Out Of The Frying Pan Into The Fire: Eyewitness In Africa

I left my hometown of Harare in a rented yellow Sunny early one morning, and headed for the country’s second largest city, Bulawayo. There, I met up with a few friends, who told me life in this city was not at all easy. The people here, my friends said, were not able to procure basic commodities such as sugar, mealie-meal, cooking oil, toiletries, fuel, and cash, among other things.

It was now a nightmare for one to get to work, as commuter omnibuses were now charging fares as high as Z$500 million per single trip into the city centre. Those who drove, as I did, were unable to get fuel from the fuel stations. When they did manage to find some, the price was as high as Z$10 billion (USD$21) for a five litre container.

Power is also an issue in this city. The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA), now known as the Zimbabwe Electricity Sometimes Available, was always switching off its electricity, turning city-dwellers into rural folk by using firewood as an energy source.

I joined them in sorrow. Had I been able to help, I would have, but unfortunately, I could not. So, I went on with my journey.

Back in the truck, my thoughts wandered back to reports from the South African media that our countrymen had become a nuisance in South Africa, where they “roam the streets” in search of cheaper groceries. Hundreds of Zimbabweans cross the official border into South Africa on a daily basis to shop for groceries and electronics, which are cheaper across the Limpopo River.

Some people risk their lives and enter illegally, crossing the crocodile-infested Limpopo in search of jobs in South Africa.