Illegality Legal In Zimbabwe

05 March 2022

Shamila Ntokozo Mdlongwa

Zimbabwe’s economy is in shambles, overwhelmed by high unemployment rate and hyper inflation forcing locals to resort to all kinds of criminal activities for survival.

Times are hard in Zimbabwe and the locals are selling just about anything to get by and it often seems almost impossible to get a proper job let alone a proper paying job in the country.

Almost everything that is illegal seems to be legal in Zimbabwe, and is paying.

Illegalities range from illegal health facilities to illegal church institutions, illegal trading to illegal urban farming, illegal transport sector and illegal partying to illegal schooling among many others.

Corruption is the new norm in the country with the highest of ministerial officials being accused of the offence numerous times. It is no doubt that the citizens of Zimbabwe are also doing the same, afterall ‘a fish starts to smell from the head.’

The informal sector has become the country’s biggest employer. Research shows that in the past 4 years the informal sector has created over 2 million jobs in the country.

Four years ago, the late Zanu Pf’s Spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo was quoted saying that the government was encouraging the opening of small businesses since industries were closed due to sanctions.

In every corner of the streets in and out of town there are illegal vendor’s and tuckshops selling all types of goods such as food stuffs, detergents, clothing; bales (amabhele in isiNdebele) and firewood among other things.

Most of these goods are smuggled through our porous borders mostly Beitbridge.

Almost all the streets of Bulawayo and even in the western suburbs there are illegal money traders that are eeking a living from this illegal trade.

The government seems to have turned it’s back to this black market money exchange.

In 2019, the government re-introduced the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO) transport to ease transport crisis in the country.

However, in as much as this created jobs it snatched away many’s bread and butter and it instead intensified illegal transport operations infamously known as Mshikashika.

Mshikashikas are illegal in the country but at every bus termini and passenger pick up points it is common to see Mshikashikas competing with ZUPCO buses.

Word has it that these Mshikashikas are owned by police members as well as some soldiers.

Zimbabwe is one African country that is ironically rich in minerals but is still under-developed and poverty stricken.

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Zimbabwe has a high rate of illegal miners (artisanal miners) known as amakorokoza who mine for their livelihoods.

So bad is the economic situation that there is even illegal urban farming and drug dealings that now seem almost legal.

Most churches preach the gospel of being ‘just’ but are not practicing what they preach as they themselves are operating illegally in the country.

Zimbabwe’s hospital system is extremely poor and as a result there are many private illegal surgeries all around.

Some of the illegal activities that seem legal but are illegal are; illegal land barons, illegal drug dealings, illegal barber shops, illegal night clubs and illegal car sales among many others.

Almost everything that people try and do in Zimbabwe is illegal but it seems legal as people struggle with the politics of the stomach.

Zim GBC news

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