On the way to Glen Forest Memorial Park to bid farewell to an old friend, there is the inescapable sight of sprawling shanties and shacks going up all the way from ritzy Borrowdale, home of politicians and the elite, to the cemetery.
As far as the eye can see, wretched hovels – some of black plastic sheets – resemble the worst of those endured by refugees and the internally displaced worldwide. Cement mixers are used at Glen Forest to pour concrete over interred coffins to stop grave robbers coming in from among the encroaching poor.
So what’s the problem? It is the underdeveloped Third World after all, exploited by  rich powers across the globe for decades. Urban Zimbabwe has a housing backlog of 500,000 homes. Like everywhere else, it has mansions and slums.
The slum dwellers aren’t affected by the water and 18-hour electricity cuts sweeping the country; they never had any in the first place. Many have old car batteries to run a radio or TV. They seem a whole lot more cheerful than the comparatively well-to-do right now. At least they are not shivering or withering in a northern hemisphere winter, but the southern hemisphere’s upcoming rains will bring disease and quagmire.
“The slum dwellers aren’t affected by the water and 18-hour electricity cuts sweeping the country; they never had any in the first place.” Good one!
This is the same as some of the Chefs like Mai Mujuru who have fallen on hard times; after years of watching their weight, they are now losing weight fast because they have little to eat! They are always hungry those days!