Zimbabweans turn into hunter-gatherers

September 25, 2008 by Chief K.Masimba Biriwasha ·
Filed under: Entrepreneurship, Zimbabwean diaries

HARARE, Zimbabwe – It is scorching midday at the western edge of Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital; hordes of people crisis-cross (patters of feet leave plumes of dust in their wake) as they go in and out of a chain of little shops filled to the brim with an assortment of basic commodities.

The little shops are reminiscent of the now defunct grocery shops which are dotted around the country.

The air is clogged with dust; men pushing wheelbarrows filled with boxes of soap, cooking oil, or sugar etc. loudly motion to the crowd to give way. Vehicles bringing goods to the shops momentarily disperse the crowd further increasing the amount of dust in the air. The ground is matted with dusty remains of cardboxes, and vehicles tyres have eaten into the soil creating groves.

It is literally a dusty affair at the western edge of Harare but no-one seems to care as everyone is heavily engrossed in seeking what they have come to hunt and gather for the time being.

Women and little children stand at the little doors of the congested shops selling paperbags. Some sell ice-cream at a give-away prices, and a stone-throw away, a dreadlocked man selling cigarettes screams into the air: “Bacosi! Bacosi!”

Certainly, Harare’s western edge has been transformed into a real marketplace (forget the dust) where you can find any basic commodity.

The little shops, commonly referred to as “tuckshops” are cashing in on Zimbabweans’ quest to hunt and gather basic commodities such as soap, cooking oil, and sugar.

What is surprising is that while the supermarket shelves in the city are empty, the “tuckshops” are always well-stocked, and there is never a shortage of either basic goods or customers.

Everyday, the “tuckshops” are always busy with customers trooping to look for hard-to-come-by basic goods.

Unfortunately, the hygienic standards are very poor with clouds of dust choking customers. It is only a wonder whether city authorities are aware of the existence of these tuckshops, and if they do, why they are not allowed to operate at a more accessible section of the city.

Whatever the case, there is no doubt that the seemingly intractable socio-economic crisis in the country has reduced Zimbabwe to hunter-gatherers of basic commodities.

Throughout the city, people can be seen going about carrying loads of basic goods (imported or local) with the mantra being “if you have money, buy it wherever you can find it.”

Even among professional workers, work days are spent bartering, buying or selling basic food items. Each purchase is somewhat a representation of success.

The addiction with the purchase of basic commodities is so widespread that it has infiltrated every level of society.

Although the national political scene still captures the collective imagination, it has indeed become secondary to politics of the stomach.

Many ordinary people are very happy to ensure that the short-term need to be fed is adequately fulfilled before they can devote their attention to any other matter.

Meanwhile, there is highly well-networked elite feeding off the crisis through the supply of basic goods of Zimbabwean origin that cannot be found in the major supermarkets.

Tell the world: