Once Upon a Family

While Mugabe and his cronies celebrated their egoistic 2008 electoral victory, the country was facing a record high inflation, failed healthcare system, clean water and food shortages, countrywide company closures and a massive displacement of people due to political violence - real events that inspired the manuscript: Once Upon a Family.

Raw sewage was remitted into water reservoirs, igniting a countrywide catastrophe last witnessed a decade earlier. In August of 2008, Zimbabwe was hit by a severe cholera outbreak - affecting 98 596 and claiming 4 369 lives - including my mother, with nearly half of the reported deaths occurring en route to hospitals. The epidemic spilled into neighbouring nations, including South Africa.

While the nation confronted a bleak future, Mugabe claimed on December 10, 2008 that the cholera pandemic was over and his party held a conference splashing millions. His utterances confirmed the government's callous attitude, revealing that all Mugabe craved for was to remain in power, even at the expense of the electorate.

My mother's death, alongside other victims left painful memories. We endured dejected health professionals, helplessly watching her die, taking her into the mortuary and lastly, the unfamiliar mode of burial. Years later, the Zimbabwe government is yet to do a proper audit of the cholera victims in order to bring closure to painful episode.

The manuscript: Once Upon a Family, therefore explicitly reveals the insensitive attitude, selfish political policies and flawed decisions by Harare that resulted in deaths to multitudes of innocent citizens during Mugabe's notorious 37-year reign.