By Bruce wakoBhebhe
KoBulawayo

I’m not an economist, but I don’t believe the inflation rate is the official
66000percent. It’s closer to 150000percent. I know this sounds crazy, but we
Zimbabweans are used to it.

Here, prices don’t go up, they are “adjusted upwards” — constantly. Even the
prices of goods that haven’t been on the shelves for months go up all the
time.

Halfway through a ride, a bus conductor will tell you that the fare has gone
up.

The price of bread doubles every two and a half days. And the price differs
from shop to shop. A loaf of bread usually changes hands about three times
before it reaches its final destination, and its price increases each time.

In January last year, teachers went on strike, demanding a salary of
Z$200000 a month. Now they are demanding Z$1.7-billion a month, and with
good reason. At present they are earning the equivalent of R300 a month.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe introduced a 10-million-dollar note last month
and already Zimbabweans are carrying large numbers of them. The previous
highest denomination was the $750000 note, printed two weeks before.

Hyper-inflation a ffects the price of everything, no matter how big or how
small.

A cigarette will cost Z$500000 if you buy it on a pavement.

A pint of beer is going for Z$7-million. Some things can hardly be bought
with money. Most landlords want rent in foreign currency, even though this
is illegal. Others prefer lodgers to pay with groceries instead of local
currency.

How are people coping with this madness? They are no longer alarmed at the
price of a scarce product; they are relieved at having found it.

Many people buy groceries as a hedge against inflation. For example, a
2-litre bottle of orange juice was selling for Z$9-million in January. I
bought 10 bottles. The juice costs Z$17-million a bottle as I write.

Some employees buy foreign currency as soon as they get cash. When they need
Zimbabwean dollars, they simply sell some of the foreign currency.

When you ask the price of a product in a store, the shop assistant might
tell you: “You’d better buy this today as the price will be doubling
tomorrow.”

There are pitiful consequences to inflation. I have seen people visiting
relatives in hospital hungrily eat food meant for the patient. I’m sure some
people visit just to get a meal.

The prison service has said it can no longer afford to feed prisoners
properly. It is giving prisoners single mangoes as a meal.

Most Zimbabweans bury their dead wrapped in cloth because coffins cost an
average Z$2.5-billion.

Hospital staff steal medicines, and patients are required to buy their own
syringes, needles, drips, bandages and tablets.

Junior doctors and nurses are on strike most of the time.

Petrol sells for Z$50-million a litre. It was less than half that last
month.

The Zimbabwe dollar is now trading at 7$million to the US dollar, up from
Z$2-million last month.