Healing in Zimbabwe?

The future in Mugabe's hand

From the Zimbabwe Standard (27.9.08)

Church leaders want a truth and reconciliation commission as one of several ways of cementing the recently signed political settlement between the country's main political rivals.

Christian Alliance, a coalition of churches involved in human rights
advocacy at the height of Zimbabwe's political crisis, said it had already set
up nationwide structures to spearhead the national healing process.

This seems a bit premature. So far the details of the Zanu-PF and MDC concord have not been worked out. But something will be needed to minimise the legacy of violence breeding more violence in a deeply divided country.

Meantime hyperinflation continues as new bank notes are issued (Reuters).

In addition to facing chronic shortages of food, foreign currency and fuel,
Zimbabweans have been dealing with a shortage of local currency. Some consumers
sleep outside banks to beat the long queues that form outside in the morning.

The central bank on Monday raised cash withdrawal limits to Z$20,000
from a previous Z$1,000, which was hardly enough to buy a loaf of bread on the
thriving black market.

Except some people remain unaffected. There is one flight a day from Gatwick to Harare. Around 100 passengers were left stranded on Saturday - because the flight was redirected via Egypt:

... where it was expected to connect with a USA flight with President Mugabe’s
shopping retinue of 54 (revised figure) that accompanied him to the 63rd United
Nations (UN) General Assembly meeting in New York.

The weeklong escapade estimated to have left at the very least a US$ 2,000,000.00 hole in the finances of the impoverished State in airfares, accommodation, food and daily out of pocket subsistence allowances for Mugabe to deliver a 15 minute speech has been widely condemned by the country’s impoverished citizens of all walks.

From ZimDaily