2-11-1662_2309920,00.html). Cosatu, the SA trade union federation, is also calling on workers in China to support this effort to prevent arms from reaching Zimbabwe.

Who knows what the outcome of this story will be, but I am really proud that my fellow South Africans are making it as difficult as possible for these weapons to be delivered into the hands of Zimbabwe. Thabo Mbeki, are you listening?

(This post was first published on the Citizen Journalism in Africa portal at www.citizenjournalismafrica.org on 22 April)

When starving is a crime

What a bizarre world we live in.

Last week, I was watching Al Jazeera, where Riz Khan was interviewing Dr Rebecca Puhl, of Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy. Now in my part of the world, when I see something like “Centre for Food Policy”, what crosses my mind are words like ‘hunger’, ‘agriculture’, ‘land access’ and ‘poverty’. But no, this institution’s full title is “Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity”, and Dr Puhl was talking about research on discrimination against, and stigmatisation of, obese people. (You can watch the interview on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eq6kK5NBCM&feature=user)

According to the centre’s research, many overweight people suffer from depression and suicidal thoughts because of how others treat them. It’s particularly bad for obese girls: the study showed that parents spend less on their education, and they are often denied entry into college.

The problem’s not only in America. In many other parts of the world, obesity is becoming an increasing problem.

And yet, at the same time, there’s increasing concern about people who are too thin. Also in the last week came the news that France is to pass a law making the act of promoting excessive thinness, a criminal offence. The French law is aimed at media and fashion circles, where excessive thinness is promoted as something to aspire to (http://timescorrespondents.typepad.com/charles_bremner/2008/04/frances-fondnes.html).

Meanwhile, in developing countries, food riots have been making headlines. Around the world, food prices have just about doubled in recent months, making it increasingly difficult for poor people to survive. One of the main contributors to food inflation is the increasing use of biofuels — many farmers have been switching from food crops to fuel-producing plants, thus causing food supplies to drop and prices to rise.

The problem is not that there’s not enough food to go around — it’s in the economics of food production and distribution. And poor people are far more vulnerable to food price hikes. In poor nations, people spend up to 80% of their disposable income on food, while in countries such as the US and Britain, the figure is somewhere between 10% and 20%. So for rich folk, food inflation is simply an inconvenience, while for others, it’s a matter of life and death.

Political analysts have long warned that high levels of economic inequality spell danger for democracy. Comparative historical research has shown that democracy lasts longer in countries where there are lower levels of inequality. And in South Africa, people like Professor Sampie Terreblanche (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampie_Terreblanche) have been warning for years that we are sitting on a time bomb — it’s just not sustainable to have enclaves of first world wealth, surrounded by extensive poverty.

The unions have already warned that we can expect food riots in South Africa in the near future. More and more poor people are struggling to put food on the table — but for the middle class nothing more than a little belt tightening is required. A street survey by The Times newspaper found that while middle class folk are cutting back on some luxuries, most don’t intend to sacrifice ‘necessities’ such as digital satellite TV subscriptions.

Of course, our politicians have seen the problem and are taking bold action to resolve it. Finance Minister, Trevor Manuel, has offered the helpful suggestion that we should all start growing our own fruit and vegetables.

It does seem criminal that some should be fighting off a glut, while others are starving. But nobody’s proposing a law that would compel the world’s politicians to put policies in place to wipe out hunger. No, it’s only a crime when the media and fashionistas persuade those who CAN afford plenty of food, not to eat it.

(This piece was first published on the Citizen Journalism in Africa portal: www.citizenjournalismafrica.org/blog/%5Buser%5D/17-apr-2008/801)

We ignorant South Africans

The past few months I’ve had the privilege of traveling to a number of countries in southern Africa. I’ve always traveled for work, but recently it’s become a lot more intense. It has its drawbacks — I find I get very angry very quickly at airport delays, and miss my home and loved ones. But it’s also stimulating and very educational.

The thing about travel is that it educates you twice. When you visit a new country you learn a lot about that place, meet interesting people and view the world from a new perspective. And then when you return home you see the familiar with new eyes and with the benefit of richer insight.

One thing I’ve known for a long time, but which I’m made more and more aware of all the time, is how much more Malawians and Zambians and Tanzanians and almost everybody knows about South Africa, than South Africans know about Zambia or Tanzania or Malawi or just about any other country on our continent. I can have detailed conversations in Lilongwe or Maputo or Lusaka about Thabo Mbeki and his policies, and even about his presumed successor, Jacob Zuma. Yet back home, many people would be hard-pressed to even name the president of most neighbouring countries, let alone would-be successors or opposition figures.

A large part of the problem is the South African media. With one or two exceptions, most SA news media behave as if Africa didn’t exist north of the Zambezi (Zimbabwe is the one place that does get a lot of attention). Sometimes it seems the only reason for the occasional mention of other places is that Bafana Bafana happens to be playing a game there. Those who want to stay informed about the continent, have to actively look for information online.

Recently some Friends were going on about Americans and how ignorant they are, how they think Africa is a country instead of a continent. I decided to point out that we South Africans aren’t much better. Show them a map of Africa and see how many can find Chad, Nigeria or even the DRC? Well, I wasn’t very popular.

Another thing I’m constantly made aware of, is that South Africans are seen as very violent, and SA is known for its crime and corruption. I get a bit nervous traveling to a new place — is it safe, will I get through passport control OK, and all of the other things one worries about. But my mild butterflies are nothing compared to the trepidation visitors from other countries must feel when approaching a South African border post. Will they be harassed by corrupt cops, will they be robbed or attacked? Will their luggage be stolen at OR Tambo international?

Someone on the plane recently told me he works in South Africa but misses his family who are back home. “Can’t you bring your family over?” I asked him. “I could”, he replied, “but SA is no place to raise a family”. A sobering thought.

I was left with some more food for thought when some Malawians told me recently they they are worried that South Africa will give the entire continent a bad name when we host the 2010 World Cup. “What if one of the star players is attacked and even killed?”, said one, “how will Africa look then, in the eyes of the world?” I don’t think South Africans fully realise the huge responsibility we have not only to our own country, but to the entire continent, to ensure that 2010 is a success.

A crisis by any other name

Originally posted on the Citizen Journalism in Africa portal on 14 April 2008 (www.citizenjournalismafrica.org),

Last week I wrote a comment in response to a blog by Sandile Memela, on the South African blog site, Thought Leader (http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/sandilememela/2008/04/09/why-mbekis-quiet-diplomacy-is-the-best-solution-for-zimbabwe-and-the-rest-of-dark-africa/). Memela’s blog was a defence of Thabo Mbeki’s ‘quiet diplomacy’. I ended my outraged response with the comment that in contrast with President Mbeki’s lack of action, Zambia’s President, Levy Mwanawasa was showing real leadership by calling a summit on Zimbabwe.

Well, it turns out my comments were a little premature. Yes, President Mwanawasa was showing more leadership than Mbeki, but clearly not enough. The SADC summit did issue a statement expressing concern about the situation in ZImbabwe, and calling for the election results to be released ‘expeditiously’ — but this seems to me rather wishy-washy and not nearly strong enough to ensure that strong action is taken right now.

By all accounts, the SADC heads of state were locked in discussions until 3am on Saturday morning. No, not hashing out the details of a high-level delegation to Zimbabwe, or possible measures to be taken against Robert Mugabe and his cronies, but debating whether the use of the word ‘crisis’, was appropriate. Apparently theologians during the Middle Ages used to have heated debates about how many angels could dance on the head of a pin. The SADC summit’s agonised deliberations over the use of a single word seem to be to be just as useful and practical. As a guest on our national radio station, SAFM put it this morning, “if people are being harassed and even tortured because of their political allegiances, that is a crisis. When inflation is so bad that most people can’t afford to buy food, that is a crisis. In South Africa, we are experiencing problems with electricity supply and regular black-outs, and we refer to that as a crisis. So why is Zimbabwe not a crisis?” (I was in the car so couldn’t write down his exact words — but this is in essence what he said.)

But in the end, who cares what you call it — a dire situation, a crisis, a big big problem — the question is:  what do we do about it? Let’s have some concrete proposals of clear steps that need to be taken, with timeframes and dates attached, and consequences to be faced — not simply statements of concern.

But at least a statement of concern is more than anyone’s likely to get from Thabo Mbeki. “Crisis, what crisis?”, blared the headlines on Sunday, quoting our esteemed president. Not only does this make me spitting mad, but it makes me very, very worried. When I was a practicing journalist I had the occasion once or twice to attend press conferences addressed by Mugabe. I used to marvel that unlike other leaders, he didn’t try to put a spin on negative news. He just denied it outright. Where other leaders would say, ‘yes, this happened, but it’s not our fault because…’, Mugabe would just say ‘it never happened. The media lied. The photographs were doctored. It never happened.’ What worries me deeply now, is that our own head of state seems to be adopting the same denialist behaviour.

Of course, he has done it before — in the face of the huge HIV/Aids…um…crisis. But I thought that perhaps that was an exception, a special case, motivated by complex factors that many writers more intelligent than I have tried to explain, over the years. Now it is becoming clear that denial is a habit of his. I mean, even Jacob Zuma is starting to look better — at least he had the sense to criticise the delay in the release of the election results. What, Jacob Zuma looking like a better alternative to what we have? Now not only do I fear for Zimbabwe, but I fear for South Africa.

What also worries me about much of the public debate here about ZImbabwe, is that people talk as if it’s about whether Mbeki (and other leaders in the region) should back either Mugabe or Tsvangirai. Some writers have, for example, commented that Mbeki is reluctant to support Tsvangirai because the MDC grew out of the unions, and the parallels between this and Zuma’s backing from the unions in SA are worrying for him. This may be true, but it misses the point. It’s not about personalities. It is the people of Zimbabwe, and the ideal of democracy that need support.  Mbeki and others with power should be insisting that democratic principles and practices be upheld, and that the choices of the people of Zimbabwe must be respected.

This is Africa

This blog was originally posted on the Citizen Journalism in Africa portal on the 9th of April 2008 (www.citizenjournalismafrica.org/).
I’m in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Yesterday one of the Tanzanians attending the Citizen Journalism in Africa workshop mentioned that the prime minister and some ministers had recently resigned as result of a corruption scandal. I decided I had to check this out, so did a Google search.

Yes, there it is. On the 8th of February this year, Associated Press carried this report: “Tanzania’s prime minister and two Cabinet ministers have resigned over a corruption scandal involving a contract with a nonexistent firm supposedly based in the United States, and the president dissolved the entire Cabinet as a result.” The resignations followed a critical report by a parliamentary committee on the dodgy contract.

And last week, in Cape Town, a Mozambican  colleague mentioned to me that some ministers had recently been fired for messing up. Good old Google. There, on allAfrica.com in a report dated the 11th of March,  you can read in black and white that Mozambican President Armando Guebuza sacked three ministers: the ministers of transport, agriculture and justice. No official reasons are ever given for ministerial sackings in Mozambique, but there have been problems with deforestation and logging in the agriculture sector, there were riots in Maputo in early February sparked by steep hikes in taxi prices, and the justice system has been criticised for being slow and inefficient.

Then, on the 26th of March came the news that Guebuza had also sacked the defence minister, his son in law to boot. This came a year after more than 100 people died when a Maputo arsenal exploded.

Ok, the Defence minister was sacked a long time after the incident, and only after the opposition had repeatedly called for his head. But still, as a South African I find all of this astonishing. That government ministers would be fired, or — and this I find REALLY incredible — resign! Just because of poor performance or a scandal. Could it really be true? Well, I checked, and all of these reports appeared way before April Fools’ Day so it must be. But I didn’t really believe it until I’d seen the reports with my own eyes.

Please try to understand my astonishment. It’s not that I don’t believe my colleagues. It just that in South Africa, where we are so proud of our democracy, a minister pretty much has to die to be removed from the Cabinet. In the face of critical newspaper reports, public scandals, or even damning findings by commissions of enquiry, public officials routinely insist that they’re innocent and deserve to keep their posts, because they haven’t yet been found guilty in a court of law. The idea that a public official has to live up to a higher standard than simply not (yet) having a criminal conviction, just doesn’t seem to have taken root. Oh, and being competent — well, who said that was a job requirement?

So, The health minister has completely messed up on HIV/Aids, presided over a decaying health system, and, according to newspaper reports, is a practicing alcoholic with a criminal record in a neighbouring country. Yet she is unassailable in her position, and staunchly backed by President Mbeki. Her former deputy who proved herself as a champion in the fight against HIV/Aids WAS sacked. So sorry, dying is not the only way to get dropped — the other way to lose your cabinet post is to be too good at your job. It just doesn’t do, as it makes everyone else look bad. Home Affairs is a shambles, we have an electricity crisis and a crime problem — yet the ministers in charge of all of these are sitting in their offices, safe and secure.

Now some South Africans point to this, sigh and shake their heads and say, “yes, this is Africa,” and preach that we should emulate the UK, where ministers also regularly are forced to resign. But why should we look to Britain (or the US for that matter, both of which have more than their fair share of corrupt and incompetent politicians, by the way)? There are clearly many examples in Africa where public officials are being held to account, and have to deliver the goods or get out.  So, I wonder, why aren’t these people pointing to the good example being set by the likes of Presidents Kikwete and Guebuza, and saying proudly, “THIS is Africa!”?

Surwords

My user name is Blessur. This is based on my second name spelt backwards, minus an ‘l’, with my first initial added. And then ’sur’ is taken from that. ‘Sur’ means ‘above’ or ‘beyond’, so reflecting my hope that what I write here will amount to more than mere words. Or else I just thought it sounded good.