After the headline in the herald of the deadline about the used Japanese cars older than 5 years, there has been a lot of debate on the permissibility of such an action. There have been water cooler debates on what this means. One colleague said it is a ploy by the rich to make sure that the poor stay poor and do not own cars. Another said it is a way of punishing people who do not own cars and cannot afford the pricey new cars. Someone even said ZIMRA (Zimbabwe Revenue Authority) has made pockets of money and they are just tired.
Has anyone really thought of the impact those second, third, fourth hand cars have on our economy, environment? They will eventually break down beyond repair and will litter the country with unsightly 'scrappers'. Are there places designated for scrap yards? Do we have the necessary equipment and plants to recycle those used cars? Because we are going to need them soon! When they break down there is need for costly parts which need to be imported leading to further erosion of much needed money. The government is cash strapped.
The problem with us Zimbabweans is that we are selfish beyond the pale. We think only of instant gratification and disregard the impact of our actions. Its always me me me me, never about the greater good. We never think beyond today, beyond now. We have become obsessed with cheap imports (and we love anything foreign bless our greedy little hearts) which is why other nations take advantage of us.
We have become the dumping ground for expired medicine, skin lightening creams that are illegal in the developing countries because of health hazards, unwanted cars which they do not have the capacity or inclination to recycle and cheap and sometimes unhealthy goods which have become the bane of our lives and economy.
Has anyone seen the kind of congestion on the roads at all hours in Harare? You can hardly move. Our roads do not have the capacity to handle the volumes of traffic now in the city. If you leave home after 07.30 and you want to get into town then you can forget about getting to work early. Whilst it might seem callous, unkind even, the government has to be cruel to be kind and I hope that deadline stays.
Has anyone really thought of the impact those second, third, fourth hand cars have on our economy, environment? They will eventually break down beyond repair and will litter the country with unsightly 'scrappers'. Are there places designated for scrap yards? Do we have the necessary equipment and plants to recycle those used cars? Because we are going to need them soon! When they break down there is need for costly parts which need to be imported leading to further erosion of much needed money. The government is cash strapped.
The problem with us Zimbabweans is that we are selfish beyond the pale. We think only of instant gratification and disregard the impact of our actions. Its always me me me me, never about the greater good. We never think beyond today, beyond now. We have become obsessed with cheap imports (and we love anything foreign bless our greedy little hearts) which is why other nations take advantage of us.
We have become the dumping ground for expired medicine, skin lightening creams that are illegal in the developing countries because of health hazards, unwanted cars which they do not have the capacity or inclination to recycle and cheap and sometimes unhealthy goods which have become the bane of our lives and economy.
Has anyone seen the kind of congestion on the roads at all hours in Harare? You can hardly move. Our roads do not have the capacity to handle the volumes of traffic now in the city. If you leave home after 07.30 and you want to get into town then you can forget about getting to work early. Whilst it might seem callous, unkind even, the government has to be cruel to be kind and I hope that deadline stays.
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