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Tendai Chara
ZIMBABWEANS are rated among the most educated people in the world.
In 2014, the African Economist, a respected continental publication, announced that Zimbabwe’s literacy rate of 90,7 percent was Africa’s highest.
Reputed for their hard work, honesty and dedication to duty, Zimbabweans’ services are in great demand across the world.
But, despite all this, Zimbabweans are surprisingly prone to scams and crazes.
Over the years, Zimbabweans have been taking each other for a ride, often selling each other dummies.
Some of the scams that the “educated” Zimbabweans have swallowed hook, line and sinker, are as hilarious as they are bizarre.
From three-legged pots, old cast coal-heated irons to mushroom crazes, this country has seen it all.
Sadly, some of the dummies resulted in the loss of innocent lives.
Below are some of the crazes that held the nation spellbound.
Potato in a sack
“Discovery” of a “new” farming method caused frenzied excitement, especially among opportunists, urban farmers and those with limited land. “Agriculturalists” announced a new method in which potatoes are grown in a sack. This new method was said to produce unusually higher yields.
It was claimed that under this model, a single potato plant could produce 15 kilogrammes of potatoes. Excited fortune-seekers and some urban farmers did not waste time.
Within a short period, hundreds if not thousands of farmers, were growing potatoes in sacks.
The excited farmers anxiously watched as the potato plants splendidly germinated. In no time, the plant leaves had a flourishing colour, a sure sign of a bumper harvest. Then came harvesting time.
The expectant farmers were disappointed by the agonisingly low yields averaging a paltry two kilogrammes of potatoes per plant.
It quickly dawned on the farmers that the much-hyped method was nothing but a dirty trick.
By the time they realised that they had been conned, those that were holding workshops teaching farmers the “new” method and those that were selling the potato sacks and seeds were smiling all the way to the bank.
Dhiziri (diesel) pa Chinhoyi
Rotina Mavhunga, a primary school drop-out and little-known spirit medium, will go down in the annals of history as arguably the most daring con-artist that the country has given birth to.
Mavhunga duped the entire Cabinet of Zimbabwe into believing that she had discovered purified diesel oozing from a rock.
A high-powered ministerial team, which was dispatched to investigate the claims, was also deceived and lengthy discussions about the rock diesel were made during Cabinet meetings.
Besides being treated like royalty, Mavhunga was showered with cattle, buffaloes and $5 billion (old Zimbabwe currency).
Pictures of barefoot senior Government ministers, who were watching in awe as Mavhunga performed her tricks, made headlines across the globe.
Mavhunga’s assurances that the chronic fuel shortages that were bedevilling the country then were soon to be a thing of the past proved to be a well-calculated lie.
Although the con was eventually unearthed and Mavhunga arrested for the fraud, her antics earned her notoriety.
Jatropha hysteria
In another ruse, which was related to this scarce commodity called fuel, the jatropha plant became an overnight agricultural and economic “celebrity”.
This followed some pronouncements by Government officials that it had been “discovered” that the jatropha plant was an ideal biofuel crop and an alternative to fossil fuels.
For a country facing a crippling fuel crisis, the production of jatropha plants was not only going to wipe away the fuel crisis, it was also set to empower the nation economically.
It was said that the jatropha plant could grow even under harsh conditions. A mass hysteria that saw almost every rural household growing the “miraculous” plant soon followed.
In anticipation of the deliveries from mostly rural communities, a massive jatropha processing plant was constructed on the outskirts of the capital.
The nation patiently awaited an end to the biting fuel shortages. But, as was the case with the diesel oozing from solid rock, the speculative bubble finally burst. Neglected jatropha plantations serve as a reminder of how Zimbabweans are vulnerable to crazes.
Zvihuta craze
Until a few years ago, the quail bird (chihuta), ranked as one of the country’s least known birds. Then out of the blue, the bird shot to national prominence, holding the nation spellbound in the process.
Word spread that quail was not only a rare delicacy, but also possessed miraculous healing powers.
The bird became associated with various myths, among them the wild and laughable claims that the bird’s droppings can cure all types of cancers and heart diseases.
The consumption of the bird’s eggs was said to reverse the effects of HIV and Aids.
Within a short period of time, quail birds became the talk of town.
A debate on the healing qualities of the bird soon spilled into Government briefings.
In Concession, Mashonaland Central Province, farmer Bishop Cyprian Mutsvene had a stock of 10 000 birds. Business was brisk as the bird’s eggs and meat became a sought-after delicacy.
He aptly named his plot the “Quail City”.
As is always the case with virtually every other craze, the chihuta craze soon fizzled out. However, it had already inspired a social media craze, jokes, hash-tags and comedy skits.
A Zim dancehall riddim and a video game were named after these little birds.
Bosh/Chadonha
Many people, especially those that reside in the country’s urban centres, have fallen victim to conmen who use the chadonha trick.
A wallet is dropped in the path of an intended victim. When the unsuspecting victim picks up the wallet, the con artists close in on that person.
The victim is then led to a secluded place, usually an alley, with promises of “sharing” the money in the dropped wallet. In the end, the victims are robbed of important personal belongings and cash. How Harare residents, some of whom are considered to be “streetwise”, always fall prey to this very common trick boggles the mind.
Red Mercury hoax
Sadly, this craze is not a laughing matter.
On January 10 2013, five people died in a blast in Chitungwiza. Now commonly referred to as the “Chitungwiza blast”, the tragedy drew the attention of the world. After a thorough investigation, police issued an official statement to the effect that people were going around stealing and selling bombs. The belief, said the police, was that inside these bombs was a substance called red mercury, which was believed to fetch millions of dollars on the black market.
As the “red mercury” story spread like veld fire, fortune-seekers descended in areas where landmines were planted during the liberation struggle. They collected deadly explosives with the intention of drawing red mercury out of the bombs.
In total, eight people died as a result, with several others injured and buildings destroyed.
After deadly blasts in Rushinga, Chipinge, Mutare and Harare’s Sunningdale, it was later proven that the “red mercury” story was nothing but a very dangerous hoax.
Tinaye Agere
Online Reporter