Today Mark got a firsthand look at what Zimbabweans go through at the Immigration office here in Gaborone. Our good friend Lanny’s allotted time in Botswana was due to expire tomorrow, so he went to Immigration today to ask for an extension. The plan was that Lanny would go at 3:00 this morning and hopefully be first in line. Then, when the office opened at 7:30, Mark would join Lanny for moral support and to speak on his behalf if it seemed that would help.
Lanny got up even earlier than planned and went at 2:00 this morning only to find about 100 people already there ahead of him. Many of them had been turned down yesterday and spent the night there in hopes of getting a different answer today. When I called Mark at 8:30 for news, he said that Lanny was number 60 in line outside the gate, and that there were probably 50 more people already inside the gate. Apparently it was hard to make forward progress, because so-called “consultants” were moving people to the front of the line for a fee.
Mark stayed a couple of hours, but finally he had to leave. He was on his way back at lunchtime when he heard from Lanny – after waiting ten hours in line, he was granted a 15-day extension! Lanny is so thankful for this extra time. He is in the middle of some jobs, and he will not get paid until he finishes them. He said that most of the people who spent the night are in that same boat. They have no money to go home, and they won’t get paid for their piece jobs unless they complete them.
Lanny gave Mark 300,000 Zimbabwean dollars today. He said that they are worth about 10 thebe (less than two cents). I read recently that the Zimbabwean dollar is the weakest currency in the world, maybe the weakest currency in the history of the world.
Please keep Zimbabwe in your prayers!
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