Njengoba idola laseZimbabwe lehla ngenani, amabhange eZimbabwe yonkana akhombisa isimo esibuhlungu esifanayo mihla namalanga: abantu batheleka bezokhipha imali, abanye baze bahlale emigqeni ubusuku bonke ukuze bathole isandla emalini.
Kodwa, lokho akuyona ngisho ingxenye embi kakhulu yakho. Kuleviki edluleyo, abeZimbabwe bebevunyelwe ukukhipha iZim $20,000 kuphela ngelanga. Kubavakashi, leli nani alisho lutho. Ehhotela koBulawayo ibhawa ibibiza cishe izigidi ezimbili zamadola eZim$2 imbodlela encane yamanzi. Kumuntu ovakatshayo okhokhela ngedola leZimbabwe lokhu kungatsho ukuthi kumele ame kulayini abade amalanga angamatshumi amabili zilandelana ukuze akwazi ukuthenga lelobhodlela lamanzi. Okuwukuphela kwendlela ukuthi uma ekwazi ukuthola amadola aseMelika, angakhokha u-US$20.
Izikhungo eziningi zezokuvakasha njengamanje aziwathathi amakhadi esikweletu njengendlela yokukhokha “ngenxa yenswinyo.” Ngenxa yalokho, okuwukuphela kwendlela ongakhetha ngayo ukuba nemali, ngamadola aseMelika kuphela. Ufunde lokho kahle. Abathengisi lapha eZimbabwe bazama kancane kancane ukuvala imali yabo futhi manje sebehweba ngamadola aseMelika kuphela. Lokhu kuphakamisa umbuzo: Livelaphi idola? Lapho ngibuza abantu bendawo, baphakamisa amahlombe bathi, “Angazi. Bavele bavele 'ngomlingo'."
Umlingo. Kubonakala sengathi ngempela umphumela “womlingo” ukuthi abantu babekezelela kanjani ukuba senkingeni yobuholi obubi. Izingane ezineminyaka emithathu ubudala zigcwele imigwaqo zithengisa ubhanana oseduzane nokubola, futhi abesifazane bashaya ujenga emigwaqweni ngendlela ebonakala ingenangqondo bethengisa utamatisi nezinye izimpahla, kuyilapho abaningi, futhi ngalokhu ngiqonde emakhulwini, kubonakala sengathi. ukuhamba ngokuzulazula okungenanjongo.
Ngasohlangothini lwebhanga elikhulu lelizwe eleReserve Bank of Zimbabwe seliprinte iZim$50,000 njalo selikhuphule inani elivunyelwa ukukhupha nsuku zonke ngesikhathi esisodwa. Lanxa lezi kuyizindaba ezimnandi kwabeZimbabwe, kusathatha amalanga alitshumi ukuthi ume emigqeni emide njalo uthole ithini lesoda.
Okwenza izinto zibe nzima kakhulu yikuthi abanye osomabhizimusi sebesebenzisa i-astronomical black market conversion rate, esikhundleni sokuthi basebenzise idola leZimbabwe elisemthethweni ukuya kudola leMelika (US$1.00 = Zim$326,286), babhadalisa impahla zabo besebenzisa i-black market rate. Ngakho-ke, kumuntu ojwayelekileyo weZimbabwe ukuthenga ibhodlela elilingana lalo kungabiza iZim$1.9 million kumbe US$2.00.
Njengoba le ndawo enyantisayo iphindaphindeka nsuku zonke, abanelungelo kanye nalabo abanemisebenzi eqinisekisa ukuholelwa njalo, baqhuba izindaba zabo zansuku zonke ngendlela eyisitoki. Nakuba izisebenzi zokungenisa izihambi zikubingelela ngenjabulo lapho udlula eduze kwazo, kuhambisana nokuphelelwa ithemba. Ingxoxo nesisebenzi senye yezinkampani zokuvakasha eVictoria Falls iveze abaningi abesaba ukukusho ukuthi ezombusazwe sehlulekile kweZimbabwe. Umqondisi wayemagange ukujabulisa kodwa wayephelelwe yithemba ngenxa yezinto ezazingahambi kahle ngeqembu labavakashi enganginalo. Wayecindezelekile, kodwa wayesakwazi ukumamatheka njalo lapho sibonana. Waxolisa kakhulu futhi wayefuna ukudambisa lesi simo, nakuba kungekho senzo sakhe esingaphikisa iqiniso lokuthi isimo esikhona eZimbabwe empeleni siwumsuka wazo zonke izinto ezingahambi kahle ngohambo.
Isimo semali silimaza kakhulu imboni yezokuvakasha eZimbabwe, okuyimboni enkulu. Ukuhlala e-The Elephant Lodge's Presidential suite (eVictoria Falls) kubiza US$549 ubusuku ngabunye. Ngakho-ke, noma ngabe umhambi wase-US eletha u-US$10,000, inani eliphakeme elivunyelwe abahambi ukuthi baliphathe, leyo mali izohlala izinsuku ezimbalwa kuphela, cishe uhhafu wemali yokuhlala isonto lonke izosetshenziswa endaweni nje yokulala iyodwa. Kuthiwani ngokuthenga, ukuvakasha kanye nokudla? Ngakho-ke, abavakashi abangafika eZimbabwe ngaphansi kwesimo samanje sezombusazwe kanye nezomnotho yilabo abavakashela isabelomali, labo abahlala emahhotela ezinkanyezi ezimbili kuya kwezintathu (US$100 kuya ku-US$250) nalabo abasebenzisa imali encane kakhulu.
Isimo eZimbabwe siba sibi kakhulu umzuzu nomzuzu, njengoba “izingxoxo” ziqhubeka phakathi kwamaqembu amathathu ezombusazwe axabanayo. Kuso sonke lesi siphithiphithi nokho into eyodwa eqinisekile: ezokuvakasha eZimbabwe akumele ziphele. Kuyadabukisa ukuthi lesi simo esikhona manje singase sivimbe izivakashi ukuthi zivakashele lesi sizwe esibhekene nezinkinga zepolitiki. Kodwa, imboni yezokuvakasha isebenza ngokujwayelekile koBulawayo, eMasvingo naseVictoria Falls. Kubo, kuyibhizinisi njengenjwayelo, noma kungenzeka ukuthi basebenza ngamaphesenti angama-30 kuphela. Amarekhodi asemthethweni angasho okuhlukile, kodwa izibalo zezokuvakasha eZimbabwe zilokhu zehla kancane kusukela ngasekupheleni kweminyaka yawo-90 ngokusho kwabanikazi bamahhotela eVictoria Falls, okuyindawo eyinhloko yezokuvakasha eZimbabwe.
Lokhu akukwazi ukuqhubeka. Abavakashi akufanele bavuswe isithombe sokuthi iZimbabwe iyindawo “engaphephile” ukuvakashelwa. Njengazo zonke izindawo, iZimbabwe njengamanje ibhekene nezinselelo ezithile, kodwa ezithinta ezombusazwe. Kanjalo, futhi, njengakuzo zonke izindawo zokuvakasha, kukhona amadolobha okufanele uwagweme. IHarare kungenzeka kungabi yindawo yokuvakashelwa njengamanje, kodwa lokho angeke kuthiwe ngeVictoria Falls noBulawayo. Zombili lezi zindawo zinesikhumulo sezindiza zamazwe ngamazwe, ziphephile futhi zinikeza izinhlobonhlobo zezindawo eziheha izivakashi.
Izinhlangano zincoma ezokuvakasha njengendlela yokuqeda ububha. Ezweni laseZimbabwe, lokhu ngeke kube yiqiniso. Ezokuvakasha mhlawumbe yilona themba lokugcina lokuphila kwezinye izizalwane zeZimbabwe ngoba yiyo yodwa indlela yokuhola, ukuthi bakwazi ukubeka ukudla etafuleni. Kunjalo nje, izindawo zasemaphandleni ezithembele kwezolimo zibulawa indlala ngoba usizo alukwazi ukufinyelela kuzo, futhi “azinayo imbewu” yokutshala, ngokusho kwabantu, okuqondakalayo ukuthi bakhulume ngokungadalulwa.
Kodwa kuthiwani ngokuphepha? Izixwayiso zohambo oluya eZimbabwe zilinganiselwe kakhulu. Ngokuphambene neKenya ngemva kokhetho, abukho udlame eZimbabwe. Ngesizathu esisodwa esisobala: akekho onesibindi sokuwela intambo kaRobert Mugabe. Izwe njengamanje lingaphansi kwesandla esiqinile kuhulumeni kangangokuthi bekunezindawo zokuhlola kuzo zonke izindawo ezingamakhilomitha angama-40-60. Kodwa okuqakatheke kakhulu yikuthi ilizwe leZimbabwe alizange libone ukuxokozela ngoba liyisizwe esilabantu abanengi abafundileyo. “Sizokhuluma sikhulume siphinde sikhulume,” kusho omunye wemithombo yami. "Futhi-ke, izingxoxo ziyama, bese ziqala futhi."
Sesikushilo lokho, phusha imvilophu futhi uphikise ukubhala okungekuhle ngeZimbabwe ngoba ngeke usize abantu baseZimbabwe kuphela ukuthi bagcine imisebenzi yabo, cishe uzoba nohambo oyolukhumbula impilo yakho yonke. Ukuphepha kwakho akusongelwa, inqobo nje uma ubalekela izindawo “eziyizindathane” zezombangazwe. Lapho uya, qiniseka ukuthi uletha amadola ase-US anele, shayela ihhotela lakho kusengaphambili futhi ukhulume nomphathi-jikelele ukuze ubuze ngamakhadi esikweletu kanye/noma umane ucele iseluleko sabo ukuthi kuyisikhathi esihle yini sokuvakasha. Kungabasiza kakhulu ukuthi bakutshele iqiniso, ngoba abafuni ukuthi ubonakale futhi kufanele ubhekane nawe uma kwenzeka unganeliseki. Abantu baseZimbabwe banomoya wokungenisa izihambi futhi bazokwenza elinye imayela ukukusiza. Njengezwe elinabantu abaningi abafundile, ikakhulukazi emadolobheni, ezokuvakasha zibhekwa njengomthombo omkhulu wemali engenayo.
Ukuthintana neZimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) ukuze uthole izeluleko kanye nokubhalisa ehhovisi lenxusa lakho nakho kuyinketho. I-ZTA izobhekana nezidingo zakho futhi izoba umhlahlandlela wakho wokuvakasha ongcono kakhulu.
