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Is this the promised Canaan?

13 May 2022 at 19:05hrs | Views
AM trying to write this article under a tree where there is shaky network on a Saturday afternoon.

There is no electricity, so the vibe that usually punctuates our nearby Chikwanha shopping centre in Chitungwiza is notably absent.

The quietness resembles that of the graveyard because the owners cannot afford using generators. The nearby Damview, which used to be a hive of activity, especially on weekends, is literally deserted.

There is no water and sewer stench is all over. I feel pity for the revellers who are showing they cannot do without the "wise waters".

Beer has been priced out of the reach of many.

Many are resorting to take-me-quick brews.

Shoppers are moving from one shop to another, window-shopping. Many shops are selling their products in hard currency. For those accepting electronic money as a form of payment, prices are exorbitant.

There is fuel at all nearby service stations. No queues, but there is a catch. Fuel is being sold in hard currency only.

This comes at a time Zimbabweans are receiving their salaries in worthless local currency. Memories of the hyperinflationary 2008 era are being re-ignited.

Corruption is tearing Zimbabwe's moral fabric. And our leaders are at sea. One is bound to ask: Why are we here?

Is this the Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa promised prior to the 2018 elections?

What are the entry points to a vibrant economy?

Who is going to turn around this economy when Finance minister Mthuli Ncube has decided to be a spin doctor of the second republic?

Who is going to turn around the economy when all accessories of economic transformation are dead?

Zimbabweans, especially the working class, are struggling to feed their families; long hours of load-shedding, 72 hours of water rationing and the unavailability of drugs in public hospitals sum up what people are experiencing each day.

Certainly, this is not the Zimbabwe Mnangagwa promised ahead of elections.


Source - NewsDay Zimbabwe
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