We left Johannesburg on Friday and drove to Pretoria, the capital. After a day of meetings we continued on to the Zimbabwean border town of Messina.The landscape on the drive is absolutely beautiful – hilly country covered with scrub bushes, big rocky outcroppings, earth that is pure ochre in color, and huge baobob trees looming over everything else. Messina itself is nothing to write home about – and yet I am! It reminds me of any border town that I’ve ever been to (and I’ve been to a lot).

On Saturday, we crossed into Zimbabwe. It’s amazing to see the stark contrast between the two countries, and to wonder at the fact that Zimbabwe used to be an economic rival to South Africa just 10 years ago. After crossing into Beitbridge, the pavement turns to rubble. Stores are either closed or have almost nothing on the shelves. What produce we did see was very expensive – as much or more than what we pay in the US, but in a country that cannot afford anything. We even came across a bank that had a sign saying “closed due to bad weather,” except it was a beautiful sunny day. Very few people were around, and people kept to themselves. We were able to talk to a few people who were heading to South Africa, and all had been going back and forth now for some time. We met one person who had filed for political asylum, but he was afraid to tell us why.

In the afternoon, we decided to take the advice of a colleague and drive along the border between Zimbabwe and South Africa. The two countries are divided by the Limpopo River, and if you’ve ever seen the nature specials about the wildebeest crossing the river and becoming dinner for the crocodiles that lay in wait, this is where it all happens. We didn’t get to see any of these life and death struggles, but again we did get to talk to a few more Zimbabweans along the way, all with interesting stories.

I still got to see a little bit of wildlife. As we began our border drive, we came across two huge lizards in a tussle – they were probably 2-3 feet long each! Then further down the road, as we were skirting the Limpopo River, we came across a large group of baboons foraging for food. They scattered as soon as I stopped the car. Finally, we saw a small herd of deer-like animals (maybe springbok?).

Now, it’s back to Johannesburg and then on to Botswana. We’re excited about going to a place where few organizations are collecting information, and where we can make a real difference. Plus, I’m told that I have a good chance at seeing a hippo in the Zambezi river!

--Sean Garcia is currently assessing the humanitarian situation of Zimbabweans in southern Africa with Patrick Duplat.

Labels: Zimbabwe