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Burning issues
R. Maclaren, CHIPAWO
March 26, 2009

The story of Va Makomya and the Renault, affectionately called the Yellow Bus, that I began telling you about a few days ago, was, it turned out, by no means over.

I would like to dwell on that feeling of pride and achievement in the resourcefulness of the little man that I tried to evoke in that first episode and not allow what I am going to tell you now to diminish or distort it in any way.

I received quite a number of responses to the story, mostly saying something to the effect that it put a smile on the face or made you laugh. However this morning I received a message from a rather more suspicious doctor around town (not medical). She is a Zimbabwean. She too enjoyed the story and it brought a smile to her face. However she added a coda, She wrote: "Hope the jalopy is still enjoying its new found good health as I write this! You know in Zim we can never celebrate too soon!"

I had to laugh. Yes, it is true that we in Zimbabwe have learnt not to count our laughter or happiness chickens before they hatch. I laughed as well as I had just heard that after a triumphant staff round yesterday evening, which was welcomed with ululation and happy chatter at every stage, the Renault (alias Yellow Bus) had gone into town this morning and refused to take off from the pick-up point, namely the Harare Post Office. Staff had to catch taxis to work.

Well, that problem was sorted out only immediately to encounter another problem. This time with the exhaust manifold - only to be expected with a vehicle that has been standing around unused for a year. That too was sorted out and I had every reason to expect that the Yellow Bus would complete yet another staff round after work today.

I do not think that the heroic achievements of Va Makonya had anything whatsoever to do with what happened next and about which I have to tell you now.

This is important. The message of Hooray for Zimbabwe should stand - though it may be complemented by another, one which will emerge from the following - Zimbabwe is nothing if not complicated.

At about 4.45pm this evening there was a knock on the door and there stood Farai Kuzvidza, the Media Technician, a young man who is now a very skilled video editor as well as performer and who started his career in CHIPAWO when he was very little. What he told me made me seriously doubt my Shona. However on further interrogation I established that what I was hearing was what had happened, which was: "The Yellow Bus is burning!"

And so it was, burning as we spoke. Farai had hitched a lift to tell me and we drove over to the new CHIPAWO office together and there was the Yellow Bus, our hopes going up literally in smoke.

The Yellow Bus is no more. But Va Makonya is - and so are we all - all still ready to fight another day. Have I become like one of the old Chinamen on the poet's lapis lazuli vase, gazing on life, my and CHIPAWO's tragic setbacks with eyes, like theirs - 'their eyes, their ancient glittering eyes, are gay.' Why don't I weep and tear my hair out? Instead I feel like writing funny stories like this. Have we become inured? It's a great loss but really no-one was hurt and it could have been much worse. There's comfort in that.

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