IT’S A MESS
At the beginning of the month, we needed to raise US$150.00, change it in the black market and pay our electricity debt, but now we only need to change US$50.00.
Then, on Monday, we learnt that our monthly water bill is ZWL$12 000.00, I laughed for a moment because that’s only equivalent to US$4.00 (about P48.00).
This is how bad our local currency has lost value in the last couple of days and continues to do so with each passing day.
Paying bills and debts which are pegged in the local currency has suddenly become much cheaper because of the extremely weak Zim dollar but, for those who earn in the locally currency, it’s a different story altogether as the current inflation has deeply eroded their income.
The dramatic fall of the Zim dollar or bond, as commonly known, has led to fears that history will be repeating itself sooner than we think.
With the way things are going (unless if a miracle happens), by year end we will be poor millionaires once again as the current regime seems clueless on how to tame this free fall in the economy.
Instead, they are pointing fingers at the opposition and alleged economic saboteurs instead of admitting that their policies have failed.
The language being used is similar to one which was used during the late Robert Mugabe regime, blaming the opposition and the West for trying to effect regime change by sabotaging the economy.
We have travelled this road before and here we are once again and one wonders if ever this country will get over these economic problems.
Main opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, tweeted on Monday; “Bad politics can’t deliver good economics. The state of the economy is the state of leadership. Prices in the shops are wild. Salaries are completely washed away. Just pay workers a decent wage in US$. Zimbabwe this time try us, give us a chance to fix this mess once and for all.”
A permanent solution is really needed and God knows where it will come from. If it were that easy, I am sure many wish the opposition could get a chance to lead to see if they can fix the economy or if we can at least have another coalition government as that worked economically well before.
Meanwhile, most consumers seem to have turned to street supermarkets who sell groceries in US$ and South African Rand.
On the streets, prices are stable as they are pegged in foreign currency unlike in the conventional supermarkets where prices change every day in line with the exchange rate.