VOA标准英语2009年-Cross-Border Trade Thrives Amidst Zimbabwe Cris

The Zimbabwean economy is reeling under an economic disaster characterized by hyper-inflation, 80 percent unemployment and shortages of food, fuel and other basic goods. But despite the virtual collapse¹ of the formal economy, business is booming in certain areas.
　
Bags of fruit, ready to be driven across the border into Zimbabwe

Judging by the volume of traffic passing between Zimbabwe and South Africa, the economic crisis in Zimbabwe seems unreal.

In Zimbabwe, the shelves in most stores are empty. There are shortages of food, fuel and other basic goods. And few people have money to buy what is available.

Yet millions of dollars worth of goods cross the border from South Africa each week. The South African government, according to official statistics, last year supplied one-half of Zimbabwe's imports, some $2 billion worth.

But it is the unofficial trade born of necessity that is most noticeable here.
　
Zimbabweans walk towards the Beitbridge Border Post after shopping in Musina, South Africa (2008 photo)

Just outside the border post, a man sells bananas from the back of a truck. Vendors² along the sidewalk sell fruits, vegetables and bags to carry them in.

Zimbabweans, some of whom have crossed the border just for the day, are their primary customers. Some come to South Africa to shop just for their families. Each individual is allowed $100 worth of goods duty-free.

Others can be seen lugging³ heavy jute-sack bags through the border post or driving up with trucks loaded down with goods. For these people, it is a living.

Webster Chibobo is lounging with a dozen other traders in the shade at a mini-bus stand a few meters from the border post.
　
Webster Chibobo runs a trading business with goods from South Africa

They are waiting until tomorrow morning to cross, hoping they can make it to their homes in Zimbabwe by nightfall.

Chibobo has been doing a thriving business buying goods in South Africa and selling them at home. But he says everyone in Zimbabwe now is trading in foreign currency, or forex, because the inflation-battered Zimbabwean dollar is worthless.

"The economy has just gone down," said Chibobo. "That's why we are now using forex [foreign exchange] because the Zim dollar, we can't even use. You can't pay anything with it usually."
　
Most Zimbabweans, especially in rural areas, are dependent upon donated food

But poor people, especially in rural areas, do not have foreign currency. So they are suffering the most. More than one-half of the population of 12 million needs food aid.

In Musina, a South African town 12 kilometers from the border, the streets are filled with stores catering⁴ to Zimbabwean traders.

The Messina (sic) Factory Shop is a large warehouse⁵ sitting off the main street. Inside, shelves reaching to the ceiling are piled with crates⁶ of maize⁷ meal, canned goods and paper products.

Manager Imtiaz Seedat smiles as shoppers fill carts with goods. He says his clients range from small buyers to wholesale⁸ traders. Business is booming.
　
The Factory Shop does a substantial business with individuals and traders buying in Musina and taking goods back across the border to Zimbabwe

"It's a big amount," said Seedat. "We've got some guys coming to buy 100,000 [Rand worth], 200,000. It depends. It depends on the individual. Some guys by a basket for 1,000 Rand at a time."

Zimbabwe's formal economy has basically collapsed⁹ and there is widespread hunger in the country. Many hospitals and schools are closed. And public water and sanitation¹⁰ services have deteriorated¹¹, leading to a cholera¹² epidemic¹³ that has killed 3,800 people.

But Seedat says this can be misleading.

"There's a lot of money in Zimbabwe," he said. "I don't understand it when people say there is no money in Zimbabwe. There is money. But the banks haven't got money. The people's got the money."

He notes that the Zimbabwean government recently began allowing businesses to trade in foreign currency. As a result, some big outlets¹⁴ in Zimbabwe are now stocking their shelves. The competition has brought prices lower and his business has slowed somewhat.

Outside the store, people load crates of goods onto cars, trucks and trailers, most with Zimbabwe registration¹⁵ plates. When the vehicle is full or they have run out of money, they begin the long ride home.

Zimbabweans hope the new power sharing government which was inaugurated this month will revive the economy, but most Zimbabweans believe the task will be long and difficult.

In the meantime, the cross-border trade continues to thrive in spite of the crisis, or rather because of it.

1 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

2 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 lugging   

超载运转能力

参考例句：

• I would smile when I saw him lugging his golf bags into the office. 看到他把高尔夫球袋拖进办公室，我就笑一笑。 来自辞典例句
• As a general guide, S＄1 should be adequate for baggage-lugging service. 一般的准则是，如有人帮你搬运行李，给一新元就够了。 来自互联网

4 catering   

n. 给养

参考例句：

• Most of our work now involves catering for weddings. 我们现在的工作多半是承办婚宴。
• Who did the catering for your son's wedding? 你儿子的婚宴是由谁承办的？

5 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

6 crates   

n. 板条箱, 篓子, 旧汽车 vt. 装进纸条箱

参考例句：

• We were using crates as seats. 我们用大木箱作为座位。
• Thousands of crates compacted in a warehouse. 数以千计的板条箱堆放在仓库里。

7 maize   

n.玉米

参考例句：

• There's a field planted with maize behind the house.房子后面有一块玉米地。
• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。

8 wholesale   

n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售

参考例句：

• The retail dealer buys at wholesale and sells at retail.零售商批发购进货物，以零售价卖出。
• Such shoes usually wholesale for much less.这种鞋批发出售通常要便宜得多。

9 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

10 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

11 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

12 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

13 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

14 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？