Dr. B's Finest Kind Medical clinic and Fish Market

I was reading and going to post a bunch of articles on Zimbabwe when my computer crashed.

Interestingly enough, although both letters from my friends and UN/NGO aid agencies know that there is a famine that threatens hundreds of thousands, the "all Africa" page that prints news headlines pretty well ignores the problem in favour of the government propaganda.

However, a closer look at a typical story is quite interesting...

http://allafrica.com/zimbabwe/

The Herald is the government news paper, but in the middle of the story they quietly "mention" the problems exist. Here is a typical story:

http://allafrica.com/stories/200409220438.html

NO FOOD CRISIS IN ZIM

"What is worse, though, is that we have a doctor who is the source of this information. Instead of giving health care to the people, she is doctoring lies," he said.

He, however, said some cases of malnutrition could have occurred in the city, like anywhere else in the world.

"Malnutrition is just that - it's a case of not having a balanced diet. Malnutrition is there, even in Britain and the USA. People in the USA are fat because they eat too many burgers. That's malnutrition," he said.

Prof Moyo took a swipe at the executive mayor of Bulawayo, Mr Japhet Ndabeni-Ncube, for peddling lies that some residents of the city were dying because of food shortages.

"The mayor is proving that he is not worthy of being in the office . . . Once you are in the office you do not need to use deception and lies to keep the office.

"There is no food crisis in Zimbabwe. There is no food crisis in Bulawayo, there is just a Ndabeni crisis," said Prof Moyo.

He said the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare should take action against Dr Hwalima, with the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing acting against Mr Ndabeni-Ncube and his ministry against the journalists and the media houses which have been peddling the lies.

"The lies are designed not to harm (the ruling) Zanu-PF, not to harm the President, not to harm GMB, but Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans," he said.

He said the lies were meant to cause alarm and despondency.

Prof Moyo said it was foolish for the media and anyone else to expect all the 2,4 million tonnes of maize to be delivered to GMB depots simply because the country harvested that figure.

Translation: We all know people are hungry, but the government will threaten to jail you if you mention it...

Press freedom may be floundering in Zimbabwe, but unlike the rosy reports from CNN that deliberatly lied about the mass graves and problems under Sadam (in fear of the correspondents would be deported) , courageous journalists even in Zimbabwe's government run newspaper manage to hint that the government is not telling the truth. And if anyone in Mugabe's government was intelligent, these reporters would be dead for writing such stories...

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