Zimbabwe: Queues of Despair
If a Martian landed in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital today, he would certainly be taken aback by the length and number of human queues.
Like garden worms, the human queues twist and turn throughout the city, blocking traffic as people wait to get a chance to get money from their bank accounts.
The queues start early in the morning and last well into the night. As long as people think there is a faint chance to get a hold of their cash, they remain huddled in the queue.
If anything, human queues have become an additional indicator of the collapse of the Zimbabwean nation state, in particular, the financial system.
Due to a multi-billion percent inflation, the Zimbabwean government is no longer able to meet the paper money needs of its citizenry. Read more
Ploughing back in our former schools
Many of our former primary and secondary schools, which were once vibrant and high-flying have gone into a great decline and have experienced extreme dilapidation. Visiting one’s former school, one is sure to get a rude shock and awakening by the sheer deterioration.
This makes one think of the importance of giving back to our former schools which actually provided our foundation as we were nurtured in our early academic lives. It was this foundation laid upon which we now have the sound knowledge that we have acquired as adults. I think it would be a noble thing to help our former primary and secondary schools in any way that we can, being in cash or in kind. Read more
Harare, Zimbabwe today
As at 10:00 am GMT+2 today:
Temperature: 25°C
Humidity: 25.7%
Visibility: 8km
Clouds: Clear Skies
Wind: NNE at 7 km/h
Barometer: 1.009 atm
Dew Point: 4°C
Sunrise: 5:45 am GMT+2
Sunset: 5:47 pm GMT+2
Inflation: Was 11,2million % in August. Now no one knows anymore
Cabinet: What’s that?
Prime Minister: Unsowrn in
Official currency: Zimdollar
Unofficial currencies: Fuel coupons, maize, US dollars, SA Rands
Exchange rate: US$1 = ZW$300,000 at the transfer rate (revalued- TWICE)
Maximum daily withdrawl at the bank/ATM: ZW$1,000
Cost of public transport into town: ZW$500
Cost of a loaf of bread: ZW$2,000 (if you can find it)
Cost of a kg of beef: ZW$8,500
Main export: Educated Zimbabweans
Biggest industry: Forex dealing
Other industries: Buying and selling, more buying and selling, even more buying and selling
