Xmas cheer back

Sunday Mail Reporters

ZIMBABWEANS today celebrate Christmas in true festive style as the economy is growing and the local currency has stabilised due to well-timed Government policies.

The cheer is made even sweeter by the removal of most Covid-19 restrictions.

The bulk of workers in both the public and private sectors ended the year on a joyful note, as they received bonuses.

Government led the way in paying the 13th cheque.

For civil servants and pensioners, it was President Mnangagwa who injected the element of cheer into the festive period, when he introduced a special Presidential bonus.

The special Presidential bonus — which was paid in foreign currency in November and December — translated into more spending power for the biggest group of workers in the country, adding vibrancy to Christmas.

Evidence of improved disposable incomes was palpable across the country yesterday and the past week, as people embarked on festive season shopping sprees, with most retailers recording brisk business.

This year’s festive mood is in stark contrast to the past two years, when Covid-19 dampened the merrymaking period in 2020 and 2021, as cases soared in December.

In an interview yesterday, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Monetary Policy member and economist Mr Perseverance Gwanyanya said the festive season spending extravaganza was proof that Zimbabwe’s economy is on the right track.

“The buying spree by the public has shown that the Christmas tradition is still there and has not died. The festive spirit can only remain alive if it is supported by a functional economy. So, this is proof that the economy is functioning.

“We have seen that there has been economic stability for a long period, which has made people able to store value. This stability should be sustained into the future so that people can be able to continue to store value.” Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) president Mr Denford Mutashu said the increased market activity was a result of policies introduced by the Government to curb market malpractices.

“The exchange rate stability obtaining in the economy owing to Government policy interventions has increased optimism. You can see the buzz around town and businesses are recording good sales. We did not see this for the past two years due to the pandemic.”

Mr Mutashu said power outages that had hit the country over the past few weeks were threatening to dampen the Christmas season, but power utility Zesa had done well to intervene at the right time.

“As the retail sector we are looking into 2023 with optimism as increased dialogue between Government and business has contributed to alignment of expectations from both sides.

“The improvement in the country’s power situation is a huge relief to businesses. Most operators were now running on generators, meaning extra costs that could end up being transferred to the consumer. It is good that the power situation is getting better,” he said.

In a statement on Friday, Zesa said electricity supply during the remainder of the festive season will be enhanced, including for today’s celebrations.

“…Zesa would like to assure its valued customers that they will not experience the aggressive load curtailment they have been experiencing in the past few weeks during the festive period. The utility is conversant of the need to guarantee supply to the nation, and thus we not only have measures to mitigate the emergency but also have opportunities to increase capacity and to improve service delivery,” the company’s stakeholder relations department said.

In several parts of the country, it was clear that the Christmas fever has gripped citizens.

At the country’s largest land border, Beitbridge, yesterday, there was a last minute rush as Zimbabweans based in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini entered the country to get home in time for Christmas Day.

Travellers said they were impressed by the new state of the border.

“I am happy with the new border set up, which has seen traffic being permanently separated into commercial, buses and private cars. Today, we were cleared in less than an hour compared to previous years when we would face long delays of up to 24 hours,” Mr Shelton Zviitwa said.

Mr Mandla Nyoni said he decided to travel from South Africa on Christmas Eve after learning that the enhanced efficiency at the border would ensure that he made it to his home in Bulawayo on the same day.

“The general outlook of the border is impressive and also there is a new work ethic among border agencies,” he said.

Acting head of immigration at the border, Mr Trustworthy Manatsire said although they were clearing huge volumes of traffic, the pressure was minimal because of the new traffic flow system.

“We have all deployed more manpower and opened up more service points so that the flow of traffic remains seamless. In the last one- and- half weeks we have been clearing at least 20 000 people daily, up from 9 000 during the off peak period and 75 percent of these are arrivals.”

Masvingo City, small towns and growth points across Masvingo province were a hive of activity as people made last minute shopping for Christmas.

In the city’s central business district, long queues were a common sight outside banking halls. Most people were jostling to withdraw their money for last minute shopping before heading to the rural areas to spend quality time with their loved ones.

Police had to deploy manpower along strategic roads to control traffic and stem congestion in the wake of a sharp surge in traffic volume as many descended into the ancient city for Christmas.

Major supermarkets in the city were teeming with last minute shoppers while commodities like bread ran out early in the morning at some shops. Small grocery shop operators also recorded brisk business with commodities such as sugar, cooking oil among others in high demand.

Holiday resorts around Masvingo were also fully booked for the Christmas holidays with some tourism operators hiking prices to cash in on demand.

In Mashonaland West, people described this year’s festive season as one of their best.

A survey by this publication in the provincial capital, Chinhoyi showed that people were not only shopping for food and beverages but household appliances.

However, while traders were recording huge sales, some customers complained about inflated costs and exclusive charging in US dollars of some products.