Not such a Merry Christmas

Zimbabwe has been in economic decline since 2000, when the Zanu (PF)-inspired land “reform” programme saw commercial farming land grabbed from white farmers and distributed mostly to party faithfuls, comprising senior government officials and veterans of the liberation war, most of whom lacked any agricultural know-how.

Agriculture was the backbone of the economy, employing hundreds of thousands and feeding the entire SADC region. So the economy collapsed. Survival became the major concern and celebration was struck off the budgets of most Zimbabweans. Between 2003 and 2009, when supermarket shelves were empty, even those who could afford a Christmas banquet found themselves without the basic ingredients for merrymaking.

Traditionally, December festivities were funded by annual bonuses. According to Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa, 4,610 companies closed down between 2011 and 2014, resulting in 55,443 job losses.

The World Bank estimates Zimbabwe’s unemployment rate to be over 80%. With only 500,000 Zimbabweans remaining in formal employment, and most employers struggling to meet monthly paydays, annual bonuses are as rare as well-paying jobs. Celebratory songs like ‘Wapenga Nayo Bonus’ are now a thing of the distant past.

Before 1999, children would have looked forward to Christmas, as it was the time when they went shopping for new clothes. Nowadays, they will be very lucky to see a few garments from the now famous Kotamai Boutique –the local language for second-hand clothing spread out on downtown pavements and at places like Mupedzanhamo. Most of these clothes are sent from overseas by donors but end up in the informal market.

Christmas was, in years gone by, the time when the children of the wealthier citizens might have received new bicycles. But these days, most cycle tracks are overgrown with grass and parents will not want to play Russian Roulette with the lives of their offspring on the hazardous roads, where unlicensed drivers and faulty vehicles are in abundance.

It is estimated that between three and four million Zimbabweans have fled the country for various reasons, mainly unemployment, poverty and, in some cases, political persecution. Even for those with bountiful supplies of food and drink, with families spread all over the world, Christmas is no longer the same as it was 15 years ago, when families could all be together.

Even the retail and informal sectors reflect a change in fortunes. Whereas 15 years ago, most stores could afford to shut down at Christmas, nowadays supermarkets remain open, as every cent counts. On Christmas or Boxing Day, hawkers line the roads, holding up bananas, airtime cards, brooms, running after cars or whistling to advertise their wares, as if it were just another day. If asked, most of them say more or less the same thing: ‘I have to feed my family. If I don’t work, then there is no food.’