It looks like the Zim government has finally lost it. The government just burned down 6 miles (6 miles!) of curio stands. Of course, I’m sure these people were a public nuisance and deserved it especially since there are so many jobs in the formal sector with the economy doing so well and all.

Here’s a couple of articles on this debacle:

• CNN: Zimbabwe police burn 6-mile line of vendors’ stalls — Kudo’s for CNN for deciding this was newsworthy
• Zimbabwe Police Torch Vendors’ Shacks - Washington Post
• BBC: Depression in the Streets — Another depressing article on the current state of Zimbabwe.

For those who don’t know, I spent almost a year in 1999 in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe once the bread basket of Africa is such an incredible place. It hurts me deeply to see what African leaders can do to their own people. It’s hard not to be jaded.

Here is a particularly upsetting excerpt:

Driven to tears

I am suffering even more than before now.

A looted supermarket in Harare after hundreds of residents rioted after police destroyed street stalls in an ongoing crackdown on vendors and other illegals in the capital (AFP/Getty Images)
Edwell fears his problems will affect his son’s future

My family is suffering because I am not doing anything.

I am not very busy, sure.

I charge Z$15,000 ($0.26) to fix heels and for soles it is about Z$35,000 ($0.60) and now that I am hardly doing anything I am crying.

I recently had to buy my 15-year-old son some things for school. All I could afford was his books, a new pair of shoes and socks and some short trousers and it came to over Z$200,000 ($3.60).

I still have to pay his school fees for this term which come to Z$350,000 ($6.20).

I don't know how I will be able to.


Editors note: When I was in Zimbabwe, the Zim dollar was 50-1 to the US.

The Africa You Never See
After posting the links about Zimbabwe, I thought it may be good to also post this article about business in Africa. Did you know Botswana has an A+ credit rating with some of the highest per capita savings rates in the world or that the Ghanian Stock market returned on average 144% last year (highest in the world!)? Neither did I. If you get the chance please also read this great article.

The Africa You Never See — By Carol Pineau

Related Website: AfricaOpenforBusiness.com