Mugabe’s Zimbabwe suffers as he celebrates birthday.

It’s a regular occurrence to see Zimbabwe beggars on Johannesburg streets bringing money back to impoverished Zimbabwe. These beggars survive thanks to the generosity of South African motorists. Others who stay in Zimbabwe are surviving on miracles. These miracles happen when a store makes available a bottle of cooking oil or a bar of soap. If you are less lucky but still lucky you will find someone who has the bread you are looking for and sell it to you. All this has not stopped Robert Mugabe from celebrating his 84^th birthday in very lavish style. He has spent $250,000 on his own birthday party while people starve and hospitals close. In fact Zimbabwe's biggest state hospital has stopped surgical operations amid acute shortages of everything. That $250,000 may have been used to keep hospitals open and provide bread for starving children but it wasn’t. The super inflation has gotten to ridiculous proportions with over 100,000% inflation a year and rising. Mugabe’s government continues to print worthless currency as it spends money on upcoming elections. This complete economic meltdown should have toppled Mugabe already but there is a trickle of hard currency that enters the country. This money is sent by people outside the country to Zimbabwe and Mugabe gets his hands on it. Its unclear how long the situation in Zimbabwe can continue as it is now. There have been loans given to the Security forces ahead of elections to keep them loyal at least till then.

It’s a big mess and its Mugabe’s fault. Many hope someone will turn on Mugabe.

That will be the first step to recovery.