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Zimbabweans Struggling to Make Ends Meet


 The majority of Zimbabweans are now engaged in the informal sector where they sell various goods in order to eke out a living.
The majority of Zimbabweans are now engaged in the informal sector where they sell various goods in order to eke out a living.

Most Zimbabweans say they are now having a meal a day due to the current harsh economic situation in the country, worsened by lack of foreign direct investment.

The majority of people say they are surviving by the grace of God as they have resorted to selling various wares to make a living.

Former freedom fighter, Retired Major Victor Mkhwananzi, known during the liberation struggle of the 1970s as Zenzo Tshuma, has not ventured into the informal trade in order to survive.

“Life is tough in this country. This is not what we fought for during the liberation struggle,” he says.

He is among millions of Zimbabweans struggling to make ends meet as the government attempts to rescue the ailing economy through its development blue-print, the $27 billion Zimbabwe Agenda for Social and Economic Transformation (ZIMASSET).

President Robert Mugabe’s government has not yet sourced the money for kick-starting the five-year program.

Mr. Mugabe is expected to leave for China soon to engage the communist party for possible lines of credit to fund the scheme as the West continues to shun Zimbabwe.

The government has acknowledged that the economy is facing serious challenges through some still insist that all is well in the country with the economy set to register a 6 percent growth this year.

Independent economists have put the growth figure at less than 3 percent as more companies continue shutting down due to liquidity constraints.

Some parts of the country recorded a bumper harvest in the last agricultural season though several regions still need food aid following years of dry spells and heavy rains that devastated crops.

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