Dear Family and Friends,
We are waiting for the rain in Zimbabwe and it can’t come soon enough to extinguish scorching temperatures which have left us withering for the past ten days. October is usually known as suicide month but these days as Zimbabwe melts down economically and businesses teeter on the edge of complete collapse, it’s probably more accurate to call October ‘madness month.’
It’s hard to get enthusiastic about anything when it’s so hot but a half page advert in a daily newspaper led me to the offices of the government’s fixed line telephone company.
“Pay your bill this month and get 40% off,” the advert read. “Pay 40% less on your outstanding bill before 31 October! Hurry while offer lasts.”
Arriving at the counter with my bill in hand I tried to confirm the 40% off promise only to be directed to another counter. My bill was inspected and then came the bad news. The 40% discount was only for outstanding accounts and my bill was current, with only this month owing. Returning to the first counter I posed the question: “So you’re punishing good customers and rewarding defaulters?” I asked. “There’s no incentive for me to pay my bill on time from now on. Maybe I’ll just let it run up for a couple of years and pay it when you next offer a 40% discount?” There was nothing the youngster could say, he was just the messenger but his eyes spoke volumes. Parastatal policy makers just don’t get it; how different things would be if they were privatized.