Dialogue: Much tribulation, but life goes on for Zimbabweans

However much the transformation in some areas, Zimbabwe is very much a case of deja vu in triplicate, writes BOB WALLACE*. Yet for all the apparent ugliness, it remains a stunning tourist destination.

In Zimbabwe today there are three priorities - security, fuel and forex.

There is classic irony in that, because in the 1970s, when Ian Smith bucked public opinion and defended white rule against guerrilla warfare and sanctions, the same troublesome treble was dominant.

The only difference, say the cynics of 2001, is that then you had ration coupons and you knew how much fuel you would get, rather than queuing for hours today, not knowing whether you will get any.

It is hard to say which out of security, fuel or forex is uppermost in the minds of those who live in Zimbabwe in 2001, but the currency conversion rates are salutary.

You don't have to tell that to the Zimbabweans who have fled to New Zealand. If they were lucky, they had some forex.

But some of these white refugees have walked off properties with their suitcases or little more, and for them an organisation called Zimcare has been soliciting donations of furniture and other items that will help them to rebuild their lives.

Their own currency has been devastatingly devalued to the point that there is almost no external trading in it.

One Zimbabwe dollar officially equals $US55. The reality is that $US1 can fetch anything between 110 and 200 Zimdollars.

One Zimbabwe dollar officially equals a little over seven rands. The reality is that one rand can fetch anything between $Z15 and $Z20 (and, to put that into context, $NZ1 equals about 3.5 rands).

This is brilliant for tourists, of course. The problem is that most of the potential leisure visitors have been put off by the security situation. This is not surprising, given the horrendous stories of farm pillaging, murder, business threats, demands and oppression, and public statements from the leadership.

Would-be tourists are also mindful of the white flight (there are now only about 30,000 whites, whereas there were once 280,000), while unaware at the same time, probably, of the alleged elimination of 30,000 Africans in Matabeleland.

Yet for all the apparent ugliness, Zimbabwe remains a stunning tourist destination. Harare demands as much personal security vigilance as anywhere in Africa. But the traditional tourist areas of Victoria Falls, Hwange and Lake Kariba, where the game viewing, sightseeing and fishing are as spectacular as ever, are much more relaxed.

Regrettably, many of the resort hotels are languishing or closed and the fleet of Kariba houseboats is only partly employed, although less affected as locals continue their fishing and game-watching pursuits.

If there is a problem for tourists in Zimbabwe, it might relate to travelling by road. Will there be enough fuel available to carry out the journey? Travellers from South Africa learn to bring reserve jerrycans of petrol or diesel with them.

The supply from the pumps is dependent on whether Zimbabwe has enough money to pay for another injection through the pipeline that runs from the Mozambique port of Beira to the eastern Zimbabwe border at Mutare.

At times, Zimbabwe motorists can only look on in envy as fleets of tankers roar along the Great North Rd to the border and Zambia while petrol stations hang out the "no diesel" or "no petrol" signs.

In Harare, the other problem for non-resident drivers is finding their way around. Many street signs are missing; it is said they have been recycled into handles for coffins as undertakers try to keep up with the horrendous toll wrought by Aids.

Despite the tribulations, life goes on as normally as it can. Social activity continues, but the cost of living soars horrendously, with inflation at 60 per cent.

Public criticism of the Mugabe regime continues unabated. While the daily newspaper the Herald (successor to the Rhodesia Herald) treads a careful pro-Government line and refers to people as comrades, the rest of the print media is stridently and fearlessly anti-Government.

Although arson has in the past claimed their printing presses, today they are still able to print what they like.

A recent front-page lead story in the Standard carried allegations that senior Zimbabwe Defence Forces officers were heavily involved in the looting of diamonds in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Inside, the editorial opinion was headed "Mugabe Declares War on Zimbabawe," saying that, "events of the last few months leave no doubt whatsoever that President Mugabe is hell-bent on destroying Zimbabwe (or what is left of it)."

Other opinion columns are just as hard-hitting. And, for good measure, the Standard runs a Lawlessness Diary, a daily record of assaults, threats, frauds and other incidents.

For some, the extremes are too much. They read neither the Government nor opposition press, but rely on the nightly news from South African television, knowing that the local grapevine will swiftly bring them anything of local importance that they really need to know.

South Africa remains something of a bolthole for Zimbabweans, as do other surrounding states. But even the South African lifeline may yet be at risk. South African Airways, which runs twice-daily services to Harare, as well as flying to Victoria Falls, has warned that its local presence could be jeopardised if the security of its local staff could not be protected.

Many of the whites who have left have gone south, while others have found a better life, at least temporarily, in Zambia and Malawi - anywhere handy that their skimpy forex and the possibility of employment will take them. Others stoically hang on, waiting for better times in a country that they love and understand.

In South Africa you hear stories of international interests poised to invest in Zimbabwe. It may be more than a couple of years before that happens, and before the treble issues of security, fuel and forex are again part of the past.

* Public relations consultant Bob Wallace, a former foreign correspondent and Herald journalist, has just returned from Zimbabwe after a gap of 25 years.