Day: June 10, 2022

The Ad Hoc Joint Committee on Flood Disaster Relief and Recovery visited Port St Johns Local Municipality yesterday as part of its three-day oversight visit in the Eastern Cape to assess the damage caused by floods in April this year.

Briefing the committee, the Mayor of Port St Johns Local Municipality, Ms Nomvuzo Mlombile-Cingo, said Port St Johns is prone to flood disaster. A climate change vulnerability assessment was undertaken to assess impacts and to provide information to the municipal planners to consider during decision-making processes. She said the study showed that most of the town area of Port St Johns falls within red (1:50 flood line, very high risk of flooding), orange (high risk of flooding), and yellow (moderate).

The mayor told the committee that the municipality mobilised all the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that are the stakeholders of the municipality to assist the victims of the flood disaster in Port St Johns. Most of them responded swiftly and provided for immediate needs, such as blankets, clothes and food. The municipality asked the NGOs to hand over the goods to the people themselves to avoid the theft that often takes place in emergency situations.

The mayor told the committee that after the disaster, Port St Johns was inaccessible, as all its entry points were closed by heavy landslides, rockfalls and fallen trees. Although the disaster is the competency of the district municipality through its disaster management unit, Port St Johns Local Municipality assumed a frontline role by beginning to remove everything that it could that was covering the road into the town.

The mayor said the flood disaster affected the entire landscape of Port St Johns. Bridges were badly affected, making contact between people in different villages of Port St Johns impossible. This stopped economic activity, halted scholar transportation and prevented people from going to clinics across the river.

Municipal access roads are damaged with the cost to repair them estimated at R377 736 688 (618.2 kilometers of road). The R61 main road leading to town has collapsed and needs immediate intervention (Mpantu to Town). The military base access road is damaged and needs urgent attention, including a bridge crossing the Bulolo River. Roads leading to schools and clinics have been damaged and communities are cut off from each other. Bridge reconstruction will cost R82.4 million, according to the mayor.

The disaster has destroyed infrastructure, including toilets at Zwelenqaba Senior Primary School. A mudslide is still unstable and not yet removed at Ntafufu Senior Secondary School, PSJ Community Primary School, Lindibuhle Senior Primary School and at Nkangala Primary School.

The committee heard that water infrastructure was also badly damaged, resulting in the water supply shortage to the town and surrounding areas. The flood damage added to the problem of ageing infrastructure. The Mayor told the committee that Port St Johns has been without water for three weeks due to silted or blocked pipes.

In welcoming the briefing from the Mayor, the Co-Chairpersons of the committee thanked the municipality for the report and for its response to the victims of the disaster. They called on the municipality to continue with its programme and to continue with its written request for funding made available by National Treasury.

The committee visited areas severely affected by the disaster, including Green Farm, Mpatu, Nonyevu and Zwelitsha informal settlements. Mr Thokomile Ndamase, who lives in Nonyevu and whose house was washed away by the floods, told the committee that the municipality provided him with a temporary house while it works with the province to relocate the community.

“We thank God for our salvation from that disaster which blew our house away at midnight on that fateful day,” he said. He spoke about how the land on which his house was built collapsed. “We are recovering some of our belongings, such as beds, wardrobes, furniture and other belongings by digging in the area. We have recovered at least 70% of our things,” said Mr Ndamase.

Source: Parliament of the Republic of South Africa

For the past four years the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Marketing and Brand Management Unit has been working on a marketing project to position the university as a leading voice in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The project’s 4IR website was recently awarded the International Association of Business Communicator’s (IABC) International Gold Quill Excellence Award.

UJ also won the IABC Africa Silver Quill Excellence Award for its ‘The future belongs to those who reimagine it’ campaign, and the IABC International Gold Quill Merit Award for the ‘Beyond Imagining’ ezine series. The IABC awards recognise excellence in strategic communication globally.

In the opinion of the judges, “This is a world-class entry, and shows the use of the global standard in action. It was a brilliant entry to review, and we commend the team for their innovation, implementation and strategic results.”

Lesmarie Bentley-Steyn, UJ’s Senior Manager for Marketing and Brand Management says the brief from UJ’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Tshilidzi Marwala was clear: to communicate the message that at UJ, the future belongs to those who truly reimagine it.

“We activated the message through an imaginative 4IR website on which the ‘Beyond Imagining’ ezine is published along with all the various elements of ‘The Future Reimagined’ campaign,” she explains.

The 4IR project, she adds, has been a challenging and exciting one, albeit that it has provided the team with a steep learning curve. “We took the traditional debate-panel discussion model and reimagined it, placing it firmly with the realm of its own 4IR scope using the latest technology. Inspiring 4IR-in-action stories show the audience how 4IR and humanity relate to each other. At the same time, we introduced a fully online magazine experience with our ‘Beyond Imagining’ e-zine. A bespoke website hosts all this 4IR information while a multi-channel media strategy communicates the content.”

What the campaign has achieved, says Bentley-Steyn, is the amplification and extension of UJ’s 4IR strategy and messaging to a worldwide audience. At the same time it has highlighted the search for solutions to some of the fundamental challenges this new future brings. “The campaign exceeded our objectives, successfully raising UJ’s 4IR profile with a palpable return on investment,” she says.

Congratulating the UJ team on their impressive wins, Tracy McCoy, client executive at brand agency HKLM says, “Lesmarie and her team have a clear vision for UJ’s marketing communication, particularly as it relates to the university’s 4IR positioning. We’re very proud to be a part of the team.”

Twisted Toast Digital MD Louis Eksteen echoes McCoy when he says, “To have won a highly regarded gold award against other global entrants is a significant achievement. Congratulations to the UJ team. We’re enormously honoured to be a member of this cutting-edge, 4IR tech-driven team.”

A key element of the success of this campaign was the fact that each party – UJ, HKLM as the lead agency and Twisted Toast Digital – played to their specific strengths, says McCoy. “In addition to coming off a very sound strategic intent, all parties are totally aligned and understand the objectives of what we’re trying to achieve. The agency-client relationship successfully epitomises a true partnership,” she concludes.

Source: University of Johannesburg

Pope Francis will postpone his upcoming trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan due to an ongoing knee problem, the Vatican said Friday.

“At the request of his doctors, and in order not to jeopardize the results of the therapy that he is undergoing for his knee, the Holy Father has been forced to postpone, with regret, his Apostolic Journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo and to South Sudan,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement.

The trip, originally planned for July 2 to 7, will be rescheduled though no new date has been set.

Source: National News Agency

The Economic and Social Council concluded its 2022 management segment today with a round-table discussion on the theme of “Leveraging ECOSOC for an inclusive and resilient recovery guided by the 2030 Agenda”.

The discussion aimed to integrate key messages from the Council’s subsidiary bodies and the United Nations system on the main theme, develop action-oriented recommendations for follow-up and feed into the high-level political forum on sustainable development (as mandated by General Assembly resolution A/RES/75/290 A).

Chaired and moderated by Lachezara Stoeva (Bulgaria), Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council in charge of the management segment, the round table featured panellists: Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP); Chantal-Line Carpentier, Chief, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) New York Office; Mathu Joyini, Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations and Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women at its sixty-sixth session; Jamil Ahmad, Director, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) New York Office; Jose Antonio Ocampo, Professor at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University and Chair of the Committee for Development Policy at its twenty-fourth session; Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, Chancellor of Nelson Mandela University and Chair of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration at its twenty-first session; and Darío José Mejía Montalvo, Political Scientist, National University of Colombia and Chair of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at its twenty-first session.

Ms. STOEVA noted that, at the inaugural Economic and Social Council coordination segment, held on 3 and 4 February, the organ identified key areas where it, its subsidiary bodies and the United Nations system could deepen policy reflection, identify innovative solutions or work more closely together. These included mainstreaming gender perspectives, poverty reduction, food security, education, digital transformation, access to technology and bridging the digital divide, sustainable infrastructure, the green economy, climate resilience and approaches based on human security. She noted the Secretary-General’s Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance warns that around 1.7 billion people in the world live in 107 economies estimated to be severely exposed to a shock of one of the dimensions of food, energy or finance. Against that backdrop, she invited panellists to build on the coordination segment discussions and the guidance provided by Member States, and engage to consolidate key messages.

Ms. ALISJAHBANA, speaking via videoconference from Bangkok, said the seventy-eighth ESCAP session adopted a declaration, with member States committed to leaving no one behind, putting women and girls at the centre of development and protecting the planet. They further addressed enhancing trade, improving digital cooperation and boosting partnerships. Citing highlights from the regional forums, she noted the ninth Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development focused on enhancing social protection, quality education and prioritizing nature-based solutions for climate mitigation. The Arab Forum for Sustainable Development emphasized achieving a green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and promoting information and communications technology (ICT) start-ups. She noted the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development highlighted the need to unlock financing to build forward better from the pandemic. For its part, the Regional Forum for the Europe region highlighted a need to focus on systematic change and accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Finally, she cited the Regional Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, which called for renewed regional integration to advance the 2030 Agenda, leveraging innovative financing, and addressing impacts of climate change and natural hazards.

Ms. CARPENTIER said that the strengthened coordination must be a two-way process. Greater opportunities should be given to the Economic and Social Council to give guidance and recommendations to the work of its subsidiary bodies to ensure their alignment with its work and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is also imperative for the Council to draw on the specialized technical advice of its expert bodies more effectively. UNCTAD, as Secretariat of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development and of the Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting, convene these subsidiary bodies in Geneva. In UNCTAD’s view, alternating New York and Geneva gives the Economic and Social Council more exposure to the Geneva-based subsidiary bodies and their work. The Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting, for instance, is the United Nations focal point on accounting and corporate governance matters, and the Council should hear more about that body’s work. The same goes for the Commission for Science and Technology for Development.

Ms. JOYINI stressed that women and girls remain unduly affected by the pandemic, facing disproportionately high job and livelihood losses and education disruptions. The pandemic has created a global care crisis, which has left millions of children and care-dependent adults without support, and despite women’s central role in responding to the pandemic, they are still largely bypassed for leadership positions. Women’s health services have faced major disruptions, and there also exists a shadow pandemic of increased violence against women and girls, in particular domestic and intimate partner violence. However, the global disruption has also provided an opportunity: “We must seize the momentum for gender-responsive change in socioeconomic systems,” she said, highlighting calls for an intersectional feminist approach. The world is not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030, she said, as out of 18 indicators for Sustainable Development Goal 5, only one is close to target. She called for bold action for accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, as well as the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

Mr. AHMAD said recovery from the pandemic represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transition the global development paradigm towards low-carbon, resource efficient, nature positive and socially inclusive economies. The United Nations Environment Assembly’s strong engagement can make an important contribution to the Council’s role in enhancing an inclusive and resilient recovery — and the organ can further enhance an inclusive and resilient recovery by sharing best practices on national alignment of energy security policies with climate security goals, removing market distortions, such as fossil-fuel subsidies, and increasing access to low- and zero-carbon technologies. He noted the Council can also help identify options to finance the green shift and identify pathways for countries to create the conditions to deploy financing solutions to reduce debt burdens and ensure just and equitable transitions to circular economies to address climate, pollution, nature and inequality crises.

Mr. OCAMPO said the Committee this year concluded that industrial policies should also strongly back the integration of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises into broader productive networks. Post-pandemic industrial policies will need to consider new realities, including those associated with the green and blue economies. The Committee members noted that fulfilling the potential of industrial policy requires effective regional and global frameworks, effective institutions and cooperation, including South-South cooperation. The Committee recommended that the Council encourage Member States to adopt and implement evidence-based industrial policies, building forward from the pandemic-induced crisis and addressing the pre-existing crises of climate change and growing inequalities. The Committee further recommended in 2022 that the Council call on the relevant United Nations entities to support developing countries, in particular those least developed.

Ms. FRASER-MOLEKETI noted that building forward better from COVID-19 and achieving the 2030 Agenda call for stronger, more effective and credible public institutions, focusing on reopening and rebuilding economies in a sustainable manner, including providing assistance to countries in managing debt levels and inflation. Stressing that the environmental goals of the 2030 Agenda have stagnated or deteriorated across all regions, she noted that such poor performance is due in large part to institutional factors. Ecosystem management, territorial development and a clear distribution of responsibilities across all levels of Government are part of the solution, she said, noting that environmental accounting was key for creating such market-based incentives and promoting transparency and accountability. She also noted that technology and hybrid models of public service delivery are necessary to leave no one behind, given the basic challenges of energy availability, electricity and Internet access. She further called for expanded efforts to develop and adopt international norms and standards on managing fiscal stimulus packages and fiscal policy in times of crisis.

Mr. MEJÍA MONTALVO cited regional discussions on the theme “Indigenous peoples and pandemic recovery”, pointing out that vaccination campaigns in indigenous languages remain a challenge due to distances and even security issues. He noted the impact of a lack of infrastructure and digital education tools, while economic pandemic measures adopted by Governments have exacerbated human rights violations affecting indigenous people, with increased large-scale energy and mining projects threatening their territories. The Permanent Forum underscored the importance of desegrated data, moving towards a collaborative approach on the Sustainable Development Goals. Calling for earmarked funds for indigenous initiatives, he emphasized that the preservation of ecosystems should not lead to greater injustices. He further urged subsidiary bodies and the United Nations system to advance initiatives including involving indigenous women specifically in their work.

When the floor opened for dialogue, the representative of Italy said his delegation serves as a co-facilitator to draft the declaration at the 2022 high-level political forum on sustainable development, acknowledging the richness of inputs from the United Nations system while stressing the important role of the Council in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Czech Republic’s representative recognized the need to ensure reliable, comparable and quality data, including disaggregated data, to be able to make evidence-based policy decisions in addressing the impacts of the pandemic and achieving the Goals.

The representative of Colombia said the Economic and Social Council must continue to include the gender perspective, with every subsidiary body considering the impact of decisions on women and girls. Also needed are nature-based solutions, and a discussion on the debt issue, focusing on every State’s context. He agreed on the contribution of middle-income countries, per the Secretary-General’s comments.

The representative of Thailand said the Council must draw on technical advice from subsidiary bodies, with its system putting the most vulnerable people at centre of all of its work. Partnerships are crucial, she stated, including with regional and non-regional groupings.

In response to comments by delegates, Ms. CARPENTIER said that to overcome the “cost of living crisis”, there is a need to address the financial crisis. Therefore, financial support to developing countries is vital. UNCTAD provides some recommendations on how funding can reach the most vulnerable countries. Warning that financing for technical support is drying out, she stressed the vital importance of supporting technical capacity-building in those countries.

Mr. OCAMPO encouraged Council members to read the Committee for Development Policy’s analysis of voluntary national reviews. The Committee is monitoring countries that are graduating and have graduated from the least developed category, and reviewed the progress of one recently graduated State, namely, Vanuatu, and seven graduating countries, namely, Angola, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Nepal, Sao Tome and Principe and the Solomon Islands. The Committee expressed its concern at the limited national capacity of those countries to address diverse challenges, including the pandemic, natural hazards and debt sustainability.

Mr. AHMAD said that the achievement of environmental goals of the 2030 Agenda are lagging behind, compared with other goals. The poorest and most vulnerable countries must have access to financing for the necessary transition to low-carbon economies. They must also have the ability to use financing appropriately.

Ms. FRASER-MOLEKETI, citing the principles for effective governance for sustainable development, said issues including those of integrity and participation were salient at the subnational level. Affirming the centrality and importance of strong institutions and public services at all levels, she emphasized the importance of Sustainable Development Goal 16 as cross-cutting for all the Goals. Over the past year, the Committee of Experts on Public Administration responded directly to themes identified by the Council, building its work around that to affirm its relevance to Member States.

Ms. JOYINI said it is clear all are pursuing similar goals, and the coordination segment and round tables are key in bringing out synergies on policies, and necessary actions to be taken. She reinforced the importance of focusing on women, girls and other vulnerable people in achieving the Goals.

Ms. ALISJAHBANA said the Goals were not on track, even before the pandemic, especially in developing countries. She noted the common concern over vulnerable populations, interlinkages between the Goals, and the need for financing — alongside the increasing risks of the debt crisis. She further highlighted the opportunities offered by digitalization.

Mr. MEJÍA MONTALVO proposed a comprehensive approach focused on rights and duties. Indigenous people’s rights still lag behind as 2030 approaches — but concerning the rights of nature, those populations are ahead, as they preserve 80 per cent of biodiversity. Increasing coordination would benefit all United Nations entities and subsidiary bodies, he said, stressing the need to renew the social contract with indigenous peoples to address inequality, exclusion and provide access to justice for all.

Ms. STOEVA, noting that less than eight years remain before 2030, posed questions regarding gender mainstreaming and ways to accelerate progress on the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Mr. AHMAD said that women are at the forefront of taking the brunt of environmental challenges. UNEP has special focal points for gender issues, and it convenes a meeting of women ministers for environment to share experiences.

Mr. OCAMPO underscored the issue of financing as vital to the achievement of the Goals. Official development assistance (ODA) has more or less remained the same. The least developed countries need additional funding. In the wake of the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, there were major initiatives by multilateral development banks. But, today, no similar process has been seen to tackle the current crisis.

Ms. FRASER-MOLEKETI said what is really required to implement the Goals is political will and change of mind. Also, it is important to adequately allocate resources and budgets and ensure that the 2030 Agenda is integrated in national and local plans. Peer pressure can accelerate implementation of the Goals, but that can work only if the 2030 Agenda is not seen as an add-on. On gender mainstreaming, it also requires political will and a change of mindset.

Mr. MEJÍA MONTALVO emphasized that women are the primary driver in every sphere of society. On the 2030 Agenda, increasing the participation of indigenous peoples is critical. Communities that are at the forefront of implementing the Goals must receive financial support.

Ms. ALISJAHBANA said that, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, priority must be the provision of basic rights and services, especially related to human capital, including education and health. Digital technologies also offer a potential to accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Women and girls must be at the forefront. It is vital to get the macroeconomic policy right, including budgets and spending on the Goals.

Ms. CARPENTIER said it is important to capture the opportunities of orphan Sustainable Development Goals in the green, blue, orange and purple economies, and empower small and medium-sized enterprises. With the serious crisis facing the Goals, developing countries must increase their fiscal space and liquidity access for social protection systems. She called for recapitalized development banks, more flexible lending ratios, reactivation of rapid disbursement mechanisms and new special drawing rights.

Also speaking was the representative of Indonesia. The European Union’s representative also spoke, in its capacity as observer.

Before the round table opened, the representative of the United States, addressing Tuesday’s elections to outstanding vacancies, noted Ethiopia won an uncontested election to the Joint Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)/United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) from the African States. Any State in that position must be the strongest advocate for each of the mandates of those organizations worldwide — in particular championing the rights of women and girls to protection from sexual and gender-based violence, and justice for victims. Countries in conflict often experience conditions in which women fall victim to gross human rights violations, she noted, and Ethiopia has been no exception. Citing its recent initiatives towards a humanitarian truce, she urged the Government to continue investigations of sexual and gender-based violence related to the conflict in northern Ethiopia.

The Council will next meet on Monday, 20 June, for a one-day meeting on the transition from relief to development.

Source: United Nations

49- year-old Simphiwe Gazi has been honoured for completing his studies at the end of the 2021 academic year

49- year-old Simphiwe Gazi has been honoured for completing his studies at the end of the 2021 academic year. He is an Assistant Professional Officer responsible for Facilitating Adult Education and Training in the City of Cape Town’s Training Development Department.

Simphiwe recently graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of South Africa. He lives in Kuils River and is a single father to two teenage daughters.

Simphiwe says that he studied law because his life was plagued by many injustices including the slaying of his father and other family members for which his family never received justice. As he is passionate about helping others find justice and being the voice of reason for those who are treated unfairly, this new qualification will come in handy.

Simphiwe’s journey with the City of Cape Town started in 2009, when his Human Resources lecturer, who was also a City employee, encouraged him to apply for a job with the City. At that time, Simphiwe had just completed a National Diploma in Human Resources.

Initially, he was employed on contract, however, in 2011 he was employed permanently.

As a former teacher he spearheaded a number of educational initiatives including the literacy project, the annual reading competition, and ongoing support for students with barriers to learning.

Simphiwe said: ‘I facilitate Adult Education and Training in the General Education and Training Band, and conduct research with the purpose of enhancing Adult learning. I also initiate projects and advertising Requests for Quotations. In addition, I am also responsible for various training and development projects including the recent ETD Recognition Awards (Project Manager), skills audit, and the induction of new employees.’

Simphiwe says working, studying and being a present father was very challenging but faith, perseverance, resilience, hard work and family support kept him going. He had to sacrifice sleep and cut down on social weekends.

His journey has not been easy. In his third year, he went through a family crisis and in his final year, was diagnosed with Covid-19 and spent almost a month in hospital critically ill.

However, his first year was the worst as he was academically excluded, but appealed the decision and the institution overturned it. He was given a second chance.

‘Simphiwe’s name means ‘we have been given him’ and indeed he is a gift and a great asset to the City. He is unstoppable and does not intend to slow down. I am so proud of his achievements. His passion for people and education is commendable. I am happy that the City has made a contribution to his continuous development and amazing achievements. We pride ourselves as a City that creates a culture where all talent can thrive and Simphiwe is the living testimony of that. He is not the signboard that shows people where to go but he goes with them. What a remarkable man,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services, Alderman Theresa Uys.

‘Supporting skills development and creating a compelling value proposition’ that will help position the City as a best employer, is at the core of our service delivery objectives. We encourage our employees to take advantage of the opportunities at their disposal, like our bursary scheme and study leave in order to have the right people for the right jobs. Simphiwe is living proof that this is possible, with a bit of perseverance and commitment. Ntinga ntakandini, the sky is the limit,’ said Alderman Uys.

Source: City of Cape Town

The City of Cape Town is earmarking approximately R40 million to help curb and prevent vandalism of critical energy infrastructure in communities. This is part of the approved 2022/23 Budget, coming into effect from July 2022. Electricity infrastructure vandalism remains high in areas across the city, affecting residents the most. The City calls on communities to stand with us so that we protect community infrastructure.

The City is boosting its efforts to curb the scourge of vandalism. There has been a downward trend in the number of vandalism, theft and illegal connections incidents in some areas due to the enhanced support from members of the public and City efforts; however the overall number as well as reoccurring incidents in the city remain high.

‘Incidents of electricity infrastructure vandalism continue to be recorded in all areas in the metro, including damage to streetlights. Damage to streetlights and to kiosks is among the most affected. These continuous illegal acts are plaguing our communities and together with residents, we are determined to bring an end to infrastructure vandalism.

‘The R40 million injection will focus on securing critical infrastructure in all communities, boosting security patrols in hotspot areas and permanent security deployments to strategic energy infrastructure.

‘In addition, we will embark on a vandalism awareness and education drive in our communities so that residents have a greater understanding of the impact and cost of vandalism in their areas. We call on our communities to stand by us and to work with us to help protect community infrastructure,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Councillor Beverley van Reenen.

Source: City of Cape Town

HARARE, ZIMBABWE — An internet rumor blazed through the country that desperate people were selling their toes for cash. The false report became so widespread that the country's Deputy Minister of Information Kindness Paradza visited street vendors in central Harare earlier this month to debunk it.

One-by-one the traders took off their shoes to show that they had all 10 toes, as Zimbabwe's state media recorded the digital investigation.

Paradza declared the toes-for-money story a hoax, as did local and foreign fact-checkers. Police later arrested a street vendor who now faces a fine or 6 months in jail on charges of criminal nuisance for allegedly starting the story.

It's starkly true, however, that Zimbabweans are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. Since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine, Zimbabwe's inflation rate has shot up from 66% to more than 130%, according to official statistics. The war is blamed for rising fuel and food prices.

The war in Ukraine has exacerbated inflation around the world. Consumer prices in the 19 European Union countries that use the euro currency surged 8.1% in May, a record rate as energy and food costs climbed. In the U.S. and the United Kingdom, annual inflation hit or was close to 40-year highs of 8.3% and 9%, respectively, in April. Turkey approached Zimbabwe's eye-watering prices, with inflation reaching 73.5% in May, the highest in 24 years.

In Zimbabwe, the impact of the Ukraine war is heaping problems on its fragile economy. The war "coupled with our historical domestic imbalances, has created challenges in terms of economic instability seen through the currency volatility and spilling over into price volatility," Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube told Parliament in May.

Teachers "can no longer afford bread and other basics, this is too much," tweeted the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe in early June. The three largest teachers' unions are demanding the government pay their salaries in U.S. dollars because their pay in local currency is "eroded overnight."

"Because of high inflation, the local currency is collapsing," economic analyst Prosper Chitambara told The Associated Press. "Individuals and companies no longer trust the local currency and that has put pressure on the demand for U.S. dollars. The Ukraine war is simply exacerbating an already difficult situation."

Many fear Zimbabwe could return to the hyperinflation of 2008, which was estimated at 500 billion percent, according to the International Monetary Fund. At that time, plastic bags full of 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollar banknotes were not enough to buy basic groceries.

The economic catastrophe forced then-President Robert Mugabe to form a "unity government" with the opposition and adopt a multi-currency system in 2009 in which US dollars and the South African rand were accepted as legal tender.

The U.S. dollar continues to dominate with prices in local currency often benchmarked to the rates for the American currency on the flourishing illegal market, where most individuals and companies get their foreign currency.

Across the country, currency traders line the streets and crowd entrances to shopping centers waving wads of both the local currency and U.S dollars.

Many Zimbabweans who earn in local currency such as government workers are forced to source dollars on the illegal market, where exchange rates are soaring, to pay for goods and services that are increasingly being charged in U.S. dollars.

Retailers said the rising rates for U.S. dollars on the illegal market are forcing them to frequently increase prices, often every few days, to allow them to restock.

The once-prosperous southern African country's economy is battered by years of de-industrialization, corruption, low investment, low exports and high debt. Zimbabwe struggles to generate an adequate inflow of greenbacks needed for its largely dollarized local economy.

Ordinary Zimbabweans are returning to coping mechanisms they relied on during the hyperinflationary era such as skipping meals. Others now buy food items in smaller quantities, sometimes in such tiny packages they are enough for just a single meal. Locals call them "tsaona," meaning "accident" in the local Shona language.

Promising better days ahead, Ncube, the finance minister, said the government "will not hesitate to act and intervene to cushion against price increases and exchange rate volatility."

Many are skeptical of such vows from the government, saying nothing short of a miracle will pull Zimbabwe out of its economic crisis. Even while coping with constantly rising prices, many can't help making grim jokes about the situation.

"I still have all my toes intact but it wouldn't hurt selling one," chuckled Harare resident Asani Sibanda. "I could still walk without it, but my family would at least get some food."

Source: Voice of America