This country has been coming apart at the seams the past year, and with a presidential election planned for early next year the pressure is increasing. “Independence war veterans” ran rampant in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest city, Nov. 16, torching opposition party offices and randomly beating shoppers and passersby, whites in particular. Eight German and Norwegian tourists were beaten at city hall. A day earlier, the U.S. government recalled all Peace Corps workers when the Zimbabwean government denied work permits for recent volunteers. Visits to Zimbabwe’s main tourist attractions including Victoria Falls, Hwange National Park and Mana Pools are still possible, but the climate of violence and fear extends throughout the country.
