Zimbabwe Absurdity

There is a limit on the amount of cash one can legally withdraw from the bank, Z$1.5m from a personal account or Z$3m from a corporate account. So far as I know there is no limit on the number of accounts one may hold. But there are easier ways to get around the restriction. One is to withdraw the cash from the human teller and then go to the ATM and withdraw it there too. You don’t even need to run to the ATM either. Hannah’s bank manager offered to withdraw 1.5m from his son’s bank account which she then repaid with a transfer – the son did not need the cash that day and the transfer was within the bank so it was quick.

I have just had an email from Gary Hensman, a friend who farms in Chinhoyi. He has had notice that he has to be off the farm by the end of November and the legal thief even came along to peruse his new “acquisition”. Gary has every intention of putting up a fight but he is unlikely to win as by law one cannot appeal the decision. The farm has been in the family for two generations and is productive so is attractive. How long it will remain in that state remains to be seen. The government official who came along to authorize the theft told Gary that whites were not wanted on the land. This is despite the national wheat crop falling to 8000 ha this year from a high of 40000 ha. The lunacy continues without the help of the full moon.