So, Unca Bob is going to introduce a new currency in Zim! Now you can paper your house with Zim Dollars.  They are now officially worth nothing.
The name for the new currency?  Let’s help Gono; Why not call it the Hapana?
They also promised that the shelves would be full again in three weeks’ time? Full of what? Emptiness?
And they are going to make some payments in foreign currency … which they will get where????
Anyway, over the past weekend a friend of mine needed some conso-lation. He was moving into his own home and, of course, needed a connection to the greatest invention in the world: the Internet. Being a good, solid and reliable Namibian by nature, he first approached Telecom’s Internet section.  He wanted ADSL, having all the time done with dial-up at the old place from another ISP. Telling them what he wanted was easy; the easiest part of all. They gave him a contract and a rate card.  The latter quoted prices only about twice as much as one would pay in SA, but, beggars cannot be choosers.
He was happy with a 2 GIG capt, etc.
Taking home the forms, he wanted to fill them in the same evening and return the next morning to maybe …. a big maybe … have the connection done within a week.
Once, however, he had a good look at the form to be filled in completed and all kinds of things, he nearly fell on his considerable bum/back.
Except for his blood group and the names of all his relatives, family members, pets and forebears and antecedents from 1652 upwards, there was not much that Telecom/Iway did NOT want to know about my friend and his family.  They even wanted a copy of a power of attorney; plus the house contract, plus how much he and she earned, etc., etc.
Anyway! He did not buy his connec-tion from Iway/Telecom!
My mouth hung open when I saw the form. What the devil for did they want to know how much anybody earned.  Everybody lies anyway! All they should care about whether he pays; not so much whether he has the funds.  He may only earn N$ 30 000 a month, but may get another N$100 000 from dividends.
All the company needs to know is the ID, the address, telephone number and that is it! If anybody does not pay, they will find you … in the long run and the only one to pay for not finding you earlier is your yourself.
BTW, the same applies to getting a telephone from Telecom. Same com-prehensive 3rd degree application form. Meanwhile, on every corner of every street and in the street and in malls and what not there are cell phone dealers. It takes you less than ten minutes to get one.  It takes you even less time to buy recharge vouchers.  Who needs a fixed line?  Who needs Telecom?
I have always been for supporting our so-called parastatals.  But not with so much red tape! No wonder they are still in the red …..
Ps. Two days later I have the rapport from my friend that it took him 10 minutes to get a connection from MWeb. They were interested in customer service and asked only the absolutely necessary.  Enough to give service and enough to give him hell should he not pay!
While MWeb did not care to know his whole family tree and other minutae, they cared enough to have another customer with the minimum of fuss.
Ta-ta,
Pietro the Brave