CHENGETAI MURIMWA IN BULAWAYO
A severe shortage of cash has hit rural Matabeleland South Province forcing villagers to resort to barter to beat the cash crunch, Business Times can report.
Several villagers in Kezi and other areas in the province, who spoke to Business Times this week, said they have entered into barter deals with businesses in the area.
For example, villagers offer their livestock or buckets of mopane worms in exchange of farming inputs such as fertilisers, seeds and chemicals.
“We have been experiencing serious cash shortages since the (Covid-19 induced) lockdown started. We have resorted to trading using mopane worms which are in abundance this season,” Jabulani Nkomo said.
Nkomo added that those that are doing menial jobs are accepting to be paid using livestock such as goats depending on the work that one would have done.
Some villagers had their farm produce such as tomatoes rotting because no one was buying.
“We are exchanging some of our farm produce for groceries such as bread, cooking oil and milk,” Senzeni Ndou said.
The dire situation has forced some traders from Bulawayo invading Matabeleland South to capitalise on the barter deals.
They are getting farm produce, goats and mopane worms which are currently in season.
“I have been coming to Kezi with groceries in exchange for Mopane worms which in turn I sell back in Bulawayo,” a Bulawayo trader, Lindokuhle Bhebhe told Business Times.
“I am really happy that most people in Kezi are now accepting barter exchange as a form of trade.
We would have been stranded if it wasn’t for barter exchange because we have no money now because of the lockdown regulations under which we cannot work,” Sazilina Ncube of Maqhina village who is a vendor said.
Vincent Ndlovu, councillor for Manyane ward 13, said barter has become the trade of choice in the area though it has its own challenges pertaining to measurement of value.
“So far people are trading very well though they are some who feel cheated after an exchange.
Overall, I think it has made life a bit easier in spite of the lockdown hardships,” Ndlovu said.
