Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Business
Calvin Manika

‘Cat and mouse game’: Zimbabwe gov’t workers moonlight as street vendors

A vendor sells food items from a cart in Harare's central business district [Calvin Manika/Al Jazeera]

Harare, Zimbabwe – Every morning, Dumisani Ngara* gets up at dawn to catch a 6:30am bus to work at Zimbabwe’s Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities. The government-provided bus is free for civil servants in Harare, and on his $250 monthly salary, he tries to save every cent he can.

Once at work, Ngara – dressed neatly in a suit and tie – makes sure the day’s files are all in order before the office opens at 8:30am. In between paperwork and meetings, he takes breaks. At 1pm, he opens a lunchbox packed with rice and meat he prepared at home.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.