CHAOTIC scenes characterised Christmas Eve as thousands of people jostled to get cash from their banks to finance their travelling, food and other necessities, but were left disappointed.<\/p>\n
A survey by NewsDay in Harare, Bulawayo and other cities witnessed the rush for cash, which however, was in short supply, making it one of the worst ever festive holidays in independent Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n
While government ministers and officials took time to rest either at their farms or on holiday in foreign lands, long queues at the banks characterised the Christmas Eve, with many saying they were failing to travel to their home areas because they had no cash, while shopping in a hyper-inflationary environment was proving to be
\ndifficult.<\/p>\n
Motorists were queuing for fuel, which is in short supply across the country, while some workers had to endure the festive holidays without salaries.<\/p>\n
Those who spoke to NewsDay said there was nothing to celebrate this Christmas because of the crises.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot say there is a festive season this Christmas because I cannot afford to buy anything. I am even struggling to buy basic commodities. Prices have been rising drastically and my salary is not tallying with the prices. I also have to be preparing and saving for school fees for my children, therefore, I am only buying few things and focusing on 2020 basic needs,\u201d Nomsa Mapara, from Harare, said.<\/p>\n
Spiwe Chuma, a vendor, also said she could not tell if it was Christmas or not because she was just trying to make ends meet.<\/p>\n
\u201cHatina chatinacho (we have nothing). Things are not adding up. I\u2019m only a vendor and there is no profit,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Small business and boutique operators said the festive season had been a let-down and were facing huge losses.<\/p>\n
\u201cCompared to last year, this year\u2019s sales are low. Last year around the same time, we could not be entertaining anyone because this place would be packed with last-minute customers. Business is generally low and we are not expecting to make much profit. After today, we are not looking forward to making any profit,\u201d Joachim Tamburai said.<\/p>\n
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions confirmed that a number of workers were going for Christmas empty-handed after their employers failed to pay salaries.<\/p>\n
Most parts of Harare were without water and electricity ahead of the holiday, killing the celebratory mood.<\/p>\n
Harare\u2019s ward 16 councillor, Denford Ngadziore, fumed at council management for failing to plan ahead of the festive season, a situation that has led to Harare\u2019s taps running dry.<\/p>\n
\u201cFailure to have water in most suburbs in Harare during the festive season is a clear testimony of failure to plan by the council management. Heads must roll. Someone should be answerable and accountable,\u201d he fumed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we closed last week at the last full council meeting, we were promised that all was well, both workers\u2019 salaries and the water situation. This is pure negligence and incompetence and what is surprising is there is no official statement explaining the situation to residents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite all the pessimism and lamentations, President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday claimed he was fully aware of the people\u2019s suffering.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that many of you still suffer. I am not blind to your situation, nor am I deaf to your cries. I commit to you that we will continue to reform with an eye on the long term; for we must not reform only for ourselves, but for our children and our children\u2019s children,\u201d he said in his Christmas message.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CHAOTIC scenes characterised Christmas Eve as thousands of people jostled to get cash from their banks to finance their travelling, food and other necessities, but were left disappointed. A survey by NewsDay in Harare, Bulawayo and other cities witnessed the rush for cash, which however, was in short supply, making it one of the worst […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":17250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[128,91],"class_list":{"0":"post-17248","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-community","9":"tag-community","10":"tag-harare"},"yoast_head":"\n