Zimbabwe...

[DougF]

More News on Zimbabwe..

 

BBC NEWS | Business | Zimbabwe inflation nears 8,000%

 

Zimbabwe inflation nears 8' date='000%[/size']

Zimbabwe's annual inflation rate soared to 7,892.1% in September according to official data.

The rate was 1,389.3 percentage points higher than in August, the country's central statistics bureau said.

 

Zimbabwe's inflation - already the highest in the world - had slowed in previous months in the midst of a price-control programme.

 

The new rise dashes government hopes that it was beginning to tame the inflation crisis.

 

Galloping inflation and a shortages of basic foodstuffs has characterised Zimbabwe's economy for the past seven years, with an estimated 80% of the population living in poverty.

 

Zimbabwe's economic crisis has led to an estimated three million people fleeing the country for South Africa.

 

Mugabe criticism

 

Businesses were forced to freeze prices in June as President Robert Mugabe's government tried to stem inflation.

 

But some producers, fearing making a loss, cut production, meaning the move exacerbated shortages and left shop shelves empty.

 

A new 200,000 Zimbabwe dollar note was launched in August this year.

 

Critics have blamed President Mugabe's policies, especially the seizure of farms, for ordinary Zimbabweans' hardship.

 

But President Mugabe has accused foreign governments of trying to interfere in Zimbabwe's affairs - saying some businesses had raised prices without justification as part of a Western plot to oust him.

 

And some History of the region.

 

BBC NEWS | Africa | Country profiles | Country profile: Zimbabwe

Country profile: Zimbabwe

 

The fortunes of Zimbabwe have for more than two decades been tied to President Robert Mugabe' date=' the pro-independence campaigner who wrested control from a small white community and became the country's first black leader.[/b']

 

Now, he presides over a nation whose economy is in tatters, where poverty and unemployment are endemic and political strife and repression commonplace.

 

 

Zimbabwe Situation DAILY NEWS

The Zimbabwe Situation - Zimbabwe News updated daily

 

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[Chacmool]

In case anyone was thinking that these articles are exaggerated - sadly they are not. If anything, the situation is even worse than it appears.

 

It is also worth noting that the majority of the 80% living in poverty are supporters of the opposition party. Mugabe does his best to prevent any food and foreign aid from reaching those who oppose his dictatorial regime.

[InfiniteNow]

I cannot fathon how it's nearly the year 2008 and we still collectively let this happen. In another thread, member REASON stated that we are better than this. He was challenged by another member CEDARS that evidence such as the above show that we are not.

 

Let's meet in the middle.

 

We CAN be and MUST be better than this.

 

 

What can the rest of us do to make things in Zimbabwe better? Is there a way to circumvent Mugabe's obstacles in getting food and aid to these people? Can an infrastructure be put in place to prevent this from happening more? Can we stop talking about Paris Hilton long enough to consense on issues like this?

 

Yes. We can. Now that we've established this, we must.

[eric l]

 

...

 

What can the rest of us do to make things in Zimbabwe better? Is there a way to circumvent Mugabe's obstacles in getting food and aid to these people? Can an infrastructure be put in place to prevent this from happening more? Can we stop talking about Paris Hilton long enough to consense on issues like this?

 

Yes. We can. Now that we've established this, we must.

 

One thing we can do is stirr up the attention of the general public for Zimbabwe - and for the whole of (black) Africa. We can start by writing letters to the editors of our newspapers, and convince others to do the same. I mentioned before that the whole of Africa has fewer European and American journalists on the spot than Israel. To the general public, things don't happen if they are not shown on TV, or are not written about daily in the newspapers. But as long as no one shows involvment, such things won't come on TV or in the papers.

Of course, this will not change things overnight. But things did not get that bad overnight either. And we can not go on not being involved much longer.

[Boerseun]

Right... latest update:

 

The economic crisis in Zimbabwe reached new levels of absurdity. An airplane carrying new banknotes printed for Zim in Germany by Giesecke & Devriend lands in Harare on a daily basis. But here's the joke - the notes have no denomination on them. The value of the Zim dollar drops at such a rate that if the plane were to take off in Berlin, the value of its cargo would have halved by the time it reaches Harare.

 

So, upon reaching Harare, the notes goes to Fidelity Printers, all 432 000 sheets containing 40 notes each. Then Fidelity Printers take the notes and print the latest denomination as dictated by the government, on the notes. A kind of "flavour of the day", if you will. At the last count (yesterday), Fidelity Printers were printing only Z$10million notes (roughly US$0.25), which means that the Zim economy is inflated with Z$172 billion per week - obviously more, if you keep in mind that the denomination is changing on an almost daily basis.

 

According to Zimbabweans, this "new" money is going solely to cater for giant salary increases for soldiers and so-called "war veterans". The civilian economy doesn't get much of it, also a good thing, 'cause most of them are dealing in South African Rands in the black market in any case. Only problem is that if the government goons catch you with South African Rands, you'll go straight to jail - but if you don't use Rands, you'll die of hunger.

 

And once again Mugabe is blaiming all of his country's woes on the West. This man is guilty of destroying one of the most beautiful countries in the World through an overinflated ego, and an insatiable hunger for power. And keeping on passing the buck. He simply takes no responsibility for his own craziness leading to this disaster. And almost 30% of his entire population now resides illegally in South Africa, taking up lower-rung jobs and increasing unemployment in South Africa. Zimbabwe's destruction has long since become a region-wide tragedy.

 

What to do?

 

Anyone know of a good sniper looking for a contract?

[InfiniteNow]

:omg:

 

:):):shrug:

 

:D

 

 

 

 

 

Are there mass migrations out of the country going on?

[REASON]

This man is guilty of destroying one of the most beautiful countries in the World through an overinflated ego, and an insatiable hunger for power. And keeping on passing the buck. He simply takes no responsibility for his own craziness leading to this disaster.

 

Oh, you're talking about Mugabe here.

 

I was reading this and I could have sworn you were talking about "Dubya." :)

[Boerseun]

Yes - and it's been going on for quite a while.

 

The big cities are almost ghost towns, seeing as the cities are the core of opposition support, and Mugabe simply refuses any food aid to the cities "seeing as there are shops where they can buy their food". But the shops have long since closed their doors, because of a government stop on price hikes. Shops are supposed to maintain price levels in the face of a 5-figure inflation rate.

 

The rural areas are Mugabe supporters, seeing as they supposedly benefitted from forced removals of whites from the previously productive farms. Those farms have ALL collapsed, and Zim is now 100% dependent on foreign food aid, the majority of which is supplied by the South African farmers - paid for by the UN and several individual countries. I think the biggest supporter is China. But this in turn have created an artificial shortage of foodstuffs in South Africa, and now our food prices are steadily rising as the supply is going northwards. Zim used to be one of the biggest grain exporters in Africa, it's now not exporting a single pound of grain. It simply doesn't have any to export. The new "farmers", who used to be unskilled labourers, simply don't have the first idea of how to run and manage farms on an industrial scale.

 

So, more than 50% of the entire Zimbabwean population have jumped ship, with the majority of opposition supporters being part of it. 30% is now residing illegally in South Africa, and the rest either in Botswana, Mozambique, or Zambia. Very few have gone to Europe, simply because of the enormously inflated ticket prices thanks to the stupendous inflation rate.

 

Fun all around.

 

I wonder if they'll go back once Mugabe's out of the picture, though. If they don't, South Africa will be suffering for many, many years trying to accommodate a sudden population jump of more than 5 million unschooled illegals - most of them living in appalling conditions in squatter camps on the fringes of each and every town and city in South Africa.

 

And don't think the local black population have any time for them - with the unemployment figure being what it is, the "amakwere-kwere" (a very insulting term for illegal Zimbabweans) are harassed and attacked on a daily basis by native SA blacks also looking for work, and sharing the suddenly inflated squatter camps with them.

 

Gonna book my ticket for Australia/New Zealand/Canada/UK this afternoon...:)

[Buffy]

Well as y'all know, we here in the US don't do "nation building" or overthrowing dictators of ill-repute. Well, at least that's what our Conservatives were saying back in the late 1990s and I'm not sure but I don't think the policy has changed....

 

I'm worried about an opponent who uses nation building and the military in the same sentence, :)

Buffy

[Boerseun]

A Day in the Life...

YouTube - Life as a Zimbabwean Exile http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b-1_BLb0UU&NR=1

 

Opposition in "Free and Fair" elections?

YouTube - Morgan Tsvangirai speaks out against Robert Mugabe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Awglf37YqE&NR=1

 

Mugabe orders new assaults...

YouTube - Mugabe Orders New and more ruthless assault http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbNi7iQ6fGU&NR=1

 

"...then let me be Hitler tenfold" - Robert Mugabe.

YouTube - "..let me be a Hitler ten-fold" Robert Mugabe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTxYa-QjX20&NR=1

Sit through the first bit and watch the TV election commercials later on, saying such gems as "Vote ZANU-PF and LIVE".

 

Crickey.

[Boerseun]

And you think protest songs have stopped in the 60's?

 

Think again!

 

YouTube - Johnny Clegg - The Revolution Will Eat Its Children http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqBCxKrvRSo&feature=related

 

Political protest song, South African style!

 

Courtesy Johnny Clegg, or, as he's better known, the WHITE ZULU!

 

A 'boytjie' from Natal, my home province!

 

Apart from his strong political views, check him out on the web - a very good artist... doesn't like Mugabe very much, however.

[InfiniteNow]

Crickey.

Crickey must have a different meaning down there in SA. That's far too weak a word to describe the issue and the presentations above. Thanks for the vids, mate. :P;)

[Boerseun]

So, next week is Election Time in Zimbabwe.

 

And, the nutter in charge has ordered millions more ballot papers from the printers than there are eligible voters.

 

He will steal the elections once again, the world will probably slap him on the fingers, and that will be that.

 

A pity Zim doesn't have oil, really. Then we might see some interest from the World Powers in this stupid crazy nut's blatant criminalism.

 

Please email your friends, email your relatives, write your governments, make a noise!

[jab2]

I must be loosing my mind. :hyper::confused:

 

This morning on SA radio, they had a Zimbabwian voter going on at length about Uncle Bob's qualities and him being the best President in Africa.

 

How does the human mind work, or doesn't it? :hihi:

[Michaelangelica]

An Australian perspective

(Video & Transcript should be available soon, -1-2 days)

 

Inside Zimbabwe

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Broadcast: 25/03/2008

Reporter: Andrew Geoghegan

 

This weekend Zimbabwe heads to the polls for a presidential election. ABC's Africa correspondent risked arrest to defy a govt ban on foreign journos for this report from inside Zimbabwe.

Transcript

The 7.30 Report - ABC

[Qfwfq]

How does the human mind work, or doesn't it? :phones:

How much did they pay him?

 

Prolly not much, so long as they didn't pay him in Zim$.

[jab2]

How much did they pay him?

 

Prolly not much, so long as they didn't pay him in Zim$.

 

The sad thing is, from the passion in his voice, I think he spoke from the heart. Some of the people is so conditioned by BS that they are really believing that this guy is their saviour and god. :phones::confused:;):eek_big: