As I sat in the coffee shop in the airport fiddling with my bill, I reflected on the extraordinary state of affairs in Zimbabwe.
I had just bought two cups of tea and two glasses of water and, reaching into my bag, I took out a massive wad of Zimbabwean dollars.
New and crispy Z$10m notes. Clean and sleek.
Then I looked at the bill. The charge was Z$204m. That would make a serious dent in my brick of notes.
The Zimbabwean dollar is one of the most worthless currencies in the world so any notions of being a millionaire, or even a billionaire, lasted all of a few seconds.
[...]
At present Zimbabwe’s situation is perilous. Under Robert Mugabe, the country has been systematically looted by the top brass in the army and the ruling party.
They have got rid of most of the white farmers who produced the basic wealth of the country. They control a deeply corrupt foreign exchange system that guarantees a few top dogs in government and the army millions of US dollars in hard currency every month.
Virtually every aspect of life and the economy has been controlled by army people or members of the ruling Zanu-PF party. And they owe it all to Robert Mugabe.
In that context, how would they ever allow the opposition to win the presidential election?
Filed under: Everything Else , currency, Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe
