The day begins with the news that alcohol is to be banned as people are buying it and then drinking in groups. It seems a very roundabout way of addressing the problem and is only likely to make the sale of alcohol go underground and become expensive - but it won't stop people drinking!
John sets off into town to see if this news is true - I have rarely ever seen a man so bent on a mission. I work on my book and the girls take turns playing the piano. Sian has been teaching Ellie how to play and she is doing well, even if the lessons are somewhat haphazard. Ellie's first lesson begins with her using both hands and includes things such as b sharps. I'm sure I remember starting with one hand and the tune was cdcdcdc cbcbcbc.
John comes back from shopping, totally deflated. There was a roadblock near the Trade Fair entrance and he had to wait fifteen minutes for the policeman to get down the line to him only to tell him that the centre of town is closed. This means he couldn't get to the vegetable shop we usually use and had to go to the much more extravagantly priced Food Lovers' Market. Prices, he says, have shot up astronomically since Monday, although the rate of the bond to the US$ has come down. I just think that retailers here cannot imagine prices coming down.
At Spar, one of the employees says he has never seen alcohol go so quickly all his years working there. I wonder if this no alcohol ban isn't a scam put out by a brewery to get everyone to panic buy. I can just imagine that Delta Beverages is owned by the Honourable Minister of such and such and he thought it might be a great way to boost sales. Personally, I don't feel that the Zimbabwean government does anything at all with the interest of the people at heart. There is always, always, always an ulterior motive.
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