Bulawayo24 News - Skyes! "it makes perfect sense"

85 000 Chinese nationals now living in Zimbabwe

I was astonished to hear the other day that there are now over 85 000 Chinese nationals living in Zimbabwe. I questioned this estimate and was told no, its real. What on earth are they doing here? They are not migrants; they all want to go…

Published: 30 Dec 2024 at 19:15hrs | 934 | by Eddie Cross

Why US sanctions on Zimbabwe 'have not worked'

The United States is a global superpower. Its political and economic reach is massive and global in character. Look back in history and you can see how the US has so often made real changes to the world economy and political dispensation.I…

Published: 19 Mar 2024 at 19:54hrs | | by Eddie Cross

Zimbabwe slowing getting back to its feet at 43

IN 1893 my ancestors raised the Union Jack in a place they called Salisbury, in the middle of what is now called southern Africa. That is 130 years ago and for the next 87 years this tiny group of white settlers ruled the country they call…

Published: 05 Sep 2023 at 06:19hrs | 2 | by Eddie Cross

Can Afrikaners save South Africa?

I AM not a South African, so I venture into their space with trepidation because I know how sensitive these things are. But I am an African and a keen observer of events that affect all of us who live in the south of the continent. Last we…

Published: 24 May 2023 at 06:03hrs | 2 | by Eddie Cross

Cowboy country

I DO not get away very often but right now I am in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, which is my wife's home base. We have not been here for seven years and the changes and challengers are very visible. We tend to forget that not long ago th…

Published: 13 May 2023 at 18:26hrs | 14 | by Eddie Cross

Family crisis in the West

I KNOW this is sensitive  ground and most people avoid commenting on, but I think it is too important to the world and our own families and society to just brush it aside as another feature of a failed society.Society in the West has …

Published: 03 May 2023 at 06:07hrs | 7 | by Eddie Cross

Understanding the collapse of Zimbabwe

THE first two decades that followed the independence of Zimbabwe in 1980 were characterised by a number of major developments. Government expanded social services such as health and education â€” the total number of schools was increased f…

Published: 10 Mar 2023 at 05:20hrs | 12 | by Eddie Cross

Southern African power crisis stems from post-liberation history

THE electrical power crisis that has enveloped southern Africa has its roots in our post-liberation history. Prior to that, the utilities created by the States of southern Africa exhibited considerable foresight and planning. This was led …

Published: 08 Dec 2022 at 05:10hrs | | by Eddie Cross

The importance of parastatals

WHEN State-managed institutions work well they are often not recognised or rewarded and are taken for granted. When they fail, everyone suffers the consequences.At independence in 1980, 40% of Zimbabwe's GDP was created by publicly-owned a…

Published: 27 Sep 2022 at 05:53hrs | 2 | by Eddie Cross

The destructive force of corruption

IN my business life I have handled several billion dollars of revenue and expenditure over a period of 65 years. In that time, I have been blatantly approached and asked for a bribe once â€” by a local politician who was the governor of th…

Published: 07 Sep 2022 at 06:46hrs | 5 | by Eddie Cross

Zimbabwean failure

LOOKING back over the past 40 years in Zimbabwe, I am surprised we are still here.In 1980, I was playing a small part in the transition from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe in that I was selected as one of a small group of people who were tasked with…

Published: 23 Nov 2021 at 05:57hrs | 13 | by Eddie Cross

Govt needs to stabilise bread and butter prices

THE looming increase in bread price will pile pressure on the country's citizens already battling a wildly inflationary environment aided by poor monetary policies by Treasury.To say that the poor economic environment has eroded all the va…

Published: 12 Oct 2021 at 06:00hrs | 12 | by Eddie Cross

The impact of US sanctions on Zimbabwe

WHEN the American government passed the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Amendment (Zidera) Act 20 years ago, it argued that the Act was not intended to punish ordinary Zimbabweans but to target those individuals and organisations …

Published: 12 Oct 2021 at 06:00hrs | 12 | by Eddie Cross

Africa is not as bad as is portrayed by media

I AM really concerned about the role of mass media in this century. Firstly, because there is so much of it, secondly, because it can easily distort perceptions and understanding of what is really going on and its significance. Social medi…

Published: 20 Aug 2021 at 07:14hrs | | by Eddie Cross

What are we really worth?

Recently I had breakfast with three friends and we were charged at the rate of ZW$115 to US$1 for our food, which was priced in US dollars.later I had coffee with another group of friends and the rate charged was ZW$120 to US$1. In the auc…

Published: 28 May 2021 at 08:06hrs | 2 | by Eddie Cross

Birthday greetings, Zimbabwe

Like yesterday, I remember the day that the late former Rhodesian prime minister Ian Smith declared independence from Britain.I was driving down what was North Avenue in Salisbury (now Harare), when the car radio broke into its programming…

Published: 23 Apr 2021 at 07:28hrs | 1 | by Eddie Cross

Land tenure reform to transform Zimbabwe rapidly

Two historical notes confirm the importance of land tenure and secure property rights. In the world today, only 18% of all agricultural land is privately-owned under freehold title. Yet this small area produces over 80% of all world food a…

Published: 16 Apr 2021 at 07:58hrs | 1 | by Eddie cross

Paltry taxes cripple recovery

SHOCKING evidence of tax leakages hogged the limelight this week, with Finance and Economic Development minister Mthuli Ncube saying the informal sector, which makes up 70% of Zimbabwe's gross domestic product (GDP), was remitting less tha…

Published: 01 Apr 2021 at 07:24hrs | | by Eddie Cross

Private sector-led growth

Two years ago, the new Minister of Finance in Zimbabwe, Mthuli Ncube brought together a small group of local business persons in an informal advisory group.I was privileged to be included. our meetings were irregular, largely driven by the…

Published: 01 Apr 2021 at 07:23hrs | 1 | by Eddie Cross

Zimdollar to remain stable

TWO years ago, the new Minister of Finance in Zimbabwe brought together a small group of local business persons in an informal advisory group. I was privileged to be included.Our meetings were irregular, largely driven by the Ministers nee…

Published: 29 Mar 2021 at 18:10hrs | 1 | by Eddie Cross

Understanding the Zimbabwe economy

I OFTEN say to visiting experts and diplomats that, if you say you understand Zimbabwe, you have not been here long enough.We are a tiny blip on the global radar but we punch well above our weight and are in fact a very complex and difficu…

Published: 26 Mar 2021 at 05:52hrs | 1 | by Eddie Cross

Was November 2017 a false start for Zimbabwe?

THEN there was the incident in New York on 9/11, I drove into the garden of my daughter and her husband and they shouted at me to come and see what was happening.I walked into the house and saw the second plane fly into the twin towers on …

Published: 17 Feb 2021 at 20:19hrs | 1 | by Eddie Cross

The issue of Zimbabwe debt

THIS past Sunday, our church sermon was taken from Nehemiah Chapter 10 and focused on the instructions given to the tribes of Israel which had returned to Israel from exile in Babylon about 400 years before Christ. It is clear from this ac…

Published: 21 Oct 2020 at 21:50hrs | 1 | by Eddie Cross

This Zimbabwe situation simply cannot go on

THIS is a message to those who currently hold power in Zimbabwe. I do not really care about how you got into this position, but now that you are there, we need to ask you what you are going to use that huge power and influence on?We, as a …

Published: 16 Aug 2019 at 08:25hrs | 2 | by Eddie Cross

Zimbabwe: It is time to panic, a little

I THINK it was 1992, the season started badly and as it progressed the heat increased until we were experiencing temperatures over 50 degrees Celsius in the lowveld. We had a business there and my son was down there living and working. It …

Published: 22 Jul 2019 at 08:15hrs | 1 | by Eddie Cross

Getting Zimbabwe back on track

IT is extremely frustrating to sit on the sidelines of this game we are all playing called "getting Zimbabwe back on track".We are doing so many of the right things, our team is looking much better than previous teams and slowly we are ear…

Published: 12 Jul 2019 at 09:16hrs | 1 | by Eddie Cross

The perfect storm is coming

I do not know what we have to say or do to get those in authority here to get them to understand that if they do nothing, Zimbabwe is headed for a political storm which could change everything or even sink the ship. I am regarded as a perp…

Published: 11 Jul 2019 at 11:56hrs | 1 | by Eddie Cross

Zimbabwe - Where did that come from?

Statutory Instrument 142 - Monday June 24, 2019 will go down as one of those days you remember.I have just read the Zimbabwe Independent for this week, it was all about the "return of the Zimbabwe dollar". Since Monday, this has been the o…

Published: 02 Jul 2019 at 08:27hrs | | by Eddie Cross

Mnangagwa, Mthuli Ncube must 'unscramble the egg and go back to the basics'

I THOUGHT we had seen everything that this country of ours could throw at us, but the situation right now looks like nothing we have seen before.Prices have quadrupled and continue to rise inexorably. Incomes remain fixed or at least only …

Published: 21 Jun 2019 at 07:26hrs | 1 | by Eddie Cross

Eddie Cross turns against Mnangagwa

I thought we had seen everything that this country of ours could throw at us, but the situation right now looks like nothing we have seen before. Prices have quadrupled and continue to rise inexorably, incomes remain fixed or at least only…

Published: 19 Jun 2019 at 11:39hrs | 1 | by Eddie Cross

Strategic planning, management needed in our electrical energy sector

Just after the Second World War, political leaders in what was Southern Rhodesia started to think about how they would meet the needs of the country for electrical energy.After that, the debate raged between Northern and Southern Rhodesia …

Published: 10 Jun 2019 at 07:19hrs | 1 | by Eddie Cross

Zimbabwe economic update with Economist Eddie Cross

We are now 9 months into the Transitional Stabilisation Program and a great deal has been achieved. Let's summarize:* We have eliminated the Fiscal deficit that was the main driver in the past 5 years under Mr. Mugabe, of inflation and ris…

Published: 04 Jun 2019 at 16:56hrs | 2 | by Eddie Cross

RBZ sabotaging Zimbabwe economic recovery

WHEN Mthuli Ncube was appointed Finance and Economic Development minister, he quickly took charge at the ministry, appointing a new permanent secretary and several directors and publishing a Transitional Stabilisation Plan.He is not a poli…

Published: 29 Apr 2019 at 07:10hrs | | by Eddie Cross

Where is Mnangagwa taking us to?

I DROVE up the window of the tollgate and the man on duty asked me: "Eddie, where are we going?" He was not asking what my destination was, but where did I think the country was going.Last night my daughter attended a parents' meeting at t…

Published: 22 Apr 2019 at 08:40hrs | 1 | by Eddie Cross

Zimbabwe needs a weak currency to stimulate production, exports

Shortly after the government was sworn in August 2018, they agreed to an economic and monetary reform programme. Since then, much of this ambitious plan has been implemented and the consequences have been a sharp deterioration in living st…

Published: 17 Apr 2019 at 07:15hrs | 3 | by Eddie Cross

Light is shining at the end of the Zimbabwe tunnel

Today Zimbabwe reminded me why I think this is such an amazing place to live. I woke just after 5am, outside it was crisp, dew on the grass and the birds just waking up with me â€“ a pair of Robins serenading each other from the bottom of …

Published: 03 Apr 2019 at 08:29hrs | 3 | by Eddie Cross

People of Zimbabwe deserve a new day

ON Wednesday this week, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor John Mangudya presented a long-awaited monetary policy statement.This had been expected in January and was postponed several times because of disagreements in government as to…

Published: 22 Feb 2019 at 09:10hrs | 6 | by Eddie Cross

How not to win hearts and minds

In a country that is used to turmoil, the month of January will go down as a period when we literally shot ourselves in the foot.The 2017 November coup  brought to a close 38 years of dictatorial administration under former President …

Published: 06 Feb 2019 at 08:33hrs | 1 | by Eddie Cross

The crisis in world leadership

We all have very short memories. Looking back over the 20th Century, we can see how a global conflict like the First World War can break out over what seems like a tiny, inconsequential incident in Austria. The key national leaders of the …

Published: 08 Jan 2019 at 09:26hrs | 2 | by Eddie Cross

Many of our leaders are just like that baboon

We seem to have been putting up with a lousy government, forever besetted corruption, nonsensical monetary and macroeconomic policies forever. First, we had the Rhodesian government from 1960 onwards, which resulted in the imposition of ma…

Published: 01 Jan 2019 at 11:21hrs | 1 | by Eddie Cross

The Outlook for 2019 is Dismal - unless?

I was called by a major local newspaper this past week and asked what my view of 2019 was? I laughed at the question because right now I do not think anyone could tell you what is going on, let alone predict 2019. Then I had coffee with tw…

Published: 22 Dec 2018 at 17:05hrs | 2 | by Eddie Cross

Exchange control is the central problem facing Zimbabwe at present

BY introducing exchange control via the Reserve Bank, the State has done the following:     Created a system to â€˜sweepâ€™ some US$3 billion in direct foreign earnings into the nostro accounts of the bank. This amounts…

Published: 19 Dec 2018 at 06:41hrs | | by Eddie Cross

Which fundamentals require attention?

There is a real sense of despair in the country. Perhaps it is a left over from the heady days when we celebrated the final departure of former President Robert Mugabe from office and welcomed a 'new' government, then the elections and swe…

Published: 10 Dec 2018 at 06:09hrs | | by Eddie Cross

Eddie Cross mourns George Bush

George Bush senior died this morning. I met him once, when as Vice President he visited Harare and I was invited to a reception for him. My other indelible memory of the man was watching the GOP Convention where he was confirmed as the Pre…

Published: 03 Dec 2018 at 11:31hrs | 2 | by Eddie Cross

Biti is a clever lawyer - but no match for Mthuli in the economic sphere

AFTER weeks of conjecture we had the first budget of the new government on Thursday. Finance minister Mthuli Ncube was not thrown by the chaos that resulted when the MDC members refused to respect the State President and were evicted from …

Published: 26 Nov 2018 at 06:20hrs | 1 | by Eddie Cross

Money is the root of all evil

We all use money every day and yet few of us really understand what these bits of paper or cotton or simply figures in a ledger really mean. But we know the stuff is important.In economic terms, the answer is actually quite simple, the stu…

Published: 12 Nov 2018 at 05:38hrs | | by Eddie Cross

We told you so!

SOMETIMES it's nice to be right, that does not often happen, but in this case I am sorry that those of us who had said we are headed for trouble, were right.I am referring to the first statement by our new super star Minister of Finance Mt…

Published: 18 Oct 2018 at 06:59hrs | 2 | by Eddie Cross

Overhaul social security

I GOT a phone call from a man in Bulawayo who said he wanted to see me on a personal matter. We arranged to meet and he told me that he had worked for a major and well-known company for 40 years. The company in question is a US multination…

Published: 02 Oct 2018 at 09:47hrs | | by Eddie Cross

Zimbabwe's state of emergency

I CAN recall times when a state of emergency was declared and almost always it was in response to violence or political events.But when conditions reach the point where the very livelihoods of the people are at stake, I think the State sho…

Published: 26 Sep 2018 at 16:35hrs | 2 | by Eddie Cross

Zimbabwe's uncertainties clouding everyone's vision

SOMETIMES in this game, the safest route into the immediate future is to keep your head down and wait for the dust to clear before looking over the wall to see what has happened. It is impossible to predict what is going to happen in the n…

Published: 22 Aug 2018 at 06:14hrs | | by Eddie Cross

Columnist / Eddie cross

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