Letter From Zimbabwe

Twenty-five years ago, in May 1980, Richard Mufuka graduated from MacMurray College with a major in political science. Four years earlier, he had arrived in Jacksonville from his home country, then called Rhodesia. It had been a British colony since 1897. Richard was eager to focus his studies on government and law because he had high hopes that Rhodesia’s black majority would soon get into power.

The crucial elections were held in late February 1980. Although there were reports of voting irregularities, the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) won 57 out of the 80 contested seats in the new Parliament and elected its leader, Robert Mugabe, prime minister. By the time Richard Mufuka had graduated and was returning home, Rhodesia had adopted its native African name of Zimbabwe, and he could hope to do his part for the advancement of his people, 13 million on a territory three times larger than Illinois.

Back home, Richard obtained a law degree and enjoyed life as an attorney, he reports, “until about 2000 when the political situation changed completely.” Since whites made up less than one percent of the population but held 70 percent of the land, Mugabe launched a land redistribution campaign. Between 1999 and 2003, however, it caused the economy to contract by 30 percent.

By now, unemployment is estimated to have hit up to 80 percent of the economically productive population. Per capital income is lower than in 1980 when Mugabe came to power. Life expectancy fell from 56 years in 1985 to 33 years now. Inflation rose by 500 percent in 2004 and continues to increase. Foreign investment and tourism plummeted. According to the CATO Institute, over half of Zimbabwe’s population needs emergency food aid.

In a recent letter to Professor Richard Palmer and me, his former academic adviser, Richard Mufuka described in detail what has happened to the living conditions in Zimbabwe. “… after President Mugabe grabbed commercial farm land from whites,” he became a dictator.”

“Our everyday lives are now complete with numerous shortages of almost all basic commodities, maize meal, sugar, cooking oil, electricity and, most importantly, fuel.

The country has virtually ground to a halt, as all livelihood depends on fuel to run the economy. We used to be the number one tobacco-exporting country in the world but that, too, has changed. We no longer have foreign currency to enable us to import the basic industrial spares and fuel to run the economy.”

“The latest saga,” Richard reports, is “the unwarranted destruction of people’s houses in the name of cleanliness.” A United Nations inquiry just showed that Mugabe’s order to bulldoze all urban slums has made some 700,000 people homeless. “What is now critical,” the U.N. stressed, “is that swift action be taken to protect the rights of the displaced--they are entitled to proper shelter, food, water, health care, and equal access to education for their children. They also have the right under international law to compensation for the loss of lawful possessions, and to freely choose their future place of residence.”

Richard Mugabe takes a grim view of Zimbabwe’s future. “… people are simply not in a position to change events for fear of being gunned down by the Army. Mugabe is well supported by the Army and with ammunitions backed by China. As a result many skilled people have left the country for greener pastures.” An estimated 3 to 4 million Zimbabweans have emigrated abroad.

Richard, too, wants to leave his homeland and return to America, specifically to the community he knows best: Jacksonville, Illinois. How can we help him?

Wolf D. Fuhrig	Home	08-07-05
Letter From Zimbabwe
Twenty-five years ago, in May 1980, Richard Mufuka graduated from MacMurray College with a major in political science. Four years earlier, he had arrived in Jacksonville from his home country, then called Rhodesia. It had been a British colony since 1897. Richard was eager to focus his studies on government and law because he had high hopes that Rhodesia’s black majority would soon get into power. The crucial elections were held in late February 1980. Although there were reports of voting irregularities, the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) won 57 out of the 80 contested seats in the new Parliament and elected its leader, Robert Mugabe, prime minister. By the time Richard Mufuka had graduated and was returning home, Rhodesia had adopted its native African name of Zimbabwe, and he could hope to do his part for the advancement of his people, 13 million on a territory three times larger than Illinois. Back home, Richard obtained a law degree and enjoyed life as an attorney, he reports, “until about 2000 when the political situation changed completely.” Since whites made up less than one percent of the population but held 70 percent of the land, Mugabe launched a land redistribution campaign. Between 1999 and 2003, however, it caused the economy to contract by 30 percent. By now, unemployment is estimated to have hit up to 80 percent of the economically productive population. Per capital income is lower than in 1980 when Mugabe came to power. Life expectancy fell from 56 years in 1985 to 33 years now. Inflation rose by 500 percent in 2004 and continues to increase. Foreign investment and tourism plummeted. According to the CATO Institute, over half of Zimbabwe’s population needs emergency food aid. In a recent letter to Professor Richard Palmer and me, his former academic adviser, Richard Mufuka described in detail what has happened to the living conditions in Zimbabwe. “… after President Mugabe grabbed commercial farm land from whites,” he became a dictator.” “Our everyday lives are now complete with numerous shortages of almost all basic commodities, maize meal, sugar, cooking oil, electricity and, most importantly, fuel. The country has virtually ground to a halt, as all livelihood depends on fuel to run the economy. We used to be the number one tobacco-exporting country in the world but that, too, has changed. We no longer have foreign currency to enable us to import the basic industrial spares and fuel to run the economy.” “The latest saga,” Richard reports, is “the unwarranted destruction of people’s houses in the name of cleanliness.” A United Nations inquiry just showed that Mugabe’s order to bulldoze all urban slums has made some 700,000 people homeless. “What is now critical,” the U.N. stressed, “is that swift action be taken to protect the rights of the displaced--they are entitled to proper shelter, food, water, health care, and equal access to education for their children. They also have the right under international law to compensation for the loss of lawful possessions, and to freely choose their future place of residence.” Richard Mugabe takes a grim view of Zimbabwe’s future. “… people are simply not in a position to change events for fear of being gunned down by the Army. Mugabe is well supported by the Army and with ammunitions backed by China. As a result many skilled people have left the country for greener pastures.” An estimated 3 to 4 million Zimbabweans have emigrated abroad. Richard, too, wants to leave his homeland and return to America, specifically to the community he knows best: Jacksonville, Illinois. How can we help him?

Wolf D. Fuhrig

Home

08-07-05

Letter From Zimbabwe