Across the border for sugar

An overcrowded bus makes its way out of Botswana's capital, Gaborone, headed for Zimbabwe's second city, Bulawayo, its roof laden with groceries, electrical goods and textiles destined for sale or consumption.

Most of the 75 passengers, all Zimbabweans, are "regulars" who travel to neighbouring Botswana every three weeks to shop or trade. They have a common purpose: surviving in Zimbabwe, which has the world's highest annual inflation rate - more than 1,700 percent - shortages of basic essentials and an unemployment rate of 80 percent.

Anania Sibanda, a cross-border trader, carried more than 40 litres of cooking oil and sugar, which she would sell at double the official price back home. "This is how I have survived in the last seven years, in fact, since the economy started collapsing in 2000," she said.

"I order cooking oil because it's not there in shops in Bulawayo; sugar has also become a cash cow because people buy it like hot cakes when I reach home. Despite the high cost, the few people with money still buy in bulk because these commodities are unavailable in shops."

Onius Mhlanga, who described Zimbabwe as a "place of death", said he had to ensure that he got home every fortnight "give groceries to my family, or they will starve".

Mhlanga is a dried vegetable vendor in Gaborone. "I started hawking here [in Botswana] two months ago, but business is very slow. In a good week I make at least 200 pula, which is about Zim$600,000 [about US$25 at the parallel market exchange rate, where US$1 buys Zim$25,000] ... I am told there is no sugar back home, so I bought some for my family, including maizemeal and cooking oil. It's a bit cheaper here, I am told."

A passenger listening to Mhlanga's story interjected with his own. "Just this morning, I was speaking to my wife and the first thing she told me was that the price of bread has gone up from Zim$3,000 [US$0.12] to Zim$7,000 [US$0.28]. She said she has just heard that petrol prices have also gone up from Zim$13,000 [US$0.52] to Zim$ 20,000 [US$0.80] a litre. Her list of price increases and goods that are in short supply seemed endless, so I had to stop her and ask for better news instead. Sadly, there seemed to be none."

As the bus entered Plumtree, on the border between Botswana and southwestern Zimbabwe, where all passengers had to declare their goods, the atmosphere grew tense and tempers soon flared.

"Some of you have a habit of hiding other goods and making false declarations, most of you Zimbabweans. You had better not try that today, because we will catch you," yelled a customs official as he checked the contents of passengers' bags.

"They [officials] say we are thieves and that we should go back home and fight ... instead of coming to steal from them," said Mhlanga.

The queues of Zimbabweans laden with goods entering their country are as just as long as the ones of those leaving. All are tired and irritable.

No statistics on the number of Zimbabweans entering Botswana are available, but according to the Geneva-based International Organisation for Migration, more than 38,000 Zimbabwean migrants are being returned annually from Botswana.

"What you see at the borders is just a tip of the overall effects of the economic malaise we are going through ... Those who have the means to travel now live in buses and trains as they head to Botswana and South Africa so that they can order things for resale and live another day," said Eddie Cross, an economist and advisor to the Zimbabwean opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

"The government wants us to believe there is no crisis, but the crisis is there for all those who care to see. They say inflation is at 1,700 percent, but a closer look at the national dynamics will reveal that it is much higher than 2,000 percent already. But the worst is yet to come - give it a few months."

Social and political commentator Felix Mafa told IRIN that the people of Zimbabwe had not yet seen anything in terms of economic disintegration. "It is true to say people are desperate now, but think of what the situation is going to be like in December. We have already celebrated the dullest Easter holidays because no one can afford [anything]."

nn/jk/he