Politics update from John Birchall
This may not be the best time to ask anyone ‘ how is the election’ for I imagine most of us are tired of all the spin, promises and hype that is now common place in UK elections.
Well, I am just back from Zimbabwe and their politics are just a little different.
The country is divided into eight administrative areas and two cities – Harare, the capital and Bulawayo.
Its economy, once one of the best in southern Africa is now under functioning.
The money became something of a collector’s item and one can buy the note below for US$10, though it is worthless! Enterprising guys are making money from money that has no value!
The literacy rate was and probably still is one of the highest in Africa, though recent data that is newer than the following chart shows a decline in children finishing both primary and secondary school.
In case you don’t know where Zimbabwe is coloured light blue, which means it had 90%-94% literacy rates – in English.
It was the last country in ‘Black Africa’ to receive its independence and like its neighbour South Africa endured minority white rule. Today, it is the Black majority who governs but like many African countries ethnic tensions exist and these make stable government difficult.
Black ethnic groups make up 98% of the population. The majority people, the Shona, comprise 80 to 84%. The Ndebele are the second most populous with 10 to 15% of the population. The Ndebele are descended from Zulu migrations in the 19th century and the other tribes with which they intermarried. Up to one million Ndebele may have left the country over the last five years, mainly for South Africa. Other Bantu ethnic groups make up the third largest with 2 to 5%. These are Venda, Tonga, Shangaan, Kalanga, Sotho, Ndau and Nambya.
The total population is now thought to be about 12 million, though many of the younger generation have left to live in South Africa, other African states in the United Kingdom.
The minority ethnic groups include white Zimbabweans, mostly of British origin, but some are of Afrikaner, Greek, Portuguese and Dutch origin as well, who make up less than one percent of the total. The white population dropped from a peak of around 296,000 in 1975 to possibly 120,000 in 1999 and was estimated to be no more than 50,000 in 2002, and possibly much less – some suggest they number less than 30,000 now.
Most emigration has been to the United Kingdom, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Mixed-race citizens form 0.5% of the population and various Asian ethnic groups, mostly of Indian and Chinese origin, are also 0.5%. Asian immigrants are influential in the economic sector.
Just a brief look at a beautiful country, populated by friendly and lovely people and elections there are quite a bit different from ours!