Harare diary: Your questions

President Robert Mugabe still enjoys a lot of support in Zimbabwe, says Esther

Esther (not her real name), 29, is a professional living and working in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare.

Readers of her regular diary on BBC News website have been sending in their questions for Esther.

Below, she gives her answers to some of your queries.

If you have a question for Esther, write to us using this form.

Dear Esther, if the unity government holds on for more than a year, how long do you think it's going to take Zimbabwe to pick up and stand on its own?
Lemon, Johannesburg, South Africa

Esther: That's really difficult to answer. So much needs to happen first - a restoration of confidence in the political process, sanctity of ownership of property, respect for the rule of law and independence of the judiciary - the list goes on. Only then can we have a return of investor confidence and resuscitation of industry (including farming), and we will be able to create more jobs, decrease imports of basic goods and start exporting again. We need years.

Hi Esther, during the last elections I asked three Zimbabwean friends (black, asian and white) whether the people would rise up and protest like the Kenyans. They all said 'No Way!'. What would it take for the people of Zimbabwe to rise up against these conditions? Will there be a revolution in Zimbabwe?
Natalie, London, England

Esther: I now believe the last revolution Zimbabwe will ever see in our lifetime is the one that ended in 1980. Zimbabweans do not revolt. If we failed to after what we were put through last year and the one before then believe me, we never will.

'How long will it take it for Zimbabwe to stand on its own?' asks Lemon, Jo'burg.

I have been reading some reports on the internet that a lot of Zimbabweans were returning since the beginning of the unity government, including health professionals. Is this correct and/or noticeable?
Mike, Vancouver, Canada

Esther: I do not know (personally) anyone who has returned home after the formation of the GNU. There is a lot of wait and see, and 'if things improve, then we'll be back.' Hospitals are still short-staffed, still without adequate supplies - I know a family that had to go out and buy medicine for their little boy who had been involved in a car crash because the hospital just did not have the medication in its pharmacy. So while we are on the road to recovery, we have only just started the journey, and very few people are willing to come on board until our destination is within sight.

How much money in US dollars a month, would a family of four need to survive comfortably, eating three meals a day?
ashley, brisbane, australia

Aid agencies are now free to deliver medicine, says Esther

Esther: For the very basics - rent and utilities: $250, public transport for all four: $120, basic meals - mealie meal, bread, vegetables, meat and milk: $200, giving a total of $570 a month. Throw in a car and fuel, a nicer suburb, nicer meals then we are talking $700-$1,000.

Do ordinary people appreciate root of their troubles lies with the PM and the harm caused by taking over the white-owned farms there? Or do they support these actions? For a country that used to export food, mismanagement of agriculture through these occupations has been a disaster for everyone.
Gordon, Vancouver, Canada

Esther: Not the PM surely, all these seizures were before his time in office! The president, yes. Well, he does enjoy quite a lot of support out there - people have been jailed, maimed or even killed for criticising him in the presence of loyalists. But I believe most Zimbabweans do see that his party's policies landed us in this mess.

Hello Esther, my family, wife and 2 children under 5 have been offered a job in Harare. Would you recommend we come? If so what would you recommend we do prepare ourselves for this move? Lastly, we have heard mixed messages about normal law and order - what is your current assessment?
Henry, Victoria, Australia

Esther: Zimbabwe can be a great place for your kids to grow up - private schools that still go on international tours, domestic help that will work for $50 a month, open spaces, humongous yards to play in, weekends spent fishing in Kariba or seeing the Victoria Falls. If you do decide to come make sure the house they rent for you has a borehole - it's not for back-up, it will be your water supply, and a generator for power supply back-up - you'll probably need to run it three times a week. Stay out of trouble with the police - that's just best. Once they have you, getting out is a problem, you'll need to flex some muscle and that's if you have any. If you stay out of trouble they won't bother you, they are very quiet these days.

'Will there be a revolution in Zimbabwe?' asks Natalie, London

Hi Esther, how does an ordinary citizen accumulate US dollars? Where do they come from? I am under the impression that Zimbabwe has almost no exports and I understand that tourism is now very limited.

Ann, Mossman, Australia

Esther: Our own currency was recently suspended for a year, so all salaries and wages are now paid in US dollars (most are under $100/month). In addition all goods and services are pegged in USD. So when we talk of money in circulation, we are talking of, for the time being, foreign currency. This is the ordinary man's source.

Can you please tell me if the sanctions on food and medicine is still on. If the sanctions are lifted please advise on how a company is able to deliver the daily human requirements without any government restrictions. thanks
Atul, London UK

Esther: I may need to be corrected on this one but to my knowledge Zimbabwe was never under sanctions on food and medicine. What I recall is that at some point the Zanu-PF government placed a ban on aid agencies - or maybe that's what you meant? Aid agencies are now free to deliver food and medicine as long as they are "properly registered".

Zimbabwe dollars are now useless - Esther needs US dollars to buy food

Esther, I am very interested in what is happening in your country and appreciate your diary. What is most needed among your neighbours? US dollars? What agency or school or church is the most honest and would see that donations went for food and medicine? Thank you
Mary, State of Maine, USA

Esther: Humanitarian relief for people with no access to US$ - they are really struggling to get by, and charities can hardly go through communities handing out cash. People need food, clothing and medicines, and I think organizations like CARE International, Oxfam, World Vision and the UN agencies are well placed to handle community needs as they have been doing so for decades.

Dear Esther, What do you think the next 10 years will be like for Zimbabwe? Do people want the government to change? Are all farms being seized? How about Game Reserves, How are they surviving?
Blake, Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Esther: Game reserves are surviving, I guess it's because they receive a lot of private funding from people who want to see nature preserved. Sadly yes, farms are still being seized - you see, government has not really changed. What has happened is that a little room has been created for the opposition, but policies are yet to change. We have a lot of hope that things will change for the better, because right now, it's still a struggle to survive for most. The next 10 years - probably the first two of those will be a real struggle, then things will gradually improve until we reach the point where we were in say 1990 - with a vibrant dollar (equivalent to the US$!), a vibrant economy, respect for human life, prospects for the young, great education system.

Do you have a question for Esther? Send your comments to our Harare diarist using the form below.

In most cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below.

The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version