I can confirm this.

One proviso: that was the week before last when US $1 was 20million Zim dollars. Just as I was leaving, the dollar was up to 25 million ZD and I heard from a VF resident last week that it was now 40 million.

Now that Cde Bob has promised huge salary raises for government employees (for which he'll have to print more money, hence hyperinflation will continue accelerated) the exchange rate will be further skewed and that could lead to further shortages in grain imports and bread production. Most villagers don't depend on bread but need those 25kg sacks of rolermeal (maize meal) to make sadza and I was told (but have not personally witnessed) that the national grain board was only selling the rolermeal to card-carrying Zanu-PF members.

And this was one of the supermarkets in VF - not like your local Tesco or even as well-stocked as in Zambia. But not totally empty shelves either.

lucky you no guesses where most everyone else sleeps.

You obviously have not bothered to read anything I wrote, so there is no real point in being on this thread. You have your opinion, I have my experiences.

The fact is that you can't accept that things are not as bad as you like to make out.

And it makes me red to see people like you who don't live there posting about a country they haven't been to for god knows how long posting your same rubbish week in week out.

Zimbabwe is not the paradise it once was, it certainly isn't the hell hole you make it out to be either.

What makes me see red is seeing people who are a tad better off than the average joe making out like there is nothing wrong with the country when IT HAS FALLEN APART. Get that? IT HAS FALLEN APART.

It has been under the auspices of a DICTATOR for years now, there is no true freedom of expression, the people walk around in fear of the government goons, the economy has fallen flat on its arse, and people like you sit and pontificate that yes, there are problems, but they're not as bad as everyone thinks.

When I speak to friends who are desperate about the situation.

Meanwhile, SIX MILLION people are slowly starving.

I wish someone would tell the British goverment that Zim is peachy, and then they could stop shipping out my much-needed tax pounds to the place. What is life expectancy now? 38? And unemployment? 80% and more?

Well I'm glad all is well there, because I had this idea things weren't quite right in Zim. Smiling happy people. That's lovely. Now can I have my aid money back?

Vic Falls is generally a bit behind Harare, this morning I have been told its $50M to $1US. You generally lose about 10 cents from every $1 from changing in Vic Falls rather than Harare.

When you go back, depending on how you do it, try and stop in Hwange town. Go to the Spar and the TM there. Also try and see if you can go to same in Bulawayo and other non tourist destinations. That will get you a true picture of what the supermarkets are stocked with. Vic Falls is a small place and most there are involved in the tourist industry. The choice is therefore smaller unfortunately and more expensive. I bought a Mars Bar in the supermarket above Shearwater's office and it was about $1.50 which is unbelievable.

You are correct about the maize meal. That is what the vast majority of the population eat as a standard meal like in most countries in Africa so if Redlippie knew anything about the country he would know this. If you are able to buy in Supermarkets, they stock anything you would expect them to stock.

Ok. I was in Vic Falls. It was New Year where generally everything gets booked up and I was taking a group of Americans around. yes, I was in Ilala Lodge. Yes I know many residents of Zimbabwe don't sleep there, just like many residents of London don't sleep in the Dorchester. Whats your point?

Sigh.

Is the figure of 6 M from the same news source that says 3000 are leaving every week and that there are only 8 left in Zimbabwe?

Again you fail to read - more I believe because you do not want to rather than you can't.

I have been quite open and honest about anything I have been asked. There are many problems in Zimbabwe. The economy has the highest inflation in the world. However to say the country has fallen apart is absolute rubbish. If it's fallen apart then there would be no business's operating, no-one eating and everyone climbing over the fences to another country. Quite obviously the situation is not like that as I, newsworthy and John Simpson have pointed out. But then we have been there recently, you haven't. So have a think about that.

People do not walk around in fear of Government goons, and I don't believe you do have friends who are "desperate" about the situation.

Yes, yes. As many who know anything about Africa will also know that employment figures are always manipulated as most work in cash and therefore are counted as unemployed. There is huge unemployment in Zimbabwe. Huge. but not 80%.

redlippie, I understand your pain and share it... but I have to take issue with you because I certainly am not, and don't believe Rick b is, trying to pretend there is nothing wrong in/with Zimbabwe. His point, which I agree with, is that there is another reality on the ground that is not being reported - that people are getting on with it, some better than others, and that the picture is more complex than just "all bad".

The country is falling apart, not yet "fallen apart". There is hyperinflation (about 200% month-on-month now), and against falling production the government continues to print money to meet its promises of bigger salaries for the military, police and government workers, so things get worse every day. However, what happens on the ground is that people get into a kind of "wartime mentality" and a barter market (amongst other things) starts up and somehow life goes on.

The dictator. In spite of all evidence to the contrary (every election since 2000 rigged etc.) it is astounding that on the ground, the entrance of Makoni to the race has completely upset the predictions and altered the mood. Mugabe is on very rocky ground. Makoni has a large number of undeclared backers inside Zanu-PF who think the old man has lost the plot completely. The word on the ground is that the middle and lower ranks of the military will no longer back him. Sceptics and cynics inside Zim who were arguing that the outcome was a foregone conclusion and the MDC would be better off not bothering to contest... are now changing their minds.

Freedoms. I was amazed at how freely and readily people expressed anti-Mugabe sentiments in Matabeleland North (small area, only a snapshot in time). I was expecting to find people unready to talk but saw no evidence that they were in fear of CIO goons.

I don't dispute that there is widespread poverty and hunger. It's quite possible as many as 6m people are slowly starving... but there are no mass deaths from famine on an Ethiopian scale (at least not yet and God forbid it should get that bad). Malnutrition is rife - the UN is about to produce a report saying 85% of people in rural areas need immediate assistance, i.e. supplementary feeding. I can't put a nationwide figure on how many people manage at least one meal a day, but even the street kids in VF and Hwange told me they always got something to eat, every day.

I too have friends in Zim (and others among the diaspora here) who are desperate about the situation. If I had only spoken to them, I would have had a partial (and therefore skewed) view of what is a complex situation. What I saw and heard from a wider cross-section of people forced a rethink.

Rick B:"no-one eating and everyone climbing over the fences to another country. "

I understood that was why SA has around 4 million illegals?

Pablo you make yourself look foolish. Neither Rick b nor I have said all is well etc. etc. Did you actually bother to read any of the posts? Or is only the truth-according-to-Pablo acceptable?

The figures are all estimates - there may be 4m Zimbabweans in SA or in the entire diaspora. Most estimate there are around 9m still in Zim.

The way that the media has come to those figures is to look at numbers going over from Zimbabwe to South Africa. Yet they don't count those who go back!!! Something like 60 -70% of those going over come back the same day or the next day. They are traders. Cross border trade which happens in every African country. Some go for a holiday, some go for business. Heck since October last year I have gone to South Africa 3 times from Zimbabwe. And there are hundreds like me who go for business and pleasure and other reasons that are not to leave Zimbabwe for good.

Do you stand up to the tyrant? Does RickB?

If only everyone's life were as simply as your black and white life hey Pablo? Wow what joy it would be for us all. Unfortunately out in the real world, it's not that simple.

Ah yes, it's all so complicated. The excuse of every hedger from here to eternity.

Nope, the "excuse" of reality of life. Now please go back into your simplistic little world and everything is fantastic outside of Africa as it's plainly obvious you have nothing constructive to say.