A bleak Christmas in Zimbabwe :: Namibia Internet Gateway cc ::

Articles: A bleak Christmas in Zimbabwe

Posted by admin on Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 04:55 PM

21/12/2006 20:22 - (SA)

Harare - As dusk falls, the glimmer of holiday lights in the main park in central Harare is a reminder that Christmas is around the corner.

But for many in this troubled southern African nation, Christmas this year centres on fond memories of the past rather than anticipation of good times ahead. "Christmas was good back then, a time of plenty, but now it is just another difficult day to get through," said 55-year-old Thomas Katsambwa, a driver with an international aid agency. In the past, Christmas would spur a frenzy of shopping and partying in Harare, but that seems distant as Zimbabweans grapple with a deep economic recession that has plunged the country into grinding poverty and stoked political tensions. The crisis, largely blamed on President Robert Mugabe's policies, is seen in the highest inflation rate in the world at 1 099%, shortages of food, fuel and foreign currency and rising poverty levels. Muted fanfarePlastic fir trees, the occasional Santa Claus and banners advertising sales discounts all mark the arrival of Christmas, but the fanfare is muted. "When we compare with the past it is very different because we don't see anything happening," said Kenneth Ngwarati, a manager at Montagu Supermarket, on the periphery of the city centre. "You can see my shop is empty, we have no customers," he said, pointing to a fully stocked shop. That is probably because incomes are low and inflation is ripping a hole in most people's pockets. Government employees, who make up the highest number of workers, earn Zim$30 000 (R840.44) every month, far below the Z$228 133 that an average family needs not to be deemed poor. School uniforms, not Christmas For many shoppers only the basics such as cooking oil, flour, maize-meal and sugar matter. But even these are not readily available, drawing large queues wherever they are sold. The annual trip to rural areas, a tradition among urban Zimbabweans, to celebrate Christmas and meet relatives is also a thing of the past as transport costs soar. Public transporters blame this on fuel shortages. "Who has the time to think about Christmas?" said Tsitsi Munatsi, a mother of two. "All the money is going to buying (school) uniforms, there will not be any left for Christmas." It was not all gloom though, with some people saying they were keeping the spirit of Christmas alive. "I know that things are difficult, but I have just done a bit of grocery shopping and we are preparing for a Christmas party for friends and relatives. It has been a difficult year," Sheila Mahefu, an accounts clerk with a local manufacturer, said. But nothing could have summed up the mood more than a shop attendant at a clothing chain store dozing during mid-morning in a deserted shop in what traditionally was one of Harare's busiest shopping malls. "In the past we would not even have had time to drink tea, but as you can see we have all the time," said the attendant, pointing to an empty shop.

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