IF you want to appreciate what is going on on the ground in urban Zimbabwe, you need to visit the townships where the majority of the urban population resides. Everything has gone backwards and life has become a struggle for daily survival. In an attempt to make a living, the dignity and decency of citizens have been diminished significantly.
Rubbish dumps everywhere, a tuckshop at every corner, erratic power supply, water woes, regular sewage problems due to old infrastructure, dilapidated formerly tarred roads and unkempt public facilities. The urban infrastructure has suffered from lack of maintenance and overcrowding.
Youths, who make up 60% of the population, are everywhere, looking like they haven’t bathed for ages, at every corner drinking anything alcoholic, smoking weed and singing Shona rap music as they try to escape temporarily from the reality of joblessness. A life of penury.
Thousands of children can be seen on the roads, walking to school each morning, while the lucky ones are dropped by kombis in which will be packed like sardines. That is their norm, for they don’t know any better.
As evening approaches, those with entrepreneurial skills come out to sell whatever is dinner for that night. Dried fish, repacked chicken cuts, matemba, boiled beans, vegetables, tomatoes, cabbage and all sorts of foods. The portions must be priced from 50 cents to a maximum of a dollar to be affordable. Food is big business; forget about the hygiene standards, a man must eat.
Then you have long queues at the boreholes, as housewives, young girls and boys take turns to draw water. The queues and crowds get longer and louder when the municipal taps run dry and this happens often. Boreholes have become a meeting place to chat and catch up. Lines of women carrying water buckets on their heads are a common sight. Urban has become rural.
As the night approaches, the noise of generators coughing and spewing thick smoke into the night is heard everywhere as pubs and nightclubs do their business. The noise during weekends is worse, as crowds gather to forget the days behind and hope for a better tomorrow. Young girls are all dressed up for the night out. Pleasure has become a means to an end for most; they hope to make a few dollars lest tomorrow they may starve. That is their reality. Single mothers are in big trouble, for without income, prostitution becomes the only means to survive.
Those who are spiritual also claim their spaces during weekends, where tents are erected in open spaces to feed the spirit with hope, faith and maybe prosperity. A temporary escape from reality.
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Most residents are self-employed in the informal sector. Plumbers, welders, builders, electricians, carpenters, mechanics, hairdressers, tailors, and then some, are doing good business. They are always busy fixing this and that. The informal economy is alive and thriving.
Vendors have become creative with loudspeakers attached to their bicycles and all sorts of moving vehicles. They must claim their share of business by selling floor polish, house ware, home-made detergents, vegetables of all sorts, live chickens and anything that may be needed. Instead of shouting to attract customers, these mobile vendors have recorded their messages, which are repeated endlessly. “We buy old notes, rand, pula and torn dollar notes!” they shout out loud. It’s a free market!
Second-hand clothes are a hit. You see them spread out on pavements as customers are spoilt for choice and can be seen perusing for what’s best. A dollar or two will buy you a nice dress, shirt, a pair of trousers or whatever you may fancy. Second-hand track shoes of all the famous brands, such as Nike and Adidas, are neatly lined up on the pavement; the choice is yours.
We shall not bother to talk much about public transport. During early mornings and late nights, droves can be seen climbing onto the backs of open trucks just to make sure they get wherever they are going on time. It is a sad sight to see seemingly decent people shoving and pushing to get aboard. Those charging 50 cents for the ride are overloaded, while those who want a dollar per passenger are ignored or pick up only a few passengers. Times are hard.
The early morning and evening rushes are made worse by high traffic volumes trying to find their way around potholed roads. They get further delayed by traffic cops who deliberately and eagerly set up roadblocks at peak hours to catch their daily bread. Pay or park your car.
That is the township urban economy, where daily survival of the fittest is the norm in overcrowded homes with multiple tenants. No privacy, communal toilets, and regular evictions.
Diaspora remittances continue to play a large part in ensuring rentals, school fees, food, funerals, and other essential living expenses are paid for. The long queues at money remittance agencies give credence to this. Many families are surviving because they have relatives abroad. Getting out has become the new aspiration for many. Get out of the country, get whatever job is on offer, and send money back home. This is evidenced by the long, winding queues at passport and ID offices. Get your documents, rush to a passport prayer session, and hope to leave as soon as possible. That is success!
At most shopping centres, almost all betting shops are full from when they open early in the morning till late. Gambling has become a profession. Winnings are quickly spent at the bottle stores, which open very early in the morning for those who might want to enjoy a liquid breakfast! Spirits are preferred to beer as the former are cheaper and give faster results. Alcohol and drug abuse give a temporary escape from reality.
Funerals are common occasions these days. The young are dying early. Weekends are busy with funerals, and for some, it’s an opportunity to catch up and have a decent meal. Funeral parlours are doing brisk business. Death is cruel.
Now, when policy-makers tell me the economy is poised to grow and that things are okay, I get livid. Nothing can be further from the truth!
We have seen the failure at both national and local government levels to provide the basic services and meet the basic needs of citizens. All you must do is visit the clinics in the neighbourhood to see the extent of the disconnection between the political narratives pushed by some and the realities on the ground. Pharmacies are doing good business as one must buy their medicines. The suspension of USAid has made things even worse. Many nurses and other medical employees have lost their jobs. It’s dangerous to fall sick.
Zimbabwe’s economy is not working for many and these dire life conditions being faced by most urban citizens are man-made. They have been created through misinformed and misplaced economic policies and priorities. They, therefore, can be reversed.
I have said this many times before, and I will say it again: our economic policies are blind to their social impact. Our economic policies, be they fiscal or monetary, are not informed by the realities on the ground, nor do they measure the consequences that they create. They are crafted in high offices without regard for the realities faced.
Nothing is academic here; these are the realities on the ground.
The truth shall set us free... or will it?
- Vince Musewe is an economist, and you can contact him at vtmusewe@gmail.com
