Zimbabwe is desperate – an eyewitness account
I am a Zimbabwean who has been living in South Africa for about a decade. I recently visited for a family event. What I saw saddens me: people are struggling to survive.
While in Masvingo Town I found out why people wake up so early. At about 7am one morning I got to the only Post Office where I encountered a long winding queue.
People queue to withdraw money from as early as 5:30am. Some wanted to withdraw from the ATM while others waited for opening time. The reason for this is you are only allowed to withdraw a certain amount per day depending on the availability of cash the bank has that day. People queue early in case the bank runs out of money.
Once you manage to get a few US dollars for the day, the currency now used in Zimbabwe, you have to go about buying daily necessities. But you have to follow a strict budget lest you use the whole amount and fail to withdraw money for transport back home.
