The Fall Out & Caving in, Wither MDCT?

For a few months tensions have been brewing in the Movement for Democratic Change, Zimbabwe’s major opposition party. Soon after the lost elections, Roy Bennett hummed some discontent before vanishing from social networks, ostensibly to get into private business as his family needed to “eat”. I took this with a pinch of salt but accepted it as a possibility, living in exile for a seemingly lost cause can cause one to give up. However a few months if not days after the said walk away, his name began to be fingered among a clique who wanted Morgan Tsvangirai to go, soon Elton Mangoma was writing letters for Tsvangirai to go until he got suspended then fired. This culminated in the Mandel Training Centre meeting which is where we are. So what is happening here? Wither the Movement of the People? I will try to unpack the mystery as I see and from the perspective of a bystander.

Splits – A History of Our Politics?

Zimbabwe politics is fraught with splits even from the days of the liberation struggle, what began as ZAPU ended up as ZANU, ZANUPF and ZAPU et al. Those in the know will tell you the reason for the forming of ZANU was because Nkomo was too weak and did not make decisions timeously or impose the same firmly. More interesting was the notion that ZANU formation was a result of infiltration by Rhodesian people to influence direction or put the struggle in jeopardy. Looking at history, we can almost see a repeat of what happened then, MDC was formed, it split into several parts, most failing to gain support and going under. It is also worthy of note Joshua Nkomo was a trade unionist the same with Morgan Tsvangirai, both are accused of not being able to make decisions quickly or as being weak figures. There were strong & decisive communist/socialists among ZANU though notably Josiah Tongogara & it is no accident he had to die, with hindsight, borrowing the wisdom shared by Strive Masiyiwa, Nkomo’s lack of rash decisions led to formation of one of Zimbabwe’s leading indigenous companies Econet Wireless. I am sure those who lived to see events of the 1960s are having a Deja-Vu kind of feeling looking at what is happening in Zimbabwe. From hereon I will explain the issues and forces I see at play in Zimbabwe politics:

The Capitalist Hand/Donor

The chorus is that the donors no longer want Morgan Tsvangirai at the helm of the party, this culminated in Mangoma putting together an exit package for Morgan, prior to that it was mooted that Morgan would step down and become like a Mandela for the party. The exit package and the Mandela proposal didn’t work to much chagrin from those pushing it. So other means had to be devised, the announcement that Morgan has been suspended could be a last effort at enforcing the way of the donor community. With a cursory look, it is evident the donor and the capitalist is the same hand. Ian Smith declared UDI in 1965 meaning Rhodesia was no longer a part of British territories, a feat only managed by United States prior. Now think on this, if Rhodesia was at war with ZAPU/ZANU, why was there a need to have a Lancaster Agreement? Was there a need for Britain to be involved in the affairs of a now sovereign state? What was in it for them? It is clear that Britain was no longer on the side of Ian Smith but was now firmly behind the liberation movement. We all know that after independence the relationship between Zimbabwe and Britain was a good one or else Prince Charles would not have visited and Mugabe knighted. So the donor’s hand was at work, forget the “one man, one vote” mantra, war was fought for resources but resources is not what our black brothers came from Lancaster preaching, it was a new tune. Remember, “Whoever pays the piper, calls the tune”.

The Struggle Is All About The People, They Own It

Tendai Biti Walking in Mugabe’s Footsteps?

If donor sentiment is to be considered, Tendai Biti was the rightful candidate to succeed Morgan Tsvangirai just as Mugabe was anointed to take over at independence. Then it was Edgar Tekere making manoeuvres, today we see Elton Mangoma doing the same. Just as Mugabe was hesitant to take over fearing a backlash from the guerrillas, we also saw Tendai Biti sitting on the fence for a long time, his hesitancy was palpable. But Mangoma did not have the wit of Edgar “Two Boy” Tekere and unlike back then where the masses had no say, this time the Zimbabwe populace has a voice. What we are seeing unfold is not entirely surprising, this by all accounts seem to be a well worked out plan with option A, B, C or D. I remember Lindiwe Zulu tried so much to push MDCT negotiators Biti and Mangoma to put ZANUPF on the ropes, she was frustrated to the point of almost becoming a negotiator on behalf of MDCT which raised the ire of Robert Mugabe.

When Tendai Biti opened a facebook page many of us welcomed the initiative, but as posts began to get confused. I particularly took exception to the way Biti wrote, it was as if he was speaking to someone else, not the multitude of fans who were following. The language used was not for the layman unless one had to read with a dictionary on hand. One thing that stood out from my perspective was Biti’s eagerness to rope in World Bank, IMF and others such into the scheme of things, I took it up with him that he was overly trying to please the Bretton Woods institutions overlooking home grown investment solutions for our economic problems, he did not take this constant enquiry too well, I was blocked. Now I ask myself, was his facebook page a project to endear himself to the West that I can represent your interests above anyone else or better than the Trade Unionist. My supposition is buttressed by Biti’s penchant for policing the page, any negative comment or criticism was quickly being removed, on his last page post dated 10 March 2014 he must have deleted in excess of 400 comments from irate supporters. While Mugabe’s ascendancy was smooth, that of Biti is looking murky even himself was not sure. But those who seek their way seem to be pushing him all the way. Those who say Biti seems to have lost weight are right; these are probably the most gruelling times of his political career.

The ZANUPF Connection

We all know it takes a pride of lions to bring down a giraffe, but the hunter does not get to enjoy the spoils alone. Vultures, hyenas, jackals and all manner of scavengers join the party. So the donor’s party has been gate crushed, ZANUPF with spooks on its side could have trailed the hunt waiting. When the Mangoma fiasco was unfolding, I looked for a few people whom I had bet would fall on the MDC Team’s side. These are the vultures that eat, sleep and live opposition slogans and in the dead of night sell all the information. Most people think ZANUPF being fingered in abuse of state security is a stretch of imagination but these are the type of people who can work for you as a gardener earning top dollar just to eavesdrop on you. They are as much a part of this and I imagine the courts are waiting to play ping pong on MDCT like they did with Welshman Ncube as a pawn. Biti is also the legal representative of Gideon Gono making cheap money from the donors and also from the regime. Could he and Gono be lining up to take over as a super faction of ZANUPF? This would not amaze me, Mai Mujuru and Emerson Mngangagwa can be left in the cold after all the years of fighting to get in.

Way Forward, The People Way

At this juncture, MDCT needs to make a smart decision. Already Biti has approached parliament and chances are he is hoping to take it into a long drawn legal battle right up to 2018. MDCT does not need this, when a man has sold out, he cares little about the people. Now is the time for Morgan to start rebuilding and spend less energy on trying to get into a spat with Biti. He has a chance to bring freedom with no strings attached, no donor terms & conditions like Mugabe was handed at Lancaster House. Zimbabwe has its human capital to look to; Morgan and those close to him must now think creatively on how to have the movement funded by the people and make this all about the people, no more balancing act of trying to please donors. Like the way it began, MDCT can regroup and make it about the people. If Zimbabweans want freedom badly then they must be willing to fight for it with their sweat and their meagre income but among Zimbabweans there is sufficient sources to buoy the struggle. They must let Biti and the donors walk. Freebies come at a heavy price later on. The examples of Uganda and Malawi getting Balance of Payment support withdrawn shows how much donors can enslave a nation, even ZANUPF is failing to pull the nation forward, they have begged left, right and centre mortgaging the resources for a pittance. Now is the time for Zimbabwe to chart its own destiny and build from ground up, if we must be prepared to walk alone and leave the African mentality of bending over to please donors behind.

Careful What You Wish for South Africa, You Might Just Get it!!!

Tuesday the 10^th of December 2013 was a significant day; South Africa witnessed the largest gathering of heads of state, former heads of state & dignitaries which is probably the largest gathering of people of note in one place. This was the sending off of Africa’s finest son ever & probably the last one unless God smiles on this Dark Continent and let the sun scorched land behold another like him. Many people underestimated the life and stature of Nelson Mandela, some still do, a murmur here & some discontent there. I have been involved in many debates where the question is always “besides staying in prison what did Mandela do”? I will not delve into his deeds and gestures because I believe anyone who doesn’t know them has their heads so stuck underground it will be hopeless for me to try and yell some sense into them. I am sure the spectacle of December 10, 2013 has changed some minds & hearts but I wouldn’t bet anything on a people whose heads are underground, what they might have noticed is the incessant rains over Guateng bringing discomfiture to their heads down under.

It was a day of jubilant tears in South Africa, Nelson Mandela can only be celebrated not mourned, here is a man whom I know ran his race on earth to the fullest. When heaven receives him, I envisage a great celebration for a man who answered his calling while in the flesh. Jesus Christ once said, “If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also.” Most of us dismiss this adage as impractical but Nelson Mandela is one man who lived this principle, for example he gave his jailer a VIP guest status to his inauguration as president and invited the then Prosecutor at the Rivonia trial for lunch. How must it have felt for the Jail Guard or for the Prosecutor? I suppose it changed their perspectives on life in general and lifted a heavy burden from their hearts. They discovered the gift of no condemnation not from God but from fellow man. As they saw his memorial they must have been proud and probably wept knowing that they were forgiven, no more should they wallow in shame for the roles they played in his life. Nelson Mandela gave the other cheek but when all was said and done, he embraced them & loved them like they had never done him any wrong.

I can talk more of Nelson Mandela but his memorial also made headlines, Barack Obama delivered a great speech and in the spirit of the occasion he went to shake hands with the Cuban leader Raul Castro, even Castro himself was somewhat awed dropping his jaws in disbelief but Obama knows Mandela would have loved this to happen. After this came the sad chapter of the day, when Jacob Zuma was spotted he was booed constantly. This was a very embarrassing moment for not only him but for South Africa as a whole. I have seen people lynch into his person and many are actually jubilant that things turned out thus for him. But I believe Zuma did not deserve such disrespect, no one did. As I reflected on this occurrence my mind was seized with the phrase “Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it”. I juxtaposed the boos to Jacob Zuma with the cheers accorded Robert Mugabe, as a Zimbabwean I would have been forgiving of those booing Zuma had they held their peace at the sight of Robert Mugabe.

Questions raced through my mind whether these people yearned for a Robert Mugabe like leader in place of Jacob Zuma? Here was a gathering where Angels, Ancestors & whatever you believe in were supposedly watching from their domicile, the powers that can change their lives, grant their wishes and attend to their needs. I am reminded of Israelites in the bible when they said to Samuel we need a king seeing you are old. They asked why they cannot have kings like other nations, in essence rejecting God as their king. In the end their wish was granted & it was so mournful on their part. So South Africa, what is it that you wished for in those few minutes? What is the message you sent out to your Gods, Ancestors et al? Are you rejecting Jacob Zuma and wishing upon a Robert Mugabe? Be careful what you wish for, you might just get an Uncle Bob in future and when that time comes memories would be so far from FNB Stadium you wouldn’t know what hit you. Ask Zimbabweans how they sang “God give Mugabe long life” and today they wish his life ended. Yes there are now many Zimbabweans waiting to celebrate his death, look at how his health issues make headlines. It is my wish to have 100 Mugabe praise singers in Zimbabwe and they experience life the way majority experience it, worry about electricity, worry about water & when it comes worry about whether it’s clean enough to drink. I would love to have them work like all Zimbabweans earning an average of R2,500.00 ($250) for an office job requiring a qualification and if they have Matric only they have to settle for Maid or Gardener’s job getting about R700 pay. They will also know that payday is not a fixed date, it is a moving date dependent on management will to pay. After they get the pay they must worry about getting it out of the bank which will take a long queue. Maybe only then will people start to wish upon the right things and praise what they truly understand.

Zuma with all his blunders & lack of education, I would trade him any day for Mugabe with multiple degrees. Sure the Nkandlagate is a big issue but at least people are allowed to freely talk about it, to freely boo the president for it and freely investigate what transpired through the public protector. In Zimbabwe who dare question Mugabe for the missing billions not accounted in diamond revenue, who has the mettle to question the corrupt activities of his inner cabal? The Zimbabwe Anti-corruption Commission tried it ended being on trial themselves for trying to try corruption. If it was people at Zimbabwe National Sports stadium who booed Robert Mugabe before over 100 heads of states, the ghettos would not have known any peace after the dignitaries leave. Beer drinkers would have been rounded up in pubs and given a thorough hiding; those found walking on the streets after dark would also befall the same fate of button sticks. If the memorial was in Zimbabwe Obama would have been there on time, no traffic would dare travel on the route because no one wants to face the wrath of the Zimbabwe Republic Police. Only Zimbabweans know what Mugabe does and is capable of doing. So South Africans must be careful what they wish for, they might just get it.

Updating BlackBerry 10 Software using Sachesi Application

In these parts of the world, Africa, things are a bit slow. Software push via mobile networks is no exception. It can take many calls, Facebook & Twittering to the network provider before they will push the software to devices, but kudos to Vodacom they always do it pronto while others can take up to 4 months to do it. Wi-fi is not readily available in these parts of the world and some of the updates are more than 500MB so the wi-fi can be limited which puts the device at risk of being rendered unusable again. So this option is very welcome & solves a lot of pain chasing clueless network providers whose Call Centre staff is people who cannot even do an OTA update on their own devices.

Obviously someone at CrackBerry did a guide on how to do the software update, problem is the person used a MAC and I am a Windows 7 user so it really had an effect & wasted time stuck thinking something is happening yet nothing at all, that’s how I wasted 4 hours in my day. So here goes:

 

What is Required?

1. A computer/Notebook, I was using Windows 7 64-bit

2. Data Bundles, the folder I downloaded for 10.2 OS is 1.02GB so you can budget 1.5GB in case you might need Google stuff when you run into problems.

3. BlackBerry Link (running), you must have it installed on your PC because the drivers it comes with are necessary to communicate with the phone.

4. Google Chrome browser.

5. Time and patience. If you are pressed for time rather wait until you have time.

6. Do a full back up using BlackBerry Link and remove your SIM card from the phone.

How to Do it?

First thing is to download the Sachesi program Click Here, make sure you choose the right one for your PC operating system. For some reason Mega and Internet Explorer is not good workmates this is why I had to use the Chrome Browser. Once you download Sachesi you will need to locate it on your computer, easiest way just go to Start, Search for Sachesi, open it and click Run. Note some anti-virus programs will refuse to Run the program so if it refuses to do anything you might need to check if it’s not your Norton or if you have administrator privilege on the computer.

The screen below will be displayed:

You will then need to put information in the white form fields. Now the country code is not the international dial code before you vex yourself punching it in. to get the right code click on the (?) mark, it will redirect to a Wikipedia page listing the country from there you need to note the following:

MCC number is the one to put on the Country field, MNC number is what you put on the Carrier field, choose your device model, under Variant if your phone is connected to the PC it should show “Connected:..” then your phone’s variant. Put that on the Variant field, alternatively swipe down on your phone to bring Settings, About then Model Number is your Variant. Now if you entered the details correctly you should see something like the screenshot below:

 Sometimes you can get the error “Server did not respond as expected [99]”. This is likely to happen if you are using company LAN (internet) and the firewall is blocking access. Just make alternative arrangements for download.

If you come right then a screen shot like below will pop up.

This time you need to click “Download All”.

The interesting bit is you will not be able to see where the download file is being saved; in my case it went to Downloads, Documents but don’t sweat, put the number appearing next to Update e.g. mine is showing 10.2.0.424 so I take this number and throw it into PC search you will see it right at the top of search results, pointing your mouse onto it will show the path to get the file like C:\Users\Your username\...Downloads\. Take note of the location!

The download will commence as on the screenshot below, wait for it to complete, depending on your connection speed it can take little or more time.

After the download is complete it’s now time to install the software. Mine took approximately 30 minutes to complete, this was a device I had wiped so if there is data it might take a bit longer.

On Sachesi navigate to “Install” and you should see something like below, the IP addresses might be different, don’t worry.

Now this is where I got stuck, Sachesi will show Installing Radios & Installing OS, don’t be fooled, NOTHING IS HAPPENING, I waited on this screen for 2 hours fearing to abort and brick my Berry. To start the installation process you need to go to the location where the OS folder got saved.

 

I did the screenshot above just to show how to drag and drop (drag the 10.2... folder to Sachesi), once you have the folder on Sachesi, drop it there and Voila! It will start loading the software on the phone. On the device screen it will show the progress of the installation. The reason to take out your smart card is so that no calls, notifications or network interface affect the updating process which can cause hiccups. when done it will show you that its completed as below:

So that’s it, I had to include as much detail as possible so that it becomes easier even for the novice. Wouldn’t want anyone to go through what I went through lol. When the updating is complete the phone might lag a bit or take time stuck on the BlackBerry 10 screen or showing BlackBerry logo, relax and let it complete. Like any update, the phone will do a lot of background restoration but it should get to work just fine within a few hours. If you faced major issues with this method throw in the comments, we would love to dig deep and find out.

NB: This is NOT for installing leaked or unreleased software but official once released to carriers. Thank you.

BlackBerry Z30 Review - User Interface/OS

So much for the hardware part, let’s now dwell on what this phone can do or what it can do better. I am a user of a BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 so you will find me touching on the evolution of this Operating System for the 10 or so months it has been out.

Gestures

This is the hallmark of BlackBerry 10; you will not find any buttons on the screen. Now let me point out something that I see being sold as a lie about BlackBerry 10, many reviewers say gestures are hard to learn. My take is if you cannot hold a car steering wheel and change gears at the same time then BlackBerry gestures are not for you, in fact it’s harder to ride a tricycle than it is to muster gestures. So those reviewers are probably smoking something.

Battery Life

This phone sports a 2880mAh battery, this sounds like it’s not very much to go on but BlackBerry has one advantage, the Operating System and the Hardware are their own. This means hardware is optimised for use with the software meaning the Z30 will get all the work done using a Dual Core processor hence its power efficiency is above those of its peers in the 5 inch range. I am a heavy user & so I am impressed with how the Z30 has handled, to give an idea of how much my appetite for power is, I can get through 2GB of data within 3 weeks and this is limited to occasional download of whatsapp video like 2 times a week at no more than 5MB each, no Youtube and I do quite a lot of Wifi Hotspot, there are websites I use at work that are not accessible when using the LAN for internet. Wifi Hotspot consumes a lot of battery life, my Z10 was taking a beating in that regard and I was content with 5 hours from full battery to 0%. Within those 5 hours was at least one hour of Wifi Hotspot. On the Z30 I making it through the day, currently I have done 2 hours of Wifi Hotspot and battery is just below 40% with an uptime of 8 since I took it off the charger.

Network Connectivity

I work in an area of Sandton which is like a ditch, on low ground and far from the busy central business district. With my BlackBerry Z10 I could get good network coverage outside the work premises but once sat on my desk I would lose connectivity probably something to do with the building design or too much interference. So I had a perfect place to test out the endurance of the BlackBerry Z30 in that regard. I was eager to see how the Paratek Antenna would stand up to the notorious building. I am happy to confirm that I am getting all 5 bars of network service. So no gimmick, this technology really works in those headache places like basements and remote areas.

Camera Performance

I have seen people frown on the BlackBerry Z30 for having an 8MP camera, often comparing it to the BlackBerry Z10. But like I saw, the megapixels are only half the yardstick to measure how good a camera is, much goes to the medium through which the image is viewed. The Z30 has an OLED display and images appear sharper, even those I took on my Z10 look much different once I had moved them to Z30. The image editor also comes with more options and enhancements.

BlackBerry 10.2 Software

This is a major highlight of the BlackBerry experience, the 10.2 update to the operating system brings a lot of new features which I am still discovering so this will not be exhaustive:

Text Editors

When you are in any type form (text, email, BBM, Whatsapp..) and you select text an on screen pop up will show up with options to Copy, Select All or Share as shown below, yes you can share textlines to Email, BBM, BBM Group, Text Messaging and other Social Media.
 

Text Editor - Copy, Select All & Share

 

When you go to another type form and touch the empty space it will display the options to Paste, Selective Select, Select All or Share as shown below:



 

Text Editor - Paste, Selective Selection, Select All & Share

The above are the additions that came with the 10.2 update, the options for Bold, Italics, Underline, bullets, font adjustments, and text colour remain as on the 10.1 software.

Messaging Handling



 

The gesture based interface made things easy with Peak, in line with the motto #Keepmoving 10.2 update brings the feature to reply to BBM & Whatsapp and other social media from within any application or home screen, when the message comes in, you will see it at the top of the screen, you can tap on it to go to the application, tap the instant reply option to send a quick reply from wherever you are. Below is screen shot of a BBM reply straight from within the Settings Menu:

Reply BBM, Text, Email, Whatsapp from Anywhere

BBM Natural Sound

You probably have heard of BBM Natural Sound, I set out to make a test call, a BBM Voice call. It was amazing how the clarity of the call came through as if you are speaking to the person face to face. This is not only great for BBM Voice and Video, since the application comes with screen share, this will be an awesome way to share that awesome stadium atmosphere, that party and other events and make the people being shared with hear it as if they part of the proceeding. Think of a sales man selling a hi-fi audio system telephonically and the customer wants to know how the sound works out, they can have screen share with natural sound without having to be in loco. BlackBerry is built with business savvy users in mind, Natural Sound can bring Executives in different countries to speak as if they are in one room, no problems of distorted sound.

BBM Voice & Video with Natural Sound


App Manager

This is a nice feature which allows you to see what is happening on the device, it has a Device Monitor which is like the Task Manager on your Windows PC and also View Default Apps which sets what application will be used for certain tasks such as opening maps will be dedicated to either of Google Maps, BlackBerry Maps or other application.

The Device Monitor is the best, it allows one to see how open apps are performing or those running in the background, suppose an application is leaking memory you can see how much it is using and also check those apps which run in the background which can potentially use up data. This is a great tool for diagnosing source of problems on the smart phone.  Below is a screen shot of the Device Monitor:

Device Monitor in App Manager

 

Round Up

 

So this is not a full review of all the specifications, I picked up additions to the features added on BlackBerry 10.2 update. There is still much to discover like how the phone adjusts to how you are consuming content for example if you receive a voice note on Whatsapp and play it with the phone on your desk or hands, the audio will come out of the loud speakers, when you move the phone to your ear piece it will recognise this and audio will come through ear piece without you changing anything. More hidden features will be unearthed and highlighted, thank you.