Store banker i det sydafrikanske land har lånt ud i øst og vest, fordi de svømmede i midler efter en reform af pengepolitikken – det fik mange til at optage lån, også dem med lave indkomster, og nu er de ofte ilde stedt.
HARARE, 13 November 2012 (IRIN): When Davis Moyo* was fired from his job at a financial institution in the Zimbabwean capital Harare last year, he counted himself lucky when he found another job almost immediately, and even luckier when he secured a loan to start a chicken-rearing business that he hoped would supplement his salary.
His application for a 4.000 US dollar loan to be repaid over 12 months was swiftly processed by one of the many banking institutions that had combed his workplace for new clients, and Moyo was soon presiding over his dream business.
He envisaged (forestillede sig) providing employment to scores of the unemployed and, with a bit of luck and hard work, being able to quit his new job to run his business full-time within a few years.
But after only one and half years, Moyo lost his job with his new employer and his business venture also fell on hard times. He was soon behind on his loan repayments and accruing (oparbejdede) an even larger debt from the interest charges.
The bank initiated (indledte) legal action against him to recover their money and Moyo’s material goods – a refrigerator, a TV, a kitchen set and a wheelbarrow (trillebør), went under the hammer at a public auction.
A lot like him
Zimbabwe’s newspapers are filled with public notices for auctions as many other individuals and companies lose their property to banks and money-lenders after falling behind on loan repayments.
The Southern african country’s financial sector has enjoyed three years of economic growth following the adoption of multiple currencies (man kan både bruge landets egen møntfod og udenlandske valutaer, red.) in early 2009 and an end to a tumultuous trading period characterized by record inflation, bank closures and failures.
Buoyed by phenomenal growth in deposits (indskud/indlån) and a steady currency, many banks have introduced personal bank loans to attract new clients.
The loans have been very popular even among low-income earners. Qualifying amounts range from as little as 500 US dollar, while interest rates range between 18 and 20 percent per annum depending on the bank.
Many Zimbabwean workers, including the majority of civil servants, still take home salaries well below 500 US dollar a month.
This amount is considered inadequate to sustain a family of six based on the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe’s estimate of 572 US dollar to meet a household’s essential needs for one month.
Civil servants have repeatedly demanded salary increases but the government says it lacks the revenue to meet their demands. In an effort to supplement their poor salaries, many workers are taking out loans in order to start small, income-generating ventures.
Proliferation (udbredelse) of personal loans
Læs videre på
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96770/ZIMBABWE-Succumbing-to-the-debt-trap
