Zimbabwe links

Maybe you remember "Operation Murambatsvina" (Clean Out Garbage) that continues to go on in Zimbabwe, now putting over seven hundred thousand (!) people out of their already poor housing. Despite a UN finding that this "operation" is a direct abuse of the basic rights of Zim's citizens, more evictions are happening every day. The UN says that the evictions, "carried out in an indiscriminate and unjustified manner, with indifference to human suffering", should be stopped.

"The government of Zimbabwe should immediately halt any further demolitions of homes and informal businesses and create conditions for sustainable relief and reconstruction for those affected," read the report, presented last week to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Read the entire report here.

This government-sanctioned action is putting the very poorest of the poor at the doorstep of death. No income, and with unemployment reaching 70% and inflation in triple digits, no hope for an income. No shelter, and with government bulldozers razing every informal house (read: shack) in sight, no hope for a roof. No health care, and with poor sanitation, HIV/AIDS, and TB killing thousands, no hope for good health. No food, and with grain-laden relief trucks turned away at the country's borders, no hope for a meal. You won't see it on CNN or FOXNews because it isn't a story that sells. They assume you don't care. They might be right.

Meanwhile, Mugabe is busy planning to cut down on travel rights and set up an appointed chamber of Parliament. Things are so bad, the African Union is stepping in, appointing Former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano as a mediator between Mugabe and the opposition party in Zim. This sounds like a great first step - bring in an impartial third-party to listen carefully to both sides. Oh, I forgot to mention that Chissano was the best man at Mugabe's wedding.

Some help is making it to Zim's victims, but demand outstrips available aid. It isn't surprising that many victims fleeing into South Africa for refuge. What is surprising is that SA's new Deputy President, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, wants to learn from and model Zim's land reform policies which are a big part of the problems Zim now faces. Yikes.

Meanwhile, as it is back-to-school season for many readers, a new government sponsored report from Zimbabwe says that up to 1/3 of all teachers may be HIV+ and that educators are no more knowledgeable about HIV than the general population.