What holiday? (13-08-07)

No cash!
Lengthy queues have been a part of life in Zimbabwe since seven years ago, when economic troubles began causing fuel shortages. But during the last week, the fuel queues became four-lane monstrosities that clogged Harare’s streets and caused occasional fist-fights over line-cutting.
For many, waiting for fuel was the second queue – after waiting for cash at banks and automatic teller machines that repeatedly ran out of money during the weekend as workers tried to withdraw cash for travel to their rural homes or to spend during the long holiday that ended Wednesday.
Friday was the last banking day here ahead of the holiday weekend, which led to lines that snaked around blocks in downtown Harare as people hoped to get cash from ATMs, only to find that banks had run out.
By Sunday, the lines downtown began shrinking, both because many ATMs were empty and because people had given up. The queues were only a problem for people who had money in the first place. The average Zimbabwean’s disposable income has fallen by 70 percent since January, according to estimates from consumer watchdogs here.
“No holiday for me. We are suffering,” said a security guard in downtown Harare, who asked not to be named. He said he wasn’t working during the holiday week, but he didn’t have enough money to take his wife and children to visit relatives.
During the holidays, many city-dwellers travel to the villages where their families live. But bus fares have skyrocketed as fuel prices more than doubled on the black market and passengers have complained that not enough buses are running.
“Normally we do not have problems with the buses,” said Shungu, who was heading to her village in the Mhondoro region. “I think it’s because of the fuel shortage,” she said. Police were called to the nation’s busiest bus terminus, Mbare-Musika, on Friday to control hundreds of disgruntled passengers who had waited hours for a bus home.
The inter-city train service increased locomotives. But the train was overwhelmed by desperate passengers.
Air Zimbabwe, which slashed fares by up to 50 percent, was also fully booked – with a return trip to Bulawayo from Harare going for a laughable amount of $4,5 million. – Chief Reporter