Telecel Zimbabwe to lose its licence

Limited internet infrastructure

With limited internet infrastructure, we don't have many spammers and scammers coming from there. I really don't see any value of Zimbabwe as a country. They can't even screw up properly.

President Mugabe should be praised

It is surprising that London University is not making a lot more of the fact that President Mugabe has his MSc in Business Economics from their August Institution.

The fact is that His Excellency has been conducting a ground breaking study in the dynamics of hyperinflation, and, in the process confounding so-called 'experts' in this field across the World.

As such he should be hailed as the true genius he is and revered.

Seven years ago these experts said that Zimbabwe was 'finished' and the end-game had begun for his excellency's exit from power. Where are these so-called experts now?

Zimbabwe has the most dynamic stock market in the world, the balance of trade figures are 10% in the black, Bush would just love to have a fraction of that.

The fact is that the official exchange rate is $1.00 US to $250.00 Zim (source Yahoo! finance). The parallel rate is $1.00:$200,000.00. This means that if a Zimbabwean in the US sends $1 home to his family, it buys $200,000Zim. The Government gives 250 of that to his family and keeps $199,750 or 99.875%.

Now you tell me that that isn't a successful economy.

Who needs Farms? Who needs Agriculture? Who needs Industry?

And the best bit is that the more uncomfortable life is for the general populace, the more they join the diaspora abroad; the bigger the payoff!

Hypocrisy in action

Amazing how certain countries are all fired up to replace "monsters" when the country in question has lots of oil and other resources, but nothing is heard when the country doesn't have much of the above. Sorta shows the real agenda of these world "super powers".

Pity about Zimbabwe (ex Rhodesia) though. So long as the Mugabe family is in charge the people there don't have much of a chance of any sort of real improvement.

sayin it again.

I know many have said so already, but really what do i care about Zimbabwe. There hasn't been a non-corrupt government in AFRICA ..er ever, cant see that happening in the future, so sod em, let em rot... how much aid have we given and arent we in the process of writing off their debts for nice aeroplanes and weapons which to control the populations or fight civil wars - these debts may have nasty interest but so does my overdraft, and it was people in our country who built and supplied said weapons, so why should they lose out.

We can get our conflict diamonds from further north and given that they have real world value we will continue to trade with sellers of said diamonds.

Let Zimbabwe wipe itself out, it will be one less 3rd world state to pull on our heart strings during the next comic relief.

@Jeremy

I understand your dissatisfaction with the situation in Zimbabwe and the apparently unsuccessful efforts of western aid organisations to change it. The government may be corrupt, and may be spending money given in aid (or debt relief) on weapons and such, but that doesn't mean the general populace are to blame. I don't want to have a go at you, but the fact you ask why you should care about Zimbabwe I find very saddening. History has shown that poorer governments are more subject to corruption, and I generally believe that the poverty in Africa is at least in part a result of western exploitation.

I find it difficult not to care about anyone getting a raw deal, even more so when it's an entire populace suffering with no medium- or long-term security possible even for the privileged classes; Zimbabwe appears to be one of the regions of the world which is particularly disadvantaged at the moment. It may be that finance and effort being donated by developed countries is being poorly managed or that the strategy is wrong, but I'd rather see a change of approach than simply abandoning the attempts to assist the Zimbabwean people altogether. Our overdrafts may be expensive, but at least we can get jobs (which pay useful currency) to pay them off; I doubt many Zimbabweans are being offered credit - to buy things they haven't earnt the money for yet - in the current climate. I hope you manage one day to find a bit more sympathy.

Not half the problem

It is almost impossible to get a line on any of the existing networks, the landlines don't work, there is no electricity to send emails (anyway the government listens in on those).

I wish we did have oil so someone would care, but alas as is said above, no oil, no drugs, no one cares.

BTW Botswana has a stable and non corrupt government. But you never hear about it because it just gets on with its own business, unlike the rest of the kleptos on the continent

Rumbabwe..

de problem is dat you in de Vest you don' unnerstan' de term "genocide" in de African sense! (Rt. Hon. President-for-Life Robert Wellington Ebagum, on the alleged atrocities of the Rumbabwean Army's notorious 5th Brigade.)

He used to be such a nice little man, that President Ebagum. I can remember when he used to live down our street and would be off at 7:30 every morning in his snappy suits and shiny suits, always a smile with those big white teeth of his. who'd have thought he'd turn out to be such a bad 'un? (mind you he never paid me back that ten-bob note i lent him on Coronation Day, he said he was getting some bunting but we never saw him again after that)

Zimbabwe used to be rich!

when Ian Smith handed over Rhodesia to Rob Mugabe (before he robs you) who then changed it into Zimbabwe, the country had not a penny of debt!!!

I can't remember, when that was the case in the UK, US, Germany...

The country was in a very good state of affairs, even though it was under several years of sanctions.

This real time image of a monkey (no I am not referring to him being black, just his brains) has managed to completely ruin the economy to the point that makes nero look like an angel. just for those who are unaware: Nero created the highest inflation ever recorded (although some say that was in Germany in 1928)

I think...

... they were better off as Rhodesia.

Mugabe's regime is kind of a reverse KKK, doing ethnic cleansing the other way; being a white guy in Zimbabwe is as bad as it was being black in South Africa during apartheid. The country's broke because the government spent everything in stupid wars against other nations.

While some post-Colonial African governments have shined for being good, some make me wonder if they were better off as colonies...

@conan

I take your point and despite how i may look, i do not consider myself racist.

I think that frustration with African nations as a whole is based on the throwing good money after bad. Additionally, although it may not be the people of Zimbabwe who are to blame, how much more help can we give.

We set up their country and made it profitable (Rhodesia). We then gave it back and ran the prosperous bits (the white farmers) but when faced with this kind of determined approach at working against everything they inherited its time we told them to eat the cake they are making.

The idea that a corrupt leader has the sole responsibility for the country is a myth and if the people of a corrupt nation need to feel the pinch (or death) of poor democracy then they are spurred to change it, that is how the UK developed and is currently un-developing it democracy. People cannot sit back in their own country and expect me from thousands of miles away to help.

Help yourself first and others will help you.

How about south africa lending a hand instead of ignoring whats going on over the border just because its a fellow black African who is ruling Zimbabwe and SA's current president doesn't want to appear to his black voters to be in the pocket of the whites.

They wanted us out, we're gone, now they are on their own ... simple.

@jeremy

The white farmers were perfectly entitled to work their farms under President Mugabe.

However, in 1999, the President organised a referendum to change the constitution to allow himself to be President-for-life, without having to go through the tedium of re-election.

The white farmers made the mistake of organising their workers to vote against this and what has happened since is justifiable retribution for the treachery of these whites.

Robert Mugabe said that they could stay and work their farms; he did not give them permission to be politically active.

@conan

Actually, Conan, history has shown that even the rich African countries are incredibly corrupt and drive their citizens into poverty.

Nigeria's a great example -- it has as much oil as your average middle-eastern sheikdom, but so much corruption that the country remains painfully poor while the elected officials and their families get disgustingly rich.

Knowing this, I feel Jeremy may indeed be correct in blaming the populace. Those who cannot be troubled to find and promote, and eventually elect, honest good leaders, are bound to live in dungholes.

Not that I'm being smug about any of the luckier western nations. As people in, for example, the USA, become more contemptuous of book-larnin' and politishuns, they too will end up with what they deserve.

Learn political discourse, or end up like Nigeria. The choice is clear, worldwide.

Angola

Yes, and Angola is another 5 star example.

Angola is incredibly wealthy with massive oil reserves and is widely predicted to out-produce Saudi Arabia soon.

However, the country is controlled by a clique of generals and the citizens themselves are dirt poor.

"according to a recent World Bank report, 70 percent of the population lives on the equivalent of less than $2 a day, the majority lack access to basic health care and about one in four children die before their fifth birthday."

The generals are extremely jealous of their control and do not allow anyone to tread on their turf.

The Generals operate an air transport company, for example (road travel is not recommended because of the landmines). There are other air transport companies (or there were), but if you use these, you can expect a visit from the secret police.