Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube
| Zim GBC News
HARARE – For Zimbabweans living abroad, the dream of building a home back home is fast becoming a nightmare of price shock. Cement that costs US$6 elsewhere in the SADC region is selling for up to US$13 in Zimbabwe. And while diasporans cry foul, many back home simply shrug:
“It’s not normal, but what can they do?”
A heated debate has erupted on social media after one diasporan asked a simple but painful question: Why is building material in Zimbabwe so expensive to us diasporians, yet those in Zimbabwe feel it’s normal?
The answers poured in — raw, unfiltered, and revealing a deep economic fracture between those earning foreign currency abroad and those trapped inside an economy where price distortion has become routine.
“They have that market and are not comparing,” responded one user. Another added bluntly:
“It’s not normal but what can they do?”
One frustrated builder shared his recent ordeal: “I had a building project last year November to December and was on the ground. I almost stopped but saw no reason. Cement was highly expensive only to be a little bit cheaper when I was on the verge of completion — imagine.”
Another commentator cut to the heart of the matter:
“Mudhara, everything in Zim is expensive. Even tissue paper is expensive. Data in Zim? The dollar bundle lasts one day. Is Zimbabwe still a country?”
When one diasporan suggested that perhaps Zimbabweans’ pockets are “way deeper” than South Africans’, the response was swift and sardonic:
“Zim unoita yekunzwa iwe kkk” — loosely translated as “Zimbabwe will make you feel it.”
“NdikoZimbabwe yacho — muZim hamuna business but humbavha,” said one. (“That’s Zimbabwe — there’s no business, only theft.”)
“Kutengesa here? Koitwa muZim kutorerana mari,” another added. (“Selling? What’s done in Zim is taking each other’s money.”)
The conversation exposed a grim acceptance: “Ndikabirwa iwewe ndondobirwawo neumwe — zvichitoinda and it’s normal.” (“If I get robbed, I’ll also rob someone else — it goes on and it’s normal.”)
SADC COMPARISON: WHY ZIMBABWE STANDS ALONE
One diasporan demanded a comparative structure:
“What can be the contributing factors to such abnormal prices? In SADC, cement prices are averaging US$6, but in Zimbabwe it’s around US$13. Are they paying high labour fees or abnormal operating costs? I can’t understand.”
Economists point to a toxic mix of factors:
· Parallel market exchange rates distorting import costs
· High transportation and logistics costs due to poor roads and fuel prices
· Cartel-like behaviour among suppliers in a low-competition environment
· Tax and duty structures that inflate landed costs of basic materials
· Retailers pricing for dollar-earning customers (including diasporans and miners), leaving locals trapped
“On the other side, I’m feeling like their pockets are way deeper than us here in South Africa,” the diasporan mused.
“We’re going to be lagging behind whilst our fellow countrymen are making a killing there.”
He added a sobering observation:
“It must start to dawn on us in the diaspora that when statistics of SA tourism reflect that Zim tops the list on tourism here in Mzansi, it means a lot to Zimbabwe’s pockets getting deeper.”
For now, the consensus among those who responded is bleak but practical: change the government, and the conversation remains the same.
“Unoti chero tikachinja gvnt, humbavha ne corruption hunopera here?” one asked. (“Do you think even if we change government, theft and corruption will end?”)
No one has an answer.
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