Today we receive the news that a well-known Zimbabwean journalist has been arrested for inciting violence. I have been watching his Facebook page with some trepidation as he has become more and more outspoken. He has uncovered numerous fraudulent activities that involve the government and embezzlement of thousands of dollars.
As hard as it may be, I really do think that Western countries should stop giving aid to countries such as Zimbabwe. I am doubtful of the true intention behind aid at the best of times. In Zambia, the car parks of restaurants and cafes always contained a number of aid agency vehicles. We had a friend who kept an electrical shop who told us that every month, aid workers would come in and blow hundreds of dollars on the latest equipment because they said they didn't know what to spend their huge salaries on.
I believe that African countries can survive on their own. Many of them are incredibly wealthy, especially in terms of their mineral deposits, and the problem really lies with the governments. Corruption is a huge problem. Many people may say that corruption is found in every country, which is true, but it is done so blatantly in Africa. Millions of dollars is taken at one time and no one is held to account.
John goes out to the weekly shopping. He has lost his bank card which means he is using mine. This drives me mad sometimes when I go to pay for something and find my card is missing. Today, John is wearing odd socks. He says he has given up trying to find a pair of matching socks. It really is a mystery as to what happens to that missing sock in the laundry. The odd socks on their own are tolerable, but John wears them with his sandals because he is suffering from cracked heels. He does look quite eccentric. However, this is all water off a duck's back to him. John is the only person I know who is completely comfortable within his own skin and he really does not care what anyone thinks of him. It's his family who suffer instead.
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