Looking for food among the rubbish

Those who have not been exposed to Zimbabwe's hyperinflation may find it difficult to comprehend the intensity of the suffering it causes to the country's citizens. What difference does it make to people's everyday lives? To say that inflation has become a matter of life and death for many, may sound like an exaggeration to readers outside Zimbabwe. But that is the tragic reality as this real life story illustrates. Inflation is a direct cause of incredible stress and hardship.

The names in this article have been changed to protect the identity of our interviewee and people around him, but all the other details are exactly as provided to our reporter.

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United States Ambassador Christopher Dell says President Robert Mugabe plunged Zimbabwe into the current socio-economic and political mess because he never realized his expiry date after independence amid indications that the country will hit a record inflation rate of 1 500 000 percent by the end of this year.

Speaking to journalists on Monday this week in the second capital Bulawayo where he paid his last visit before departing to his new diplomatic post in Afghanistan, Dell said Mugabe should have gracefully left his presidential post long back and handed power to his successor.

He said: “Here is a man who has plunged his unquestionably huge historical role of the liberation struggle, a legacy that everybody should be proud of.

New currency

Images of Operation Sunrise's advertising campaign here

From 1 August 2006, Zimbabwe has a new currency. The last three digits of the old currency have been lopped off to create the revalued dollar. The regime has dubbed this "Operation Sunrise", and we are serenaded with the slogans "Zero to Hero" and "Restore value".

This change has been necessitated by the effect of inflation on the Zimbabwe economy, where shopping was done in millions, if not billions, and large bundles of cash were needed for the simplest transactions.

Roadblocks manned by the Youth Militia (or so-called Green Bombers) have been set up to catch "unpatriotic" Zimbabweans who were carrying in excess of the legal limit of $100 million (old dollars). Banks have been instructed to seize sums deposited by individuals in excess of this amount, pending Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) investigation into the source of the funds.