Survival money slashed

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Letter from Home

BY LITANY BIRD

Dear Family and Friends,
Zimbabweans are notorious, possibly even world famous, for their ability to
"Make A Plan." It is because we are so ingenious, creative, versatile and
adaptable that the country has held together for the last seven years. Life
shouldn't be like this in the first decade of the 21st century but we have
learnt to cope with almost every deprivation that has been forced upon us.

In every home we have a botched up emergency plan for electricity and water
cuts, fuel and food shortages, non existent municipal services and
crumbling infrastructure. As individuals, however, as our hold on normal
life grows ever more tenuous, so does that of the State. Every month there
are less and less taxpayers as companies continue to cut their costs,
reduce their workforce or close down altogether. As our economy shrinks,
there is less and less money and resources available to keep the government
going and so they cast their nets further afield.

This week the bands of financial control got much tighter in Zimbabwe and
it is hard to see how ordinary people will be able to make a plan to
survive the new rules. For a few weeks you have not been able to cash a
cheque for more than Z$100,000 in a bank. No reason is given. If you ask, the tellers just shrug their shoulders and say they are following orders from above. For over a month investment and savings institutions have been refusing to accept any new customers.
Existing customers can only make deposits if other customers have made withdrawals
for similar amounts. This week 16 Money Transfer Agencies were closed down
without any warning by the Governor of the Reserve Bank. In an unexpected
swoop, the Governor said the operating licences were withdrawn with
immediate effect for what he called "non performance and deviant behaviour."

Almost all Zimbabweans who have left the country but still have family or
friends here, send money home every month through these Money Transfer
Agencies. This is how families who have been split up by economic necessity
have survived for the last seven years. One family member goes and earns
outside the country, sending money home to support the rest of the family.

It is not money for luxuries but for survival. It is money which pays school fees, bills, rentals and medical expenses. People have being using Money Transfer Agencies rather than government channels because they get up to five times more money on the exchange rate.
If a relation overseas was sending say US$100 a month it translated into Z$130,000 through a Money Transfer Agency. Now that same US$100 sent through the government, will only realise Z$25,000 dollars. This is a dramatic difference, which is going to have a devastatingly cruel effect on hundreds of thousands of people. It means that relations abroad will have to send five times as much money home for their families every month just to maintain the same level of support.

Undoubtedly some people will be able to "Make a Plan" to get around the new
ruling but many will not. Many hundreds of people are already illegally
crossing Zimbabwe's borders every day for a better life in neighbouring
countries, the numbers are bound to rise now. Until next time, thanks for
reading, ndini shamwari yenyu.