The Daily News

Zimbabwe, the land of a thousand disputes, where price hikes of basic commodities is just as debilitating to the country as load-shedding has been in South Africa. One cannot imagine how the locals survive at such exorbitant prices of basic necessities.

Zimbabwe makes South Africa look like a very affordable country to live in. If my calculations are correct, Zim pays something like 10 million Zim Dollars (R 2500) for a litre of petrol! So us South Africans really shouldn’t complain about next month's petrol hike to R8.00 a litre. A ridiculous price indeed – but just compare that to life across our border.

But somehow, despite everything, Zimbabwe still survives countless economic sanctions and a tirade of political uncertainties. The ordinary observer (like myself) is baffled by the survival of the country and its citizens after having gone through so many upheavals and disruptions countrywide.