In Zimbabwe's capital and in need of a bath or a hot meal? Call a friend, though it'll likely take several attempts to get through. "We call it social bathing," said James Martin, a businessman who visits friends across Harare during extended water outages after making sure their taps aren't dry. When the electricity is out, as it often is, he also invites himself over for dinner, bringing supplies from his thawing freezer and warm beer to be chilled. This week, there was less cheer in the beer: With inflation spiraling, its price rose by 40 percent, the fourth increase since October.The nation is suffering its worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1980, with acute shortages of food, gasoline, medicines and other essential imports. The crash has been blamed on
City authorities say they lack the manpower, vehicles and gasoline to mobilize sufficient road repair crews. Potholes deepened by seasonal rains have even inspired a painting by Zimbabwe artist John Kotze. He said his pothole-in-oil symbolized the nation's economic and political decline. But "water in the pothole represents life. Blue sky reflected in the water signifies better days to come. I'm trying to be optimistic as well," he said of his painting.
The state power utility has warned that electricity outages will persist, saying it lacks the money to import more power from neighboring countries and the spare parts to fix and upgrade its aging equipment. Even now, Zimbabwe imports 40 percent of its power. Sydney Gata, head of the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority, noted in a recent report that the cost of monthly power imports rose from $4.5 million to about $9 million since October. Gideon Gono, governor of the Reserve Bank, last week predicted that by March, the official inflation could reach 800 percent, the highest in the world. Currently, inflation is nearly 600 percent. The power utility has proposed a threefold increase on its fees this month, and sales of home generators from China, heard rumbling in well-to-do suburbs and office compounds, already have surged.
Accidents have increased sharply at blacked out traffic signals. An experimental solar powered signal was reportedly too expensive and a target for thieves. Shortages of new bulbs means many traffic signals have only one working light. "You take your life in your hands when you think the lights are down but there's an oncoming green on the other side and people are speeding through thinking you are on red," said Harare driver Jonas Mashu. It took Mashu a week to find imported brake and clutch fluid for his van. He said he used a viscous mixture of soap and water as a temporary measure, something he learned from a mining prospector in the bush. "Hardship teaches us unusual lessons," he said.