The locals only knew how to run shebeens [where alcoholic beverages are sold illegally] and general stores. “The white man gave us no knowledge of how to run the economy,” he complained. The poor economic situation is therefore not the government’s fault.
The country’s land redistribution programme, which included expropriation of white-owned farms, has resulted in political instability, hyperinflation and the collapse of the currency.
The Zimbabwean dollar, which was previously set at 1-1 with the American dollar, now has only one percent of its original value, the South African online portal News24 reported. Zimbabwe is currently one of the poorest economies in the world. More than 4,3 million rural residents are affected by food insecurity even though Zimbabwe had an adult literacy rate of 88 percent in 2014.
According to 2012 Census report, 99,6 percent of the population is of African origin. Of the rest of the population, the great bulk — perhaps 30 000 persons — were white Zimbabweans of European ancestry, a tiny minority which has dwindled since.
A familiar scene: Zimbabwean taxi transporting used cooking oil known as “fish oil” and other items from South Africa to the Beitbridge border. Photo supplied
