Zimbabwe Absurdity

Because of my disability I walk visually; on a dark night when I have no verticals or horizontals to refer to I fall over very easily. It does have a few advantages. I walk with my eyes on the ground more than most so find things. I have picked up two tweezers for my Swiss army knife and the other day I found a needle in the gym. Hey, that is no small deal! I am sure needles can be bought in Zimbabwe but the haberdashery next to the bank has long since closed so I am not sure where to find one now. I had carefully stashed the needle in the top of the pin box in the foam provided but somehow it had fallen out and try as I may, I could not find it. I just had to put up with not doing up the top button on my shirt.

Finding a meat supply is quite a bit easier. There are at least three organizations/outlets advertising on the gym notice board including one that only does 30kg packs of chickens! Beef seems to be about US$6 per kg and chicken 6 depending on the cut. Also on offer are houses on the South African coast, bush tours, second had vehicles and sexy lingerie (presumably new)! Shops – who needs those. We have become a nation of traders, albeit backyard, out-of-the-kitchen traders.

I have borrowed Robert Guest’s “The Shackled Continent” which addresses why Africa is the only continent to have become poorer over the last 30 years. Yes, Zimbabwe gets a sizeable mention though that was back in the nostalgic days of mere 100% inflation, quite what he makes of the mulit-million percent inflation that we have now I would like to know. Curiously he is hopeful that Africa can solve its problems but as I am only 40 pages in I have not come to that part yet. Our salvation looks no closer than last month.