By Linda Green*
May 11, 2007 | OLD MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UMNS)

A country in disarray and disrepair, Zimbabwe teeters under an inflation rate of nearly 2,000 percent – the highest in the world. It contends with skyrocketing unemployment, allegations of rampant government corruption and routine shortages of commodities, foreign currency, electricity and water.

Amid these challenges, Africa University stands in the forefront of higher education in the sub-Saharan African nation.

While certainly impacted by the chaos that surrounds it, the United Methodist-related school "is surviving, enduring and determined to succeed," said Rukudzo Murapa, who leads the private, pan-African institution of 1,298 students.

But it is not easy.

Critics of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe blame government mismanagement for much of the nation's woes. At 83, Mugabe has been Zimbabwe’s only ruler since the country achieved independence from Britain 27 years ago. His tenure has been marked by economic crises that include chronic shortages of food and fuel. Unemployment today is estimated at 80 percent.

Mugabe has resisted calls for political reforms and recently issued warnings against Roman Catholic bishops who published a pastoral letter criticizing his government's handling of the economy. Still, his ruling Zanu (PF) party formally endorsed him March 30 as its candidate for presidential elections in 2008, potentially extending his leadership into a third decade.

Challenged but hopeful

The economic and political realities require administrators and supporters of Africa University to be resourceful, creative and ever-hopeful.

"Yes, we admit that we are facing a lot of challenges in Zimbabwe. But they are not insurmountable."
-Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa

"Yes, we admit that we are facing a lot of challenges in Zimbabwe," said United Methodist Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa. "But they are not insurmountable."

Nhiwatiwa, who is also vice president of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, said the country needs its friends "to come, stand tall and help the nation in the best way" by offering constructive advice on how the country can move forward. "What Zimbabwe needs is people who say, 'What can we do to really help?'" he said.

The Southern Africa Development Committee held an emergency summit recently and affirmed its solidarity with the Zimbabwean government and its people. The committee also issued a statement calling on other countries to lift economic sanctions against Zimbabwe and encouraging diplomatic relations to alleviate the country’s plight.

"Zimbabwe needs constructive friends right now, friends who say, 'How do we go from here?'" Nhiwatiwa said. "The church is doing that," he said, citing a new document called "The Zimbabwe We Want," created by citizens, religious leaders and others.

"It lays out what the people of Zimbabwe think this country ought to be. If we start from there, we can be constructive in many ways," he said

High costs, few goods

"That tells the story," Murapa said. "It is difficult for people to imagine what 2,000 percent inflation is all about."

For instance, the cost of a loaf of bread purchased in the morning may double or triple by sunset. In March, a loaf cost Z$850; today that same loaf is Z$6,000, or about $24 in the United States.

Zimbabwe also is experiencing extreme scarcity of commodities. Walk into a store and, instead of finding loaves of bread ready to buy, it is more typical to find a line of people waiting for the few loaves being baked. Cooking oil and sugar are expensive and difficult to find.

"So our food services sections spends a large amount of time simply trying to find out where is what on a particular day, and at what price," Murapa said. "One has to be very creative and innovative."

A monetary exchange rate of Z$250 to US$1 encourages Africa University to make purchases using the government-sanctioned arbitrage system, buying shares from companies on the stock exchange and selling them through a broker. The university also negotiates rates with the Central Bank to boost purchasing power.

"After all their commissions and everything, we are able to realize something much better than the official rate," he said. "It is quite legal. It is over the counter. At the end of the day, what we get is much less than what we would want, but much better than the official rate. To that extent, it is working."

Inflation also translates into higher tuition costs for students. "As compassionate as they are, the fees get higher," Murapa said. "You find students who even in their last year are no longer able to graduate because they still owe the university and cannot find money."

A tale of two women

Two Zimbabwean women – each with ties to Africa University and at opposite ends of the economic spectrum – described how their lives are impacted by the economy. They agreed that, for the average person, life in Zimbabwe is difficult.

"It is difficult for people to imagine what 2,000 percent inflation is all about."
-Rukudzo Murapa, Vice Chancellor, Africa University

"We now have two classes: either you are poor or you are rich. We don’t have a middle class right now," said a Mutare woman who asked not to be identified.

The mother of three boys said "it is now difficult for me to put on a basic meal for my kids. An average day is full of stress about how will the day be, or how the day will be tomorrow, or how will the day be spent."

The average person feels fortunate to have one, perhaps two, modest meals a day. "You would have a meal of porridge at home, nothing for lunch, and for dinner I’ll have sadza and my green vegetable. Meat is now a luxury. You cannot afford to have meat every day on the table," she said.

To make ends meet, people cut back, take extra jobs or do without. Some have a Monday-Friday job, a night job and a weekend job to make enough money to make ends meet and to send their children to school.

"…In a nutshell, life is difficult here in Zimbabwe," the woman said.

Pindie Nyandoro, a United Methodist laywoman and managing director of Stanbic Bank, enjoys a more stable lifestyle but sees hardship all around her.

"I am very blessed. I actually have a very good job and financially I am very sound," she said. "… I am certainly very aware of what is happening. I am surrounded by people who feel it on a daily basis."

Nyandoro worries about recovering Zimbabwe's conscience once the economy stabilizes. Every day, she observes business people taking shortcuts and making deals to try to succeed in the current economic climate.

"For us in Zimbabwe, that is going to be the biggest challenge … when we finally sort ourselves out and get out of these issues. It is going to be, 'How do we get back to being an honorable community?'"

Problems of perception

News reports about Zimbabwe's struggles can be problematic, since the university relies financially on assistance from international foundations, churches and other organizations.

The country’s dynamics have received international attention, particularly recently when opposition leaders were arrested and allegedly beaten. "And so, that further mars the image of the country," Murapa said.

"There is also a sense created in the international media that Zimbabwe is imploding, which is not necessarily accurate," said Andra Stevens, director of information for the university.

The stories often lead "our friends to say, 'No, we are no longer going to be able to come and help,'" Murapa added.

Nhiwatiwa calls Zimbabwe’s problems challenging but insists the country is safe. "We do not deny that things happen, which we don’t like and we deplore, but Zimbabwe is a welcoming country," he said.

In his April 13 report to the university's board of directors, Murapa said Africa University is surviving and determined to succeed. While numerous institutions across the country have not had adequate training or preparation to deal with Zimbabwe's economic realities, the school pursues healthy approaches to management in crisis conditions.

"Steadfastness of purpose and faithfulness of its many friends allowed Africa University to deliver on its teaching, researching and community service commitments over these past turbulent months," he said.

The goal remains to make the school "Africa’s premier international university." Challenges include deteriorating physical assets, a lack of transportation for students and problems with electrical and water supplies.

Electrical outages and shortages across the country are common as the national provider tries to manage resources that do not meet demand.

In February and March, the university’s water supply was depleted. For 48 hours, more than 1,100 people were without water because the university’s only operable "borehole," which relies on electricity, broke down. The university's other two boreholes had been vandalized and left inoperable.

In the midst of the daily struggles, students worry about their post-graduate prospects. "If you are in a situation where things are changing and not in a positive way, it causes a certain amount of concern about the future," Stevens said.

University officials say that, now more than ever, Africa University needs steadfast support from church friends to weather the roller-coaster economy. They remain optimistic.

"There is a bright future for Africa University, and I call upon our friends both within the church and elsewhere to not give up, to remain committed to see this university grow," Stevens said. "The potential is enormous."

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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Resources

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The Zimbabwe Situation

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