There is light at the end of the tunnel!
December 7th, 2005
Last week I queued for ages at the payment counter of my local grocery store. Why? Because while doing my shopping, the electricity was cut off and so the cashier resorted to recording all items sold on a piece of paper (so that her stocks would balance) while using a small hand-held calculator to add up our purchases and calculate change. Not an easy feat when the average sale ranges into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
And tuff luck for the tax department, I guess, as we were not given receipts – goodness knows how, at the end of the day, the sales are recorded accurately and the cash in the register balances? The gathering crowd mumbled and groaned about the country, the despot, the general decay, the cost of their purchases.
A few days after that my mother complained bitterly when the power went off right in the middle of her favorite television programme.
On Friday morning, we all sat at work unable to do anything while the ZESA (Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority) workers attended to a faulty wiring problem, “probably caused by the recent rains and lack of general maintenance†they told us.
And then there was last night. I went down to my local beer garden with a few friends. The TV was playing in the background and the bartender announced that our ‘president’ was to address the nation. Someone’s ears must have been burning with all the moaning and groaning so they swung into action and provided the perfect solution: a well-timed power cut!
The bar broke into a roar of laughter, cheering and clapping. It was certainly the most appreciated power cut we have ever had.
Congratulations ZESA!!!! You finally got it right, and on behalf of all at the beer garden last night, we extend our sincere thanks. You saved the day.
