Viva Zimbabwe Party President, Acie Lumumba, has made a dig at Zimbabwe’s banks, blaming them for neglecting the people who are sleeping out on pavements for days while waiting to withdraw their money.
In a video released just after 1am this morning, Lumumba is captured talking to people waiting in a bank queue outside CABS First Street, Harare. It is after dark. One woman with a baby on her back says she is going to sleep there and points to her blankets on the ground.
The video also shows a long queue outside CABS 4th Street in Harare.
Lumumba starts off his commentary of the video hitting out, as usual, at ZANU (PF) and then at President Mugabe, but his choicest words this time are reserved for CABS and other Zimbabwean banks.
CABS this year doubled its net surplus to US$20.75 million from $10.63 million last year.
In the video, Lumumba is shown buying buns and mahewu and then having them distributed to people sleeping in the queues.
“The only industry, the only industry in 2016, when it declared its second quarter reports, every single company in that industry made a profit is the banks. Every single company. CABS declared over $5 million of profits in the second quarter of the year asi izvezvi macustomers akarara panze (but right now customers are sleeping outside),” laments the young politician.
“You make profits from charging chembere for mari dzavo (old people for their money). The biggest pension fund in the country is run by CABS which means upenyu hwanambuya nanasekuru huri mumaoko enyu (the lives of old men and women are in your hands), yet you make profits, share them with government, sponsor government agendas, ZANU (PF) particularly) and you won’t even give them tea because they are sleeping outside of your bank, you won’t even give them blankets and worse more you won’t even give them the earn of their sweat [sic]. It’s not right. We can see you and we will deal with you.”
The caption to the video reads, “Tonight we met CABS customers who have spent 3 days sleeping at the bank on the streets. No FOOD (They need their money to buy it). NO clean water or Toilets. Here is a mini docu we shot on the spot using our phones. If our Government isn’t listening, then we must go after these banks! #ThisFlag #Tajamuka #Munhuwesekuroad #VivaZimbabwe #NoTOBondNotes”
The shortage of cash persists in Zimbabwe as the launch of of bond notes hangs imminently over the country.
