I am leaving the country. But not forever, determined to come back. Shame hey!

Would you believe...

After powercut number four today, the lights sort of went on again, well on and off and on and off again. Now the lights in the cottage are working, but not in the main house. However one plate of the stove is working in the main house, but not in the cottage. And neither do the fridges.

Small quiz for Mr Gono

First there was no cash

Then you couldn't swipe anymore

Then the banks ran out of chequebooks

How are you supposed to pay for your shopping?

Now African Airlines pull out

From the Mail & Guardian (SA) published:Mon 26-Nov-2007

Suspending daily services between Lusaka and Harare from December 1

Harare - Zambian Airways is to halt direct flights between Harare and Lusaka next month as the route is no longer profitable, an airline official said on Monday. Zambian Airways chief executive officer Mutembo Nchito said the last flight on the Harare-Lusaka route will be on November 30.(...)

From the News: cash dealers

From IRIN (UN), 23 November: Of cash and dealers

Harare - Just when life could not become any harder for Zimbabweans, who are already having to cope with food and fuel shortages and rocketing prices, local banks have run out of notes. Long queues of people waiting to draw cash have been a common sight outside banks for the past two weeks.(...) The crisis has inevitably bred a new kind of dealer, providing cash for a commission. They include bank tellers who moonlight as currency sellers after work, illegal foreign currency dealers, shop managers and even sports administrators, who receive cash after matches. "Sometimes these people ... charge you as much as 40 percent of what you need, meaning that if you ask for Z$200 million, you can only receive Z$120 million," said John Kangai, a self-employed carpenter. "People are taking advantage of others because of the prevailing economic crisis, but that is not fair. I am struggling to make ends meet and the greedy are seeing an opportunity in the crisis to make quick and lazy money." (...)While individuals cannot draw more than Z$5 million, companies have to contend with a maximum withdrawal of Z$20 million, which used to be the limit for persons making ordinary withdrawals. (...) Eric Bloch, an economist and consultant to the RBZ, said the cash crisis was mainly due to hyperinflation. "Inflation is so intense that people need up to six times the amount of money that they required a month ago to buy the same commodity. On the other hand, the RBZ has stopped printing more money because, I understand, their printing machine has broken down," Bloch told IRIN. Zimbabwe's inflation rate is officially pegged at almost 8,000 percent - the new rate has yet to be announced - but various independent economists have put inflation at nearer to 15,000 percent. (...)

Pomona Rubbish Dump

For a few month now, rubbish collection is nonexistent in our area. So we drive our rubbish regularly to the dump. Today it was my turn.

I felt like in a documentation film. Lots of people seem to live in between the little hills of rubbish. Here and there you see small piles than seem to be their shacks or a few maize plants. Some of the "hills" are slowly burning away. As soon as you stop the car a crowd of angry looking dirty people comes running to see what you have brought. The smell almost makes you faint. You can hardly open the door as people are pushing towards the car trying to grab everything that is inside.

From the News: New Currency coming soon

As most people suspected already, because of cash shortages...

From The Mail & Guardian (SA), 21 November: Inflation-hit Zim to issue new bank notes

Harare - Zimbabwe will soon issue new bank notes, for the second time in as many years, to try to control rampant inflation and curb black-market trade, central bank Governor Gideon Gono said on Wednesday. The Southern African country is in the grips of a severe economic crisis - blamed on President Robert Mugabe's policies - and battling the highest annual inflation rate in the world, at nearly 8 000%. Zimbabwe lopped off three zeros from its currency in July 2006 and phased out old notes within three weeks in a programme dubbed "Sunrise". "The general public, as well as the financial sector, are hereby forewarned that Sunrise Two is now imminent," Gono told reporters. "The Reserve Bank has now put in place all the machinery to enable the implementation of a short and precise changeover programme, which would be completed in a matter of a few days."

Gono declined to say exactly when the currency change would take place and how many zeros would be dropped. "The actual changeover will be done without prior notice beyond what we are saying here." He added that Zimbabwe's inflation would not deter the central bank from effecting a currency change. "Last time we removed three zeros. But they've returned. Now we are determined not to allow them to return," Gono said. "Some have said we are in a hyperinflationary environment and can therefore not bring in a new currency. Nothing could be further from the truth." Zimbabwe has, in recent weeks, seen long queues at most city banking halls due to cash shortages, which Gono blamed on black market foreign currency trade. Gono had announced earlier this month the central bank would defer the introduction of new bank notes until 2008, but said he was forced to change the plans due to a resurgent black market. (...)

From the News: Suddenly!

From The Herald (state owned newspaper), 21 November: Imported goods welcome

By Walter Muchinguri and Martin Kadzere

Importers of basic commodities have been encouraged to continue bringing in such goods, as they were crucial in bridging the supply gap while local companies resuscitate operations. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and the National Incomes and Pricing Commission said imported goods were welcome into the market but should be realistically priced so that they remain affordable to consumers. RBZ Governor Dr Gideon Gono yesterday said the NIPC was recently caught off-guard when it gave businesses an ultimatum of up to November 22 to clear their stocks of imported goods or be forced to sell them at prices below the official exchange rate. The NIPC, chaired by Mr Godwills Masimirembwa, had issued the ultimatum, saying that it would factor the official exchange rate in coming up with pricing models for imported goods. Dr Gono said there were no intention to ban imports of basic commodities but, however, encouraged businesses not to profiteer. (...)

Popular Court Cases

· Steel an animal and return it: 9 years in jail

· Threaten your girlfriend and cut her face with a machete, result in stitches: so and so many hours community service

· Kill someone while drunk driving: 50 dollars. (Note: I have never even seen a 50 Dollar note in this country)

No cash available

This is obviously a new political strategy, maybe to bring inflation down: There is no cash available anywhere, not at the banks either.

From AFP, 21 November: Cash problems cause long queues in Harare

Harare - Zimbabweans endured hours in long queues at banks on Tuesday as a cash shortage forced limits on withdrawals, with the country in the midst of an economic crisis. "Things have gotten worse since the weekend," said an official at a bank in central Harare where a queue of waiting customers snaked outside the building. Bankers blamed the shortages on a drastic cut in allocations from the Central Bank, but Central Bank Governor Gideon Gono denied the charge. "We have pumped in a lot of money in the form of this support and that support... but you find the situation where there is no cash," Gono told a news conference. "So we have taken the view that we will watch and see. It's not like we can't do anything. We can, but surely to what extent. We need to sober up as Zimbabweans." Banks were dispensing half the daily cash limits to customers. "We have decided to limit withdrawals so that everybody at least gets some money," one banker said. (...)

Half the daily limit, that's 10 million = half a crate of beer

Unique Zimbabwean Wallet

handpizza

Yesterday evening I experienced a very typical zimbabwean situation. Me and a friend wanted to go and get pizza to take away. So went into the takeaway place. The choice was Magherita or Hawai without pineapples but no cardbox boxes, alu foil or anything to take the pizza away in.

Why am I still surprised by things like that?

Small things that make you happy

We had a party Friday night at our place. Just as the first group of guests arrived, they stopped puzzled outside the kitchen door in complete darkness with the fuses making an aweful noise. That is, we had just gone to switch the generator off and the mains on because the power was back. ... and stayed for the whole party.

Antelope Park

Went to Antelope Park for the weekend, which is amazing! Walk with lions, swim with elephants, see all the game you can imagine and get bitten by mozzies.

They breed lions to release to national parks ... and on Sunday morning a group of wildlife guards left to track a wild lion that was seen on a farm nearby.

Antelope Park

Antelope Park

Antelope Park

Farewell Party

Farewell Party

New Inflation stories

From Bloomberg, 16 November: Zimbabwe's inflation soars to 14,841% on food, fuel

By Brian Latham

Zimbabwe's inflation soared to 14,841 percent last month as food and fuel shortages deepened a crisis in the world's fastest-shrinking economy. Inflation accelerated from 7,982 percent in September, said an official at the Central Statistical Office in the capital, Harare. There are so few goods left in shops that it has become impossible to ensure the data's accuracy, said the official, who declined to be named in line with the agency's policy. (...)

From The Times (UK), 17 November: Cash runs out in land where the bus fare is 1.6 m dollars

Other countries stricken by hyperinflation have coped by printing vast quantities of banknotes with rapidly increasing numbers of zeroes. In Zimbabwe, however, the phenomenon of "Mugabenomics" has delivered a three-headed monster - exponentially rising prices, a critical cash shortage, because the Government regards adding new rows of zeroes on the banknotes as an admission of defeat, and virtually nothing to buy in the shops because price controls have destroyed the retail trade. The Z$200,000 (7p) note, the highest, has almost disappeared. (...)

From The Zimbabwe Independent, 16 November: $1 million note on the way as cash crisis worsens

Paul Nyakazeya

Cash shortages worsened this week amid speculation that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe was working on plans to introduce higher denominations of bearers' cheques. Businessdigest understands that the central bank is finalising the introduction of $500 000 and $1 million notes. The new bearer's cheque notes are likely to be introduced early next month. (...)

From the news: Going back in time

From Associated Press, 16 November: Mugabe, top politicians paid woman now accused of fraud in fuel-from-rocks claim

Harare - President Robert Mugabe has said ministers at a Cabinet meeting he chaired agreed to pay two head of cattle and three buffaloes to a woman who claimed she could produce gasoline out of rocks, the official media reported Friday. Mugabe later order the woman's arrest on fraud charges. (...)

daily little struggles

From an Email I recently received:

Dear friends and colleagues,

I regret to inform you that due to the current spate of ridiculously long and unpredictable power cuts, (with no light at the end of the tunnel as it were) we have had to postpone our student production of ANATOL at Reps Theatre Upstairs.

We hope to run it next week, from Wednesday 21 November to Saturday 24 November at 7pm. Tickets will still be available through the spotlight. Those of you who may have already purchased tickets may exchange them at the Spotlight for a different night. The price will remain at $1 000 000.

Thank you for your support and hope to see you sometime next week (electricity permitting)

Yours in light

XXX

From the News: Imported stuff ordered off shelves = 90% of stock

rom News24 (SA), 15 November: Imports ordered off Zim shelves

Chris Muronzi

Harare - The National Incomes and Pricing Commission (NIPC) has ordered retailers selling imported goods to clear existing stocks by next week and adopt a new pricing model based on the official exchange rate. (...)

Poachers kill three black rhinos in Zimbabwe

From The Mail & Guardian (SA), 9 November: Poachers kill three black rhinos in Zimbabwe

Harare - Poachers have shot dead three black rhinoceroses - a species listed as the most highly endangered large mammal on Earth - on a private conservancy, its owner said on Thursday. (...)

That is Zimbabwe! How to get a contract line

A typical Zimbabwean Story I have recently come across:

I have learned since yesterday that in order to change ownership of a net one line (011) the person willing to get my line will have to be vetted by Net One (long list of requirements: fill up a form of which you can hardly get a copy, last 3 months salary slips, your ID, your guarantor ID, bank statements, etc.) first.

You will therefore need to go there, explain that you want to obtain a contract line and what is the procedure. Do not mention my name or my number before you obtain your clearance. If you do so, they will just wait until I leave the country and give these numbers to people who are already on their waiting list and have already been cleared, because they do not have new contract lines to sell to the public. It has happened to a friend who bought a line, just to realize once the seller was gone that the line had been attributed to someone else by Net One!!!

Once you have been cleared / vetted, you will be put on an extremely long waiting list. Since now you have the clearance paper in your hand, you ask Net One: “if I find a friend, a colleague who is willing to give me her/ his number because she/he is leaving can I come and make the change of ownership?” It is at this point that we can go together to Net One and make the change of ownership.

From the News: stopping farm seizures?

From The Zimbabwe Independent, 3 November: Politburo shocks Mugabe, rejects further land grabs

Zanu PF’s decision-making body, the politburo, last week rejected a land reform report that proposed a further purging of the few remaining white farmers. (...). Politburo members argued that the eviction of more farmers would bring the economy to its knees because they were the ones providing the little supplies that were still trickling onto the market. They further argued that the report was driven by nothing other than racism since swathes of land were lying idle following the emotive fast-track land reform programme. ...

From Zim Online (SA), 7 November: Zanu PF leaders want farm seizures halted

Chinhoyi - Ruling Zanu PF party leaders in Mashonaland West province have asked the government to halt fresh farm seizures, saying the few white farmers still in the province must be allowed to "remain and continue farming." ....

From the News: Nigerian President criticises Mugabe

From SW Radio Africa, 6 November: Nigerian President blasts Mugabe

Nigerian President, Umaru Yar'Adua on Sunday condemned Robert Mugabe for disregarding the rule of law. Speaking at the third Germany/European Partnership with Africa in Wiesbaden, Germany, Yar'Adua blasted Mugabe for his heavy-handed treatment of the opposition and critics. Yar’Adua becomes the first African leader to openly criticise Mugabe in the lead up to the EU-AU Summit, which is scheduled for next month in Portugal. ....

From the News: Refugee dies of hunger on Cape Town street

From The Cape Argus, 3 November: Refugee dies of hunger on Cape Town street

By Clayton Barnes

Adonis Musati, a Zimbabwean asylum seeker and a familiar face to many at Cape Town's Home Affairs office, died on a pavement just metres from the Foreshore office on Friday. Musati, 24, is believed to have died of hunger. Bennett Hodi, the last to see Musati alive, said he came zigzagging across the road towards the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Friday morning and asked a construction worker for money to buy a loaf of bread. Hodi, a guard at a nearby construction site, said although none of the workers had money, a colleague decided to buy the bread as they could see Musati was hungry and weak. "He told us he hadn't eaten in two weeks," said Hodi. "We gave him the bread and he finished half a loaf in seconds. He then asked for water and swallowed a few sips before lying down under a tree on the island opposite the Convention Centre. A few minutes later we noticed he was lying on his back with his legs and arms stretched out.

Elections still in march?

Zimbabwe to hold elections in March '08 – minister

Harare - Zimbabwe will hold joint presidential and parliamentary elections as planned in March 2008, a government minister said on Friday, refuting press reports the poll would be pushed back to June.

correction

From SABC, 2 November: Mandela denies asking Mugabe to step down

... sorry.

No Toilet Paper is not true, but for what price!

Zim is not running out of toilet paper. It's just the question of who can afford it: 4 rolls 7.5 Mio

extra soft and strong!

This ambulance is not for you

Like in a proper totalitarian regime when the president drives past he does so in a stunning convoy of vehicles including ambulance, police, motorcyclists and lots of sirens and fancy lights. All cars in both directions have to stop on the side of the road immediately to let him pass. If you don't you get run over. The guys on the motorbikes are the "sweepers", they hit everything that would be in the president's way and sweep it off the road. So if now one of them crashes into someone or something and gets injured or dies, the presidents ambulance that would be right there won't stop! So it might happen that the president is on his way to moan for a friend or family member that has died when one of his "sweepers" dies in an accident, but he wouldn't even stop and neither tell his ambulance to do so.

From the News: Mugabe does not listen to others

From The Zimbabwe Independent, 2 November: Mugabe rejects Mandela's plan

President Robert Mugabe has rejected overtures by former South African president Nelson Mandela and other international statesmen for him to retire ahead of next year’s elections to avoid further deterioration of the economy. (...)

It is understood Mugabe told off former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan, who is part of the Elders group, after he made contact in September to arrange a meeting in Harare to discuss the Zimbabwe crisis, including his sensitive retirement issue

Elections in June instead of March

From Business Day (SA), 2 November: Zanu PF, MDC agree on poll delay

Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) have agreed to postpone next year’s crucial elections from March to June during ongoing talks in Pretoria.

as I said...

From Associated Press, 2 November: Analysts sceptical about Zim Aids figures

From the News: HIV infection rate drops?

From Associated Press, 1 November: HIV infection rate drops in Zimbabwe

Harare - Zimbabwe has registered a 2.5 percent decline in HIV infection rates, and the number of AIDS deaths also is dropping, the government said Thursday, crediting its "tireless efforts" to fight the pandemic. Quoting figures it said were verified by the United Nations, the Ministry of Health said the HIV rate dropped from 18.1 percent in people aged 15 to 49 years last year to 15.6 percent this year. AIDS deaths also have decreased, down to 2,214 a week from around 2,500 a week, according to the new statistics.

"... the trends presented were as accurate as possible given the available data, ..."

How many people don't even know they have AIDS

How many people never get their AIDS-tests done?

How many death are not reported?

How many, especially rural, people don't even know what HIV/AIDS is?

A Typical European Shopping List

A shopping list recently sent to a shipping company via the German Embassy

10 Packets of Pampers

5 Packets of Tampons

5 kg Milka Chocolate

10 Liters of Schnaps

1 Fridge (that keeps cold longer than cheap chinese ones when the power goes off)

Zimbabwe - a safe country

People keep asking me: are you not scared to walk alone through the streets of Harare? Are there many thieves?

There might be, but the answer is: No I am not.

2 stories:

At the Vic Falls my travelmate forgot his camera at the restaurant in the evening and got it back the next morning.

A few days ago a friend of mine could not find her wallet after she went shopping. She looked everywhere in the car, walked back to the shop, asked at the counter, asked the security, went back to the car and sat in the car. Then after a few minutes a guy from the car park security went to her and gave her the wallet back with all the money still in it. He found it under the car.