January disease back again

Zibusiso Moyo

JANUARY is one of the hardest months of the year when people are faced with burdens of paying school fees, rent and buying of children’s uniforms since it is the “back to school month”. The theme for this month is “January disease”.

Many people in Zimbabwe get carried away and overspend during the festive season and reality then kicks in come January when the reality of people’s financial deficit painfully manifests.

With the festive magical moment gone, people start to take a look at those utility bills which they should have settled at the appropriate time. The food cupboard is empty and the fridge is yawning.

For many, the next few months are going to be spent trying to work out how to settle the debts. Starting the year in a bad financial situation may have a negative impact on your cash flow for the rest of the year.

The most stressful things for many people in January is payment of school fees, buying new uniforms and books for the children and sending relatives back to wherever they came from to spend the holiday with their families.

Cash shortages at banks are another factor which is causing more suffering to the people as they are struggling to raise bus fares to use when going to work or to take children to school.

A survey by B-Metro showed that life is not flowing smoothly for people in the city. Prices of goods and commodities are skyrocketing, especially school uniforms and textbooks.

Residents in Bulawayo said this was the worst January disease as the economy is unstable.

Sikhanyiso Nyoni, a father of two from Emganwini suburb said: ‘‘I am failing to buy my two daughters books; they went back to school with only a few books. Where the books are available they sell them at a very expensive price. This is the worst January ever.’’

‘‘My child is going to boarding school; I cannot afford some of the food needed for him to go with. The school shoes are very expensive; I had to buy one pair of shoes and will buy another later in the term. We cannot live like this, it is punishment for our children,’’ said Cecilia Moyo, a parent from Cowdray Park suburb.

“This economy is making it difficult for parents to buy anything for children. We cannot afford to buy school uniforms. Last year this time we could buy school uniforms because they were affordable. This year it is worse. I don’t know if we will survive January,” said Tendai Kamuriwo, a parent from Pumula suburb.

B-Metro caught up with some of the business owners and managers who said this January was the worst as they recorded less sales of commodities compared to last year.

Joanah Mandemwa, owner of a shop at Esat’s shopping complex said: ‘‘This year we have recorded the worst sales this January because a few people have bought school uniforms from us. Last year we had very long queues as people were lining up to buy school uniforms but this year there were only a few. This is the worst January where we had little profit.

‘‘This year was different from last year, we usually make a lot of money from parents lining up to buy school uniforms. This year it seems most parents preferred to have tailors make uniforms for their children,’’ said a worker from Toppers.

Many people, even if they have the money, find it difficult to buy the necessary goods for survival as prices of goods and commodities keep rising.

Perhaps it will change with time. But the question remains, can people survive this year’s January disease?

However, people are also in need of some tips of how they can avoid January disease in future.

They should first treat December like every other month during the year. They must first budget and pay for utilities like water and electricity before January. They must also buy the basics so that you do not starve in January. Paying for your insurance, that is medical, funeral and car insurance is also key.

They must also pay schools fees first because it is one of the key priorities especially if you have children that are still in primary and high school. Paying of school fees avoids embarrassment for children being sent home for non-payment of fees. After paying school fees, buy books and uniforms to avoid the hassle and long queues just before schools open.