In one brief moment in time Susan Tsvangirai stepped out of this world and into the next leaving behind her a nation in mourning and a formidable legacy. For millions of us wherever we are in the world, she is and always will be the "mother who gave birth to not only six children but also to a new Zimbabwe". She stood by her man and her family through what we can only imagine as terrifying, treacherous, dangerous and life-threatening years, committed in mind, body and spirit to the cause; namely getting out there and doing whatever it took to fight the good fight to bring hope, love, guidance and leadership to her countrymen and women.
Saturday morning in Zimbabwe was somber. An underlying feeling of sadness mixed with anger at the injustice of it all. I spoke to some of you who were deeply upset and clearly the impact of this tragedy will be felt far and wide for a long, long time. As we go about our days I'm certain that the Tsvangirai family will be in our thoughts, and as such, we would do well to honor Susan's sacrifice by remembering that she dies a true heroine of Henry Olonga's "Our Zimbabwe", of our hearts and souls. She joins the sacrosanct list of those who will never be forgotten in the struggle for the promised land. With her legacy behind us, embedded within her birthright her qualities of love, patriotism, courage, humility and grace shall surely shore up our own strength and commitment to continue this long walk to freedom. Let her ultimate sacrifice remind us to look deeply and honestly into our own souls to ask the same question Susan's life answered with a resounding "Yes";
"In the evening of my life, I will look to the sunset.
And the question I will ask, only God can answer;
Was I brave and strong and true?
Did I fill the world with love my whole life through?"
We will not forget. We will not falter when called to make the sacrifices needed to make the difference so that at the end of our own lives we may look back and know that we did all we could, gave all we could and ultimately helped to spread the light which enveloped the darkness hanging over our beloved land. God Bless you, our Prime Minister, and the Tsvangirai children. Your loss is our loss. Your pain is felt throughout the world. You are not alone. You have never and will never walk alone. We pay tribute to a great lady, in our prayers, thoughts, and actions. We are so, so sorry.
"The healing of evil can be accomplished only by the love of individuals. A willing sacrifice is required. I do not know
how this occurs but I know that it does. I know that good people can deliberately allow themselves to be pierced by the
evil of others - to be broken thereby yet somehow not broken - to even be killed in some sense and yet still survive and
not succumb. Whenever this happens there is a slight shift in the balance of power in the world."
- Dr. Scott Peck -
This is to send Mr Tsangirai our loving thoughts and prayers in this terribly difficult time for him. May he know that there are people all over the world who will be thinking of him and praying for him. Here in France we admire him. He has already shown a great deal of courage and steadfastness. With the support of the people who love him and God's good grace we hope he will get through this dark time.
Frances Davies.
France
Dear Morning Mirror Readers Worldwide
You will already know of the dreadful traffic accident that occurred on
Friday 6th March, which resulted in tragedy for the family of our
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
Will you please join all of us at home who wish to express our sorrow,
love and compassion to Morgan at this time? Through Morning Mirror,
Face Book etc; join us in giving our support and consolidated strength
to Morgan, his children and family, that they may with the Grace of our
loving God, get through this difficult time.
Leila
Doris Austin.
Passed away in Durban on Friday 6th March 2009. Dearest mother of Brian, Keith, Stewart, Donald, Rob and Geraldine.
Doris was a dedicated teacher who taught for many years at Mpopoma Secondary School, Founders, Townsend, Christian
Brothers College and Orion College.
May her soul rest in peace eternally.
Doris Austin.
Darling Mum. We all learnt a great deal from you. Gone to be with dad. Precious memories will remain in our hearts forever.
You will be terribly missed by Brian, Maria, Lawrence and Antony.
Rest in Peace.
JOHN OVENDEN
In your latest MM, I was very very sad to see a posting by Jenny W, who
made reference to my old Bulawayo Round Table no. 3 friend, John Ovendon,
and his sudden death just before Christmas.
I recently moved to Brisbane, in July last year and knew that John and Jean
were in Perth and had planned to try and visit Perth and contact them
sometime, sooner rather than later.
John was a great person, with an incredible sense of humour and showed and
gave great camaraderie and support for his friends and especially those in
Round Table.
He was an integral part of BYO RT 3 in those years and when I joined in
1976.
He was an Electrical Engineer with the Railways and the miniature Railway
in Centenary Park, which was RT 3's biggest project, was very close to
John's heart.
Indeed, through Rhodesia Railways, John designed and built "Lady Morag",
the Electric Engine, which was commissioned into the RT Railway service in
Centenary Park in 1976.
John is one of those people in life that you meet along the way and who
make an everlasting impression.
I am so sorry and John, my old Shamwari, I will raise a glass to you and
remember the good times and the laughs.
Hamba Gashle, and I trust that you are building a new railway in Heaven.
To Jean and the Children, you are in my thoughts and just know that John
was and still is a very special person, loved by many, over all these
years.
John Winter
jhmwinter@gmail. com
mobile +61448616885
10pm - 11pm
every night
10:00 Ndebele - 10:25 English - 10:45 Shona - 11:00
Short Wave
. 5935 kHz until March 28
from March 29 5995 kHz
At present we are broadcasting from
the United Arab Emirates.
But we are happy to respond to the call
in the political parties' agreement
to return and broadcast in Zimbabwe.
Just tell us when we will be welcome home
INNOCENT VICTIMS is the story of how Meryl Harrison rescued
thousands of animals stranded on farms during Zimbabwe's land
invasions. In her sixties and with a heart condition, Meryl travelled
with one or two young SPCA Inspectors and together they faced mobs of
men who were often drugged or drunk and almost always armed with
weapons ranging from sticks and stones to guns, knives and whips.
Meryl drove thousands of kilometres to remote and abandoned farms;
she and her colleagues went into "no-go areas" and faced war
veterans, secret police, army and youth militia; they dismantled road
barricades and went to places which even the Police said were
dangerous and unsafe. There wasn't an animal too big, small, slippery
or furry for Meryl and she rescued cats, dogs and goldfish. She and
her team caught pigs, sheep, cows, goats and chickens. They saved
horses and ponies, duikers and sable antelope and intervened on
behalf of lions, hippos and ostriches.
For some the heart of INNOCENT VICTIMS will be in Marmalade, the
cat rescued from under the bath; for others it may be in Bokkie, the
dog on Roy and Heather Bennett's farm who won an award for "/his
exceptional bravery and loyalty to his owner and his family and his
courageous action that saved their lives."/ Or maybe it will be the
little un-named piglet which Meryl popped onto the floor of her
truck while mobs of men raged, shouted and threatened all around her.
All of the stories in /INNOCENT VICTIMS/ are the original first
hand accounts taken from Meryl's personal diaries. Some of the
rescues are gruesome and heartbreaking but others tell of great
courage, ingenuity and joyous reunions. All tell of the extraordinary
dedication and deep passion shown by one woman for the lives of many
thousands of animals. /INNOCENT VICTIMS /is the story of an unsung
and reluctant hero in Zimbabwe's darkest of times.
INNOCENT VICTIMS can be ordered from my website:
www.cathybuckle. com[1]/innocentv ictims.php[ 2] or from the publishers
at: www.merlinunwin. co.uk[3] .
Zimbabwe - A poem written for Belinda
How it fills me with sadness
To see our country fall
Who can stop this madness
Please Listen to our call
If you knew our beloved homeland
You would feel our burning pain
A country so magnificent
but now completely insane
Where are our people?
Scattered far and wide
The ones still within
are fast losing their pride
Stand up Zimbabweans
It seems we are on our own
We will have to fight this battle
entirely on our own.
Let us keep on fighting
For what we know is right
We have to keep on struggling
Until the end is in sight
One day this will be over
and let us not forget
The sacrifices and horrors
that Zimbabweans have met
The world is moved not only by the mighty shoves of the heroes but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each
honest worker. --Helen Keller
Robert Louis Stevenson
"I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow-creature, let me do it now.
Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."
J.B.
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