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Sunday News Reporters
THE economic challenges that the country is facing have done little to dampen the mood of people in Bulawayo as Christmas approaches, with the city buzzing with people doing their last-minute shopping before the big day on Wednesday.
To complement the festive spirit prevailing in the city, shops and other places have also come to the party, transforming their look with dazzling lights and decorations. However, changes are not only cosmetic, as the shops have also come up with festive season discounts in order to lure customers.
Long queues inside shops mirror the merry festive chaos on the streets outside, with traffic logjams being the order of the day. Despite the excitement, harsh economic realities are still felt, with many unable to afford the goods and trinkets that made Christmas holidays of yesteryear memorable.
This year’s festive bug seemed to have taken its time to bite the residents of Bulawayo, with the excitement that seemed to grip the city at the onset of December only doing so when the month was halfway through.
As usual, the city’s streets have been graced by Zimbabweans based in South Africa commonly known as injiva, with Gauteng Province number plates still turning heads despite the view held by some that living and working in the neighbouring country as a Zimbabwean immigrant has lost some of its gloss.
In 2019, things have been slow to kick off. By this time, families would have finished planning huge family gatherings, preparing to travel or started thinking about the menu for the expensive and extravagant feasts that characterise the festive season. This year, the famous “seven colour” meals might be missing a few shades as families try to balance their finances while spreading the festive cheer.
Father Christmas, the jolly bearded figure who used to remind people that the holiday time was near, seems to have lost a bit of their lustre as well, although children still rush to take pictures with Bulawayo’s various version of Santa Claus for a fee.
The city’s bars have been a hive of activity in the past few weeks, with some individuals spending amounts that seem to defy all economic sense. The newly opened nightspot, Havana, has been a hive of activity with the joint full to the brim almost every night.
Business has also been brisk for the city’s braii spots or Tshisa nyamas, with many flocking to these places because of their outdoor feel and the relaxed outdoor environment.
Speaking to Sunday News while shopping for Christmas goodies, Mrs Pretty Ngwenya from Luveve said celebrations of Christmas have scaled down over the years and it has lost its true meaning.
“Christmas has changed a lot from what it used to be like when we were growing up. Children no longer get the chance to have the good things that we would receive during our time due to the prevailing economic challenges.
“Festive season was all about spending money and having a good time but right now as I am spending for Christmas at the back of my mind school fees is all I can think of since it has been raised to exorbitant levels above the reach of ordinary people like us and this has compromised a lot of things,” she said.
With the economy squeezing both individuals and big businesses, companies have also struggled to spread the festive cheer.
Mrs Sherine Anne Taylor Head of Corporate Conscious Citizenship and special assistant to United Refineries Limited chief executive officer said despite economic challenges being faced, corporates must give back to the needy.
“The message we want to send to our partners and fellow corporates that we need to be constant in our work no matter how small, Corporate Social Responsibility is an important aspect for any business.
“We need collaborations in order for things to be successful in CSR we all have different areas that we focus on, we as URL support widows, orphans, the girl child and women with cancer while others may be in to HIV. If we come together, we can do so much if we spread our resources in various areas that need help,” she said.
She said corporates should not sit and say that because the economy is bad they should not do any CSR. “Let’s bring heads together as the corporate world and make things work rather than all of us pulling away, lets come together and do something,” she said.
This year URL sponsored a Christmas party for orphans and the aged.
“This is an annual event and this is the third time we have done it at the Water Front in Hillside. We had 38 children and 20 old people from a care home. We provide lunch, toys and gift hampers for all our guests.
We also donated groceries to the three children’s homes that we invited,” said Mrs Taylor.
“A number of corporates wanted to pull out of the event due to the economic hardships being faced.
When things are not going to well most of us as corporates pull our budget from Corporate Social Responsibility and Marketing, we do less and less in order to sustain the company. However, Violet Sohaili Kee-Tui from Catalyst Media who brings us corporates together in the CSR area convinced us not to pull out, she convinced us to do the event with our sponsors although with fewer people. She really encouraged us and our partners to do the event in order to be consistent in our work.”
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