After months of squabbling about the results of elections earlier last year, opposition party leader Morgan Tsvangirai has been sworn in as prime minister of Zimbabwe. The new “unity government” that involves power-sharing between Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe is giving Zimbabweans hope that an end is in sight to the political, economic and health crises that have plagued the nation for months.
To date, a cholera epidemic has claimed nearly 4,000 lives and infected about 65,000 people in Zimbabwe since August. The lack of water treatment chemicals and a problem with waste disposal in much of the country has contributed to many cases of infection. In addition, the United Nations is reporting that more than 5 million people in Zimbabwe are in need of food assistance. There are also shortages of fuel and electricity. The shortages combined with the other issues have contributed to the worst inflation of any country in the world -- at 231 million percent.
If Mr. Tsvangirai is unsuccessful in his attempts to bring about positive change in Zimbabwe, one must wonder how much longer the world will sit by and watch the nation continue to decay.
To date, a cholera epidemic has claimed nearly 4,000 lives and infected about 65,000 people in Zimbabwe since August. The lack of water treatment chemicals and a problem with waste disposal in much of the country has contributed to many cases of infection. In addition, the United Nations is reporting that more than 5 million people in Zimbabwe are in need of food assistance. There are also shortages of fuel and electricity. The shortages combined with the other issues have contributed to the worst inflation of any country in the world -- at 231 million percent.If Mr. Tsvangirai is unsuccessful in his attempts to bring about positive change in Zimbabwe, one must wonder how much longer the world will sit by and watch the nation continue to decay.
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