Glancing at a copy of the Sunday Times in a cafe today I read a leader about the dismal misery of Zimbabwe -
'Zimbabweans are suffering and their problems are spilling over into neighbouring states.'
Adjacent on the page, a comment by Harriet Sergeant about Karen Matthews, convicted last week of kidnapping her daughter:
'Karen’s nine-year-old daughter Shannon was regularly drugged to keep her quiet, had feet encrusted with dirt, was infested with head lice and flinched at any sudden noise... Seven children were going hungry to bed, not because of social deprivation but because their mother could not be bothered to feed them.'
Ah, it's that question again... What are our responsibilities as neighbours: balancing rights to privacy with collective responsibility for the vulnerable?
In reflecting on the parallels I do not overlook the point that leaders in Zimbabwe's neighbouring states know far more about conditions in that country, than Karen Matthews' neighbours knew of life in her home, and have had far clearer responsibility to act.
This is not the place for my views on the role of African leaders in relation to Mugabe. Suffice to say I have rather more sympathy for the residents on Moorside Estate and their profound sense of betrayal. But couldn't these tragedies stimulate some debate in the media about what our expectations are of neighbourly behaviour?
Previously: Thoughts for tormented neighbours.
