‘You can rig an election but you can’t rig the economy!’
I remembered this historic tweet by opposition lawmaker, Tendai Biti from a few years back on Tuesday as the local currency crashed heavily against the US dollar on the black market resulting in the prices of goods rising sharply.
While the government has its official rate of US$1 being equivalent to ZWL$1, 000, in the parallel market, which actually controls the economy, the rate doubled to ZWL$2, 000. There’s a good chance that by the time you read this column, it will have changed drastically again.
The cause of this massive crash is not yet clear but most are saying it’s the effects of the gold mafia expose, which has resulted in the business community and people in general losing further confidence in the current regime.
So, what this means for the average person is that since bread costs US$1, one needs ZWL$20, 000 to buy 10 loaves of bread if they are using the local currency, very crazy I tell you!
Like Biti famously said, ZanuPF can rig elections to remain in power by hook or crook but when it comes to the economy, there are no shortcuts as reality on the ground is what matters.
And maybe he was also right in saying that as long as ZanuPF remains in power, the country will always implode as economic decay transforms into social disorder and social chaos.
I can promise you there is social disorder in Zimbabwe right now, especially for those who earn in local currency.
One minute you think you have enough money to buy bread and the next you can only afford a bun with the same amount of cash.
We have lived this life before and it’s so unfair and energy draining that it seems as though we are doomed and will never get out of this big black hole.
When President Emmerson Mnangagwa came into power via a coup in 2017, there was a glimmer of hope as many thought he would surely do better than his predecessor, the late Robert Mugabe. But alas, here we are, heading towards being millionaires once again.
Seeing as we are set for general elections this August, I wonder how the President and his party will address the economic crisis, considering they have been insistent in their claims that the economy is on the rebound.
Talking of elections, on Tuesday one of the local newspapers published a story on how the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change was struggling to find candidates in rural areas because in most rural communities, to be a labelled an opposition member attracts serious backlash.
It reminded me of our own rural/farming community, where you will never hear anything about the opposition party nor anyone associating themselves with the opposition.
With elections only three months away, candidates from all parties should start campaigning but the current situation suggests ZanuPF will sail through in most rural areas.
