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Among the 50 states that comprise the African continent, Zimbabwe, landlocked, is located at the bottom of Southern Africa exactly above the Republic of South Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the north-west, Mozambique to the north-east and South Africa and Botswana to the south. Zimbabwe though relatively small is unique countries and abundant in natural resources such as minerals and timber, and as such has an economy that is reliant on the mining industry and subsequently, the export business.
The country holds nearly 40 substantial mineral types, and the mining industry contributed 12% to the national GDP in 2020 although agriculture is another major earner for the country and one of the top land uses in Zimbabwe. Industry-wise, Zimbabwe has notable manufacturing companies although the sector is still developing and rather reliant on either importing raw materials for use, or exporting unprocessed goods and ore.
Zimbabwe’s host of minerals includes gold, platinum, diamonds and coal, with gold being the country’s top earner. The majority of these minerals are located along a mineral-rich belt in the country known as The Great Dyke which stretches for more than 550km northeast to southwest of the country across its center. In 2014, the country accounted for 10% of the world’s gold production with notable producers being RioZim and small scale miners, 3, 8% of the world’s diamond production with the main producer being the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Mining Company and 8, 5% of the world’s platinum production with the top producers being Mimosa Mine, Unki and Zimplats.
Zimbabwe also holds large deposits of coal with Makomo Resources, a coal miner based in Matebeleland North producing an output of 160 000 tonnes of coal a month which is also exporting coal to neighboring Zambia and Malawi. In addition, Zimbabwe has high quality timber resources with top hardwoods such as teak, pine and mukwa on offer which come from the commercial forests in the Eastern Highlands and is sold mostly by Wattle and Border Timbers. In 2019, the country’s exports of wood were nearly US$6 million with Botswana being the largest importer.
Land area is the total area of a country excluding area under inland water bodies, and Zimbabwe’s land area is stable at 386, 850 sq. km as of 2018. 42, 5% of this land area is agricultural land which is further divided into arable land, permanent crops and permanent pastures, 39, 5% which is forest and 18% making up other. Arable land, which makes up 10, 9% of agricultural land is land which is cultivated for crops that are replanted after every harvest such as maize and wheat.
Permanent crops is land that is cultivated for crops such as coffee, citrus and rubber which are not replanted after every harvest while permanent pastures is land used for at least five years or more to grow forage, whether cultivated or that which grows naturally. Forest area is that which spans for more than half a hectare and has trees higher than 5m and a canopy cover of more than 10%. The least amount of land use in Zimbabwe, which is other at 18%, is that which includes built up areas, road networks and barren land.
Industry-wise, Zimbabwe has one of the largest and most diversified manufacturing sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa and it contributed around 25, 1% of the total GDP in 2017. Notable increases in export sales since 2007 from this sector came from gems and precious metals such as gold and agricultural produce such as sugar and tobacco. Big industries in Zimbabwe include Lafarge and PPC which produce cement and are headquartered in Harare and Bulawayo respectively.
Sable Chemicals located in Kwekwe which is the sole produce of nitrogenous fertilizer and ammonia nitrate in Zimbabwe is another big exporter. Food-wise, an industry such as Hippo Valley Estate in Chiredzi is a giant in the sugar business alongside Tanganda Tea in Mutare which is Zimbabwe’s biggest tea and coffee producer and exports packed tea into various regional markets. Delta Corporation, the biggest beer and soft drink Company in Zimbabwe headquartered in Harare is another noteworthy industry and is on an expansion course as according to the chairman, Mr. C.F. Dube the company recently acquired a 100% stake held by United National Breweries in South Africa which is the leading brewer of Chibuku there.
In the telecommunications industry there is the regional giant, Econet Wireless whilst the energy industry has the coal industry which provides the country with the majority of its power needs alongside the hydro-electrical power Kariba Dam generates.
Agriculture-wise Cottco in Gokwe is a giant in the cotton business as it exports cotton lint and cottonseed and holds 80% of the market share. Tobacco is another huge earner for Zimbabwe as it is the largest tobacco producing country in Africa with crop sizes for Virginia flue-cured and in 2019; 258 million kilograms of tobacco were reached. The country’s leaf market involves direct contracting of growers and an auction system which is overseen by the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board whose job is to ensure that there is, ‘an orderly exchange of tobacco between the grower and the buyer.’
A tobacco processing company called Tobacco Processors Zimbabwe has a plant in Harare which is one of the largest of its kind in Africa. It holds the largest market share in the country as it is responsible for processing over 42% of Zimbabwe’s annual tobacco crop.
Another giant in the agricultural sector is the Grain Marketing Board which is Zimbabwe’s leading grain trade and marketing company for grains such as maize, millet and sorghum. Zimbabwe also doesn’t lack in the tourism industry where tourist attractions such as Victoria Falls, the Big 5, Great Zimbabwe and the Chinhoyi Caves ensure that the industry keeps booming.
Zimbabwe therefore is rich in natural resources and has industries which boost the country’s export business and ensures that foreign currency, essential for the country’s development keeps coming in.
As the Covid-19 virus started spreading like a raging wildfire in the Western hemisphere little did citizens of Zimbabwe anticipate it would intertwine with their everyday lives and disrupt their daily routines a distance of almost 8 000 miles (12 000 km) from New York City, which had soon become the epicenter of the virus.
Of course the virus did not originate in New York, it had reportedly started in a Chinese market in Wuhan, the odds of it becoming a global pandemic had seemed negligible initially.
As New York and the rest of major cities began to brace for an imminent shutdown in unprecedented effort to contain the virus, Zimbabwe began to slowly experience the global ripple effect of what was slowly unfolding.
Zimbabwe previously has experienced outbreaks of cholera to the extent it has only been confined to specific areas usually where drinking water has been contaminated commonly in some high density residential areas. This Covid-19 outbreak was nothing like the country had seen before and seemed like a global news event everyone was watching from a distance.
Unlike HIV or cholera which are usually associated with social misfortune, behaviour or class, Covid-19 by nature did not discriminate on who to infect. The world was learning fast that as an airborne virus - anyone breathing can potentially catch it. Masks became visible and prominent defense weapons on the frontline battle against the virus.
A well known journalist Mufaro Makamba, who happened to be the son of a renowned broadcaster James Makamba, had just left New York City to return to the Zimbabwean capital Harare where he became likely the first patient and the first known carrier of the virus.
Despite efforts to stabilize him, in an inadequately equipped medical facility and a time when medical professionals were trying to grapple with handling and treating this new virus, he ended up succumbing to the virus, becoming the first well known patient to die of Covid-19.
Zimbabweans abroad and especially those in New York, were receiving welfare-check texts and messages from beloved ones at home. “We hear about the virus, be careful out there”, an all too familiar text message on WhatsApp messenger platform.
By mid February 2020 some businesses in New York started scaling down or closing operations. Meanwhile Zimbabweans started to feel the impact of the virus. African Nations were getting concerned about flights from USA.
“But trouble is when it reaches the African content all hell breaks loose because we don’t have capabilities to handle a virus at such a scale” reads another text mid March by Tom from Bulawayo.
In no time, South Africa, a neighbor to Zimbabwe and a world destination with a busy international travel hub, had been hit by the virus. South Africa immediately imposed a travel ban after 32 people had died in the country by mid March.
At this time Zimbabwe had not acted yet. It wasn’t until March 28 when the government announced a 21-day lockdown period. People could not travel unless it was for essential errands like banking or food supplies.
Meanwhile the US government was beginning to get concerned about the welfare of its citizens who could not go into work. They came up with a massive plan to offer payments to those who had become unemployed as a result. Each family would also get a one time $1200 stimulus payment depending on how much they earned.
While the USA did not restrict people’s movement, they set guidelines for social distancing and mask wearing in public places. Conversely in Zimbabwe the police or military were controlling human movement with reports of citizens been brutalized for allegedly flouting the guidelines.
We have endless locked downs, we fear dying of hunger here, Karen from Bulawayo said at the time.
The national policed released a notice to the effect that only people with exemption letters would be allowed access to city centres. Scores were being arrested for offenses that included loitering, not wearing masks, opening of unlicensed shops and illicit drinking places commonly known as shebeens.
One of the most debated issues worldwide since the turn of the century is undeniably global warming. Some schools for thought denounce the claims of the phenomenon, calling it a hoax whilst others state that it is real, and it is destroying our planet as we speak. In layman terms, global warming is the warming of the earth’s atmosphere above natural temperatures due to the greenhouse effect which is the adverse result of human activities like industrialization.
This unprecedented rise in temperatures is what is causing the glaciers and ice caps in Antarctica to melt, rivers such as Lake Chad in West-Central Africa to shrink and is disrupting the habitats of a variety of species to the brink of extinction. With such compelling evidence it is easy to agree that global warming is as real and relevant as any other issue that is currently placing our planet at risk and Zimbabwe has not been spared the harsh effects of this phenomenon.
Although Zimbabwe is a third world economy whose agriculture and industrial activities are on a smaller scale as compared to developed nations, it also plays a part in the worsening of the global warming crisis. Fossil fuels which produce copious amounts of greenhouse gases when burnt like coal for powering plants and producing electricity on a wide scale are still being used country-wide since it is found naturally in Zimbabwe.
Renewable energies like solar for electricity and electricity to power cars instead of diesel or petrol are still expensive alternatives for Zimbabwe’s economy to implement on a wide scale. This therefore leaves the less desirable, but cheaper alternatives.
Zimbabwe is divided into 5 natural climatic regions which are classified in terms of rainfall availability and temperature levels. Region 1 which consists of the Manicaland province receives the most rainfall and experiences favorable temperatures as compared to Regions 4 and 5 (Matebeleland) which naturally receives the least amount of rainfall with temperatures reaching averages of 26 degrees. However the study of climate by Zimbabwe’s Meteorological Center which is done after a period of 30 years has shown disturbing evidence that cannot be dispelled.
Droughts are increasing in frequency and severity with temperatures rising alarmingly and rainfall patterns being erratic and sparse in areas where it was once regular and plenty. In support, Christopher Chakwana in an online article stated that there have been 10 droughts over the course of 2 decades. Droughts are a natural phenomenon in Zimbabwe but their increase in frequency over the years is causing concern amongst meteorologists and farmers alike.
Temperature-wise, Zimbabwe’s Meteorological Center stated that the country has experienced 6 of its warmest year ever recorded since 1987 as both daily minimum and maximum temperatures have increased by 2 degrees Celsius in a century. Not only do high temperatures result in an increase in evaporation leading to shrinking and drying up of water bodies, evapo-transpiration rates are also high which results in the wilting of crops. Soils also lose moisture quicker which also results in the drying up of plants and subsequent famine.
Great, perennial rivers like the Zambezi and Save have shrunk in 2018 and 2019 following the dramatic increase in droughts which bring dry, hot conditions. In December 2019 Lake Kariba which is on the Zambezi River dropped by 11cm before reaching 476,93m, which is equivalent to 10% usable storage. In Matebeleland many rivers which used to be ephemeral have dried up completely, even during the wet season. An example is the Mambanje River (below) in Hwange which used to be the main water source for the Mambanje community but dried up in the late 1900s.
For those who still think that global warming is a myth or is for more developed countries they need to look closely at the facts which couldn’t be clearer. Temperatures are rising alarmingly per decade and rainfall amounts have dwindled. Seasons have shifted and our water bodies are shrinking annually. If no action is taken now, our children will grow up in an environment which is different from the one we grew up knowing which will be a great shame indeed.
As the Covid-19 virus started spreading like a raging wildfire in the Western hemisphere little did citizens of Zimbabwe anticipate it would intertwine with their everyday lives and disrupt their daily routines a distance of almost 8 000 miles (12 000 km) from New York City, which had soon become the epicenter of the virus.
Of course the virus did not originate in New York, it had reportedly started in a Chinese market in Wuhan, the odds of it becoming a global pandemic had seemed negligible initially.
As New York and the rest of major cities began to brace for an imminent shutdown in unprecedented effort to contain the virus, Zimbabwe began to slowly experience the global ripple effect of what was slowly unfolding.
Zimbabwe previously has experienced outbreaks of cholera to the extent it has only been confined to specific areas usually where drinking water has been contaminated commonly in some high density residential areas. This Covid-19 outbreak was nothing like the country had seen before and seemed like a global news event everyone was watching from a distance.
Unlike HIV or cholera which are usually associated with social misfortune, behaviour or class, Covid-19 by nature did not discriminate on who to infect. The world was learning fast that as an airborne virus - anyone breathing can potentially catch it. Masks became visible and prominent defense weapons on the frontline battle against the virus.
A well known journalist Mufaro Makamba, who happened to be the son of a renowned broadcaster James Makamba, had just left New York City to return to the Zimbabwean capital Harare where he became likely the first patient and the first known carrier of the virus.
Despite efforts to stabilize him, in an inadequately equipped medical facility and a time when medical professionals were trying to grapple with handling and treating this new virus, he ended up succumbing to the virus, becoming the first well known patient to die of Covid-19.
Zimbabweans abroad and especially those in New York, were receiving welfare-check texts and messages from beloved ones at home. “We hear about the virus, be careful out there”, an all too familiar text message on WhatsApp messenger platform.
By mid February 2020 some businesses in New York started scaling down or closing operations. Meanwhile Zimbabweans started to feel the impact of the virus. African Nations were getting concerned about flights from USA.
“But trouble is when it reaches the African content all hell breaks loose because we don’t have capabilities to handle a virus at such a scale” reads another text mid March by Tom from Bulawayo.
In no time, South Africa, a neighbor to Zimbabwe and a world destination with a busy international travel hub, had been hit by the virus. South Africa immediately imposed a travel ban after 32 people had died in the country by mid March.
At this time Zimbabwe had not acted yet. It wasn’t until March 28 when the government announced a 21-day lockdown period. People could not travel unless it was for essential errands like banking or food supplies.
Meanwhile the US government was beginning to get concerned about the welfare of its citizens who could not go into work. They came up with a massive plan to offer payments to those who had become unemployed as a result. Each family would also get a one time $1200 stimulus payment depending on how much they earned.
While the USA did not restrict people’s movement, they set guidelines for social distancing and mask wearing in public places. Conversely in Zimbabwe the police or military were controlling human movement with reports of citizens been brutalized for allegedly flouting the guidelines.
We have endless locked downs, we fear dying of hunger here, Karen from Bulawayo said at the time.
The national policed released a notice to the effect that only people with exemption letters would be allowed access to city centres. Scores were being arrested for offenses that included loitering, not wearing masks, opening of unlicensed shops and illicit drinking places commonly known as shebeens.