Bread Basket of Africa to Basket Case

A ‘Breadbasket’ or granary of a Country is referred to a region because of its richness of soil and/or advantageous climate which produces an agricultural surplus, that is often considered vital for the country as a whole. Rhodesia, Southern Africa, now known as Zimbabwe was once ‘The Breadbasket of Africa.’Zimbabwe once held great promise. Its Victoria Falls is one of the seven natural wonders of the world with the Zambezi River which boasts wildlife and pulsing rapids, which are still enjoyed by those few brave enough

to visit this devastated country. Its lush soil was the envy of the continent. Though landlocked, in 1980 when Robert Mugabe and the black majority of the country took charge of Rhodesia, the country had modernized sensibly: it had a network of paved roads, four airports, and, thanks to Ian Smiths leadership, a rigorous and inclusive education system. Mugabe knew that whites drove the economy, and he was pragmatic.  "Good old Bob," as white farmers quickly came to call him, kept his shoes and socks on, and urged reconciliation: "An evil remains an evil whether practiced by white against black or black against white," he said on the eve of independence. In a cordial meeting with Smith, Mugabe acknowledged that he had inherited the "jewel of Africa," and he vowed to keep it that way. Mugabe did initially run the country very well indeed. ‘I was very pleasantly surprised’ said Ian Smith who remained in the now Zimbabwe. Mugabe was very courteous: it was 'Mr. Smith this' and 'Mr. Smith that.' That Ian Smith stayed in Zimbabwe is itself surprising. However, unbeknown to the public at large, for the first three years, with Zimbabwe imploding politically and economically, Mugabe had been inciting violence against whites, even after giving assurances to whites that their land and homes would not be touched.Rhodesia a onetime net exporter of maize, cotton, beef, tobacco, roses, and sugarcane, became Zimbabwe, exporting only its educated professionals, who fled by the tens of thousands. Although Zimbabwe has some of the richest farmland in Africa, the poverty is beyond comprehension. Hunger and disease is rampant and unemployment stands at 90% The once magnificent Game Reserves that brought tourists in from all over the world, are almost emptied due to poaching by starving peasants, rendering the Country a ’basket case’ It is very difficult to say what Inflation is today. Due to the Government not filing official statistics. This cessation in filing has made it difficult to accurately observe how severe inflation is. However during the height of inflation from 2008–09, it is believe that inflation was 1 billion percent! Inflation has now been tamed by use of the USD, but for many, this ‘relief’ has come far too late. The handful of whites, who have hung on by their back teeth in this tumultuous Country, and who have had their homes and savings wiped out and with no other source of income, have had to accept the British Governments offer to return ’home’ The situation in Zimbabwe continues to make it difficult to access food and medical care.What ever your opinions are on Ian Smith, I find it ironic that many black Zimbabweans are expressing a desire to return to what we all once referred to as ‘the good old days’ of Colonialism. Robert Mugabe, the tyrant, has completely destroyed this beautiful Country and has inflicted upon all its people, black and white without exception, a plague of misfortune that can only be described as ‘Biblical proportion’I was born and grew up in Rhodesia, leaving shortly after the 1980 election and ‘Bob’ coming into power. I grew up in Victoria Falls with the rain forests most spectacular rising columns of spray as my play ground. In those days the planes and bus loads of tourists arrived hourly. Filling what were once majestic Victorian Hotels renowned for their service, quality and cleanliness. Today Victoria Falls is a ghost town. The Hotels are generally suffocating, experiencing unimaginable losses owing to inactivity.There is no reason for that country to be in the dreadful state it is in today with only a handful benefiting in revenue from ‘canned hunting’ which many Europeans and Americans insist on supporting. The memories are ingrained in my soul forever. I remember with fondness, my parents having to slow the car down to a halt allowing a herd of elephant to escort their babies safely across the dust road. I grew up with herds of elephant, buffalo, lions, leopards, giraffe, to mention a few.In those days, you didn’t need to travel through a Game Lodge to take a memorable photo, all you needed to do was go for a drive to the next town.  A more perfect life is hard to imagine. There is one thing that Mugabe will never take away, and that is the subtropical climate, Champagne Air, and the engrained memories those of us born or who experienced living in that Country, will carry till our last breath. We can only pray for eventual peace to return to that tormented land, and its remaining people black and white, who have no where to run to and for whom, every day is a struggle between life and death.