Zimbabwe blog: telling coincidence
Updated on 21 October 2008
Guest blogger Helen describes the despair as another building society struggles and the prime minister can't leave the country.
"Don't go anywhere near CABS," was the message that flicked round the town soon after 8am on Monday morning.
CABS is one of the main building societies in the country and for the last month there has been an incessant queue of hundreds trying to withdraw the daily cash limit of their own money from savings accounts in branches everywhere.
A fortnight ago CABS' plate glass window fronting the pavement collapsed into a million pieces, unable to withstand the pressure of hundreds of desperate, angry customers.
You can't see into the banking hall anymore, the shattered glass shop-front has been replaced by sheets of plywood and wrought iron bars.
Two security guards are totally overwhelmed when it comes to controlling the crowds and almost every day the scenes are of riot police with helmets, baton sticks and dogs.
The latest unrest at CABS was audible rather than visible. News got out that bank notes hadn't arrived from the central bank in Harare and customers were being told to go away and come back after lunch.
Most people have run out of hope of anything positive coming out of the five week old power sharing agreement between the MDC and Zanu PF.
This has become an almost daily message and people have just about reached breaking point. An angry buzz that sounded like a swarm of bees at first, rapidly grew into shouts, chants and fist waving: "We want our money!" people shouted. "Give us our money!" they demanded.
As the noise level rose, more and more people swarmed forward. All semblance of a queue collapsed as people ran from all directions bringing traffic to a complete standstill.
Two people running from the other side of the road slipped and fell in the purple Jacaranda flowers that are lying in thick carpets on pavements, overflowing dustbins and roadsides everywhere.
It was coincidental that this was happening on the same day that Morgan
Tsvangirai should have been travelling to Swaziland for a SADC meeting but already the rumours were circulating: our Prime Minister designate couldn't travel because he still hadn't been issued with a new passport.
Most people have run out of hope of anything positive coming out of the five week old power sharing agreement between the MDC and Zanu PF.
In the town's three main supermarkets, all of which have dozens of branches across the country, there is barely anything left on the shelves.
It's become clear for all to see that Zanu PF aren't prepared to share anything and while they argue about cabinet posts everything has come to an almost complete standstill and daily life is now all but unbearable.
In the town's three main supermarkets, all of which have dozens of branches across the country, there is barely anything left on the shelves.
Since the Reserve Bank Governor allowed some shops to trade in US dollars, those not on the list, or unable to raise the government trading fee, have virtually collapsed.
From these three main local supermarkets that can't raise the fee to trade in US dollars the only goods for sale were cabbages, onions, light bulbs, tea leaves, condoms and over-ripe vegetables.
One shop had a few packets of meat lying at the bottom of a freezer but it's a risky business buying meat from supermarkets when power cuts last 10 to 15 hours at a time and occur at least three times a week.
In the searing heat of an October day as the chances of a riot at CABS over bank notes collapsed, the rumours became fact.
Morgan Tsvangirai hadn't gone to Swaziland, Arthur Mutambara had said that he wouldn't attend the SADC summit unless Tsvangirai was present and Mr Mugabe carried on as if nothing had happened - just as he has for the last seven months since the MDC won the people's vote to govern Zimbabwe.
