Zimbabwe article in New York Times
 

Thanks for posting. Incredibly sad.

This has turned into a blueprint of how bad decisions can absolutely dismantle and ruin a country.

Ironically in Namibia and I imagine some other countries there is a street named in honor of Mugabe. I really hope the leaders in South Africa, Namibia and other places are catching onto the foolishness of his reign and learn not to repeat these mistakes!

And more bad news.
http://tinyurl.com/2qpcen

This is awful....

Btw, i don't know how i'd feel right now if i went to some of the luxury tented camps that still remain open and be served exotic lodge cuisine when majority of the population is starving.......

I know it's a double edged sword, where...by going you still help the few people around at the lodges!

Hari, I tossed that same thought around myself, and did decide to go.

I've been told that the food we'll be eating is shipped in from elsewhere and is not taking food away from others. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this.

I also would like to feel that if I can help a few people remain employeed that it's better than nothing.

As a non economist, I don't truly understand how capping food inflation prices is more harmful than letting the prices artificially inflate.

It's probably very simplistic but I'd love to hear why this doesn't work (I'm not being facitious).

Seems like the population is screwed either way. What's being said about the upcoming election? I keep thinking that someone will turn out Mugabe's lights. Sounds like he's got too many layers around him. Horrible mess!

Sherry: You are right! Probably, most food at the lodges from SA....

To answer your question on capping the price....

The price of manufacturing them is far higher(and going higher) than the capped price, hence those in the business pains of producing staples like bread etc etc., will be incurring a huge loss!

Ok, that makes more sense, I didn't realize that the manufacturing fees were higher.
Thanks

None of this news surprises me. It has been clear for a long time that Mugabe is just one more in a long line of African megalomaniac dictators. Why anyone thinks he's rational is beyond me.

And, I don't mean to be mean-spirited or disrespectful to those who think visiting Zim is helping to support wildlife or Zimbabweans, but ... I've lived in Africa, and studied African politics at university, and watched African history unfold over the last 25 years or so, and I have no doubt that those lodges are paying bribes to Mugabe and his thugs. Tourists may not realize it, but some of every dollar they spend goes into the pockets of Mugabe and his criminals.

I just saw the movie The Last King of Scotland a couple nights ago. I wonder how long history will go on repeating itself.

And so it continues...

http://tinyurl.com/2x2uy3

Now they are putting a law in place to eavesdrop on e-mails, phone calls, etc. to find "terrorism and espionage." Mugabe should look in the mirror!

ShayTay, I think Mugabe may have gotten the idea to eavesdrop on emails and phone calls, all in the name of fighting terror, from the current US administration.

<" and I have no doubt that those lodges are paying bribes to Mugabe and his thugs. Tourists may not realize it, but some of every dollar they spend goes into the pockets of Mugabe and his criminals.">

Celia,
You've mentioned this before but have yet to post proof to these rather large allegations. I'm truly confused as to what your motivation is.

As I've stated previously, I am more than happy to support at least one soul in Zimb.
Best regards;
Sherry

Sherry, dictatorships don't work like representative governments. There are no checks or balances on the dictator's power.

When Mugabe took over all the large farms, just a few years ago, it wasn't an orderly and peaceful process with just compensation to owners. He sent gangs of teenagers (whom he called "veterans", when most were born a decade after the war was over) to murder farmers in cold blood. And that's just what they did, slaughtered people. (I didn't make this up; it was widely reported in the African press, and to some degree in the American press.) When he bulldozed neighborhoods in Harare and Bulawayo a year or two ago, he destroyed people's homes and possessions without any regard to humanity, let alone regard to property rights. Today's reports of the new requirement that all businesses be owned by "native Zimbabwean investors" is another wholesale theft and redistribution of property to the people he wants to have it, i.e. his thugs. It may be that not every business in Zimbabwe is paying protection to the government, but given past experience, I think it's only a matter of time. Especially since tourism is the industry that brings in the most or second most foreign exchange, it's naive to think that Mugabe doesn't want to get his cut from it.

I don't understand your comment about my motivation. I'm just offering my views.

This latest article posted by Diamantina on another thread details how your tourist dollars are laundered for the Mugabe gang:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/03/wo...3zimbabwe.html

Basically locals earning tourist U.S. Dollars are only going to get the fixed government rate of 250 Zim dollars in exchange and then the government trades them on the black market for 200,000 Zim dollars for a hefty 800% in profit. Sounds to me like almost every dollar into the right hands is going to end up producing 800 times that benefit to the oppressors that are ruining their lives. Of course even that gain is not enough so they do the price rollback to make businesses go insolvent and then buy them under the new 'indigenous owner' law for next to nothing. Once that turnover is complete I imagine prices will come uncapped again. Manipulated stealing is all that is happening. I think there is no doubt that Mugabe gets a piece of what tourists spend and then on top of it greatly maginifies the benefit through all these swindling practices. He needs the tourism dollars because what else does he have to bring in hard currency to fuel the wealth of the elite? Platinum exports and illegal ivory sales are other sources beyond tourism but I don't think there is much else at this point.

He and his thugs probably looted enough during the takeover a couple years ago! They perhaps have enough to live off of that....tourists or not!

He's only in his early 80's and looks pretty healthy, so this is going to continue for a loooong time!!!

The question is, what happens if he's gone?

if he does give up the throne, some of the candidates are no less evil than him...a woman in the running is just as ruthless.
interesting question nyama, it won't be peaches and cream when and if he lets go of power, it will take time if the right people get in. 26 years of his rule won't be undone overnight, but we can all hope for something good.

Nyama,

It appears to me like they have hit rock bottom! The only way is up!!!

Nyama,

For an answer to your question read What Happens After Mugabe? by Geoff Hill published by Zebra Press in South Africa. It is available to buy online. I bought it in SA after visiting Zimbabwe and found it a fascinating read.

Hari, I don't think that they havn't hit the bottom so far. It will be getting worse...

Btw, today I got the latest edition of Travel Africa. Main feature is "Should you visit Zimbabwe?". The answer is a clear YES.

<"It may be that not every business in Zimbabwe is paying protection to the government, but given past experience, I think it's only a matter of time">

Thanks for answering, Celia.
Sorry if I sounded harsh but I do believe that when one is looking at such a fragile economy and making statements on a travel site, one should be careful and present only known facts rather than hypothosizing.

You earlier (upthread) statement said that the camp owners were giving pay-o-la to the thugs. I feel that this could be a pretty harmful statement to the many people who make their living on tourism - I just thought that that wasn't fair.
My apologies if I offended.
Peace.

Sherry, I too apologize for sounding so harsh.