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Zimbabwe has $217 in the bank: finance minister
Star Africa ^ | 1-29-13 | Jekesai Njikizana

Posted on 01/29/2013 3:33:05 PM PST by dynachrome

HARARE (AFP) After paying public workers’ salaries last week, the balance in cash-strapped Zimbabwe’s government public account stood at just $217, Finance Minister Tendai Biti said Tuesday.

“Last week when we paid civil servants there was $217 (left) in government coffers,” Biti told journalists in the capital Harare, claiming some of them had healthier bank balances than the state.

“The government finances are in paralysis state at the present moment. We are failing to meet our targets.”

Zimbabwe’s economy went into free-fall at the turn of the millennium, after President Robert Mugabe began seizing white-owned farms.

The move demolished investor confidence in the country, paralysed production, prompted international sanctions and scared off tourists.

After more than a decade — in which the country suffered hyper-inflation of 231 million percent and infrastructure that crumbled as quickly as prices went up — the situation is now more stable.

But public finances remain a mess and local business battles against unstable electricity supplies, lack of liquidity and high labour costs.

Zimbabwe’s government has warned it does not have enough money to fund a constitutional referendum and elections expected this year.

(Excerpt) Read more at en.starafrica.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Political Humor/Cartoons
KEYWORDS: economy; lol; zimbabwe
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Funniest thing I've read in awhile!
1 posted on 01/29/2013 3:33:12 PM PST by dynachrome
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To: Clive

Zim ping


2 posted on 01/29/2013 3:34:19 PM PST by dynachrome (Vertrou in God en die Mauser)
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To: dynachrome

Bring back the Brits.


3 posted on 01/29/2013 3:37:27 PM PST by Mears
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To: dynachrome

Could be worse —they could instead be $115 TRILLION in the hole, after you could unfunded liabilities.

(that’s a pile of $100-bills twice as high was the WTC, btw...)


4 posted on 01/29/2013 3:39:32 PM PST by gaijin
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To: dynachrome
Yeah, funny.
Except that they are planning to ask for international donations.
Just wait for Obama's next bail out.
5 posted on 01/29/2013 3:39:39 PM PST by norton
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To: dynachrome

But actually, that is more than we have.


6 posted on 01/29/2013 3:39:52 PM PST by Vince Ferrer
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To: dynachrome

Sorry. Just do not care.


7 posted on 01/29/2013 3:40:02 PM PST by Kenton (Wounded Warrior Project, a charity worth supporting - Donate today.)
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To: dynachrome

At least they’re in the black financially!


8 posted on 01/29/2013 3:41:04 PM PST by jughandle
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Comment #9 Removed by Moderator

To: dynachrome

That’s $16,500,000,000,217 more than we got.


10 posted on 01/29/2013 3:42:14 PM PST by Fightin Whitey
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To: dynachrome

Maybe they could just put in one of those $1 Quadzillion Zimbabwe bills in the bank to cover it?


11 posted on 01/29/2013 3:42:30 PM PST by SeminoleCounty (GOP = Greenlighting Obama's Programs)
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To: dynachrome
Harare, Zimbabwe

And in better times, long ago:


12 posted on 01/29/2013 3:43:11 PM PST by gaijin
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To: dynachrome

Sounds like Zimbabwe is longing for the days when it was Rhodesia


13 posted on 01/29/2013 3:43:46 PM PST by elkfersupper ( Member of the Original Defiant Class)
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To: dynachrome

Good thing they didn’t try Quantitative Easing. The $217 would be in the red, and with about seven decimal places on the end.


14 posted on 01/29/2013 3:47:09 PM PST by blackdog (There is no such thing as healing, only a balance between destructive and constructive forces.)
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To: F15Eagle

leave it to a foreign born, foreign educated, foreign mentored, anti american indonesian muslim steeped in marxism beliefs......

let the culture go the course and yes, we will have a kenya....er zimbabwe on our plate.


15 posted on 01/29/2013 3:54:59 PM PST by himno hero (hadnuff)
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To: dynachrome

“Does anybody have a phone number for that Geithner fellow? I hear he’s available.”


16 posted on 01/29/2013 3:56:22 PM PST by jiggyboy (Ten percent of poll respondents are either lying or insane)
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To: dynachrome

My daughter, who just graduated from college and started working on contract for a PR and advertising firm as an Accounts Analyst is RICHER than the entire country of Zimbabwe... who would thunk!!


17 posted on 01/29/2013 4:02:48 PM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: blackdog

$217??? Woo Hoo!! Road Trip!


18 posted on 01/29/2013 4:04:42 PM PST by grandpa jones (obama delenda est)
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To: Fightin Whitey
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

our new treasury sec has it covered.

19 posted on 01/29/2013 4:05:56 PM PST by TurboZamboni (Looting the future to bribe the present)
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To: dynachrome

$217 in the bank??

even Zimbabwe’s financial situation is better then ours


20 posted on 01/29/2013 4:09:36 PM PST by sten (fighting tyranny never goes out of style)
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