Do you remember whay back when, there was an advertising campaign to buy local goods - was it "Buy Rhodesian" ?
We then desperately needed to get our economy back on track in the sixties and seventies ?
We forsook Kellogs Cornflakes to eat the perfectly acceptable Willards Cornflakes. We forsook nice soft loo paper to use the more economical but abrasive re-cycled loo paper. We gave up Marmite and Bovril (they never found a local equivalent of that ! We started to eat Cashel Valley jams and tinned fruit instead of Koo and Robertsons.
Nothing was imported except by the Hardy Sanctions Busters !! We grew our own, canned our own, made our own. The first matches were a joke, but they got the hang of them. The candles were strange but we got used to them, in fact you get used to everything after a while and now we love our local products.
Who needed Nescafe when there was Mr Dickins and Ellis Brown ? Who needed English Breakfast tea when there was Tanganda. Who needed Roses Lime Juice when there was Mazoe ?
Sadly now all of those precious familiar goods have all but disappeared off the shelves, but we have it on good authority that they WILL COME BACK - and at a lower price than the imported equivalent.
But its up to us to make it work, we must no longer buy OMO - we must look or the local Lever Brothers or Stanchem products - like good old Surf - who cares what the packaging looks like, it will improve when business improves.
And besides 'THINK GREEN" all that fancy silver packaging with twenty seven colours is false economy and is destroying the eco system !!
Go to Solomons and buy some of the Stanchem washing powder, the packaging is interesting but its cheaper and works just as well.
Give up that Revlon and that Max Factor, lets keep the local wheels of industry turning for goodness sake. Support people who have made a stand here and who are prepared to continue to make a stand. Buy the excellent Kigelia beauty products. They have a brand new beautiful look and are now obtainable in abundance once again at Eley Education. The Teasdale Family has been here in Zimbabwe forever and before they export their entire range, get your share of the action !!
Phone Marike on 66703 or e mail her on eley@yoafrica. com and find out more about this superb natural, locally grown, locally manufactured, skin care range.
Don't have your car serviced down south any more on your next holiday. Give the local auto people a chance. I had my precious Taurus sorted out at Dulys and I was so impressed. They could not do enough for me. They fixed the car most professionally , even found my wheel spanner that had disappeared some years ago under a seat , and called for an after sales service confirmation chat !!
I feel so guilty now when I buy goods outside of Zim or by imported goods, knowing that every purchase I make is probably doing some poor fellow out of a job !!
OK I admit, I have not made a foray into a local dress shop for many years now, but when I was a "famous" TV personality Truworths and Edgars would lend me numerous outfits and I will always be grateful for that.
So Zimbabweans BUY ZIMBABWEAN !! Lets make our industry work again, lets get those factories open, those thousands of people employed again. Lets get the dollars pouring into the country instead of pouring out of the country.
GRACE CARMEL KEYS - BERNING nee BRADSHAW
From Gutu Trafalgar Farm - Ex Marymount School
Passed away in Brisbane on 25th March, 09 after battling Cancer for many, many years. Through her faith, strength and courage she endured unbelievable suffering and we are all honoured to call her our friend. Go in Peace Gracie we love you. Our condolences to her loving family, but, to
Colin, you are the most wonderful man on earth and we pray that the happy and wonderful memories will see you through your sorrow.
THE McNEILAGE FAMILY
BRISBANE AUSTRALIA
johnmerle@optusnet. com.au
It was so sad to read about dear Esme Stewart. She was a wonderful lady, and always looked lovely, remembered everyone and had time to say hello, and I think I've known her for about 43 years, considering I'm now 50 and Gaynor and I were at Hillside School together. My love to Keith & Carol and families. Carol MacKenzie.
From: carol_mackenzie@ ymail.com
New Zimbabwean political dispensation creates business opportunities
Due to political rearrangements in Zimbabwe, the Prime Minister has been granted the prerogative to implement policies and is in the unique position to balance performance with political realities. This has "created the perfect window any country can have" for investors and the business community to initiate activities in Zimbabwe. This was the view shared by the Zimbabwean minister for Economic Planning and Investment Promotion, Elton Mangoma, at a forum on doing business in Zimbabwe held at financial advisory services firm KPMG in Johannesburg.
"The private sector must play a pre-eminent role in getting Zimbabwe moving again. We have got to re- examine the private sector as partners. The Zimbabwean government must mingle and consult with the private sector and ensure that their concerns are dealt with."
Furthermore, the scrapping of the Zimbabwean dollar has led to one of the most liberal exchange control regimes in the world with the US dollar and the South African Rand acting as anchor currencies. It is yet to be seen which will emerge as the dominant currency. There is no urgency to re-introduce the Zimbabwean dollar, he said.
Business opportunities exist in a vast number of sectors in Zimbabwe, including agriculture, mining, tourism, manufacturing, information technology, infrastructure development and financial services.
The government has stimulated the process by introducing the Short Term Emergency Recovery Programme (STERP) designed to target production. The aim is to have industry operating at 60% of capacity by the end of the year. Industry is currently operating at less than 10% of its capacity.
The 'lost decade' has meant that in many sectors the country has fallen behind in its growth trajectory. Although potential donors have been looking at Zimbabwe largely from a humanitarian standpoint, they have recently agreed to assist with the strengthening of public finance management systems which they believe are currently not strong enough to ensure targeted spend.
"Zimbabweans might also be a touch too optimistic about the rate of the economic turnaround and we therefore need to manage their expectations, " he said.
It is expected that in three weeks the World Bank and International Monetary Fund will have formalised their position on Zimbabwe.
"In addition, Zimbabwe must be food self-sufficient by 2010. This is the minimum and it is achievable. We are not necessarily talking about a surplus that can be used for cattle feed, but about human consumption of food," said Mangoma.
Also speaking at the forum, Brian Njikizana, a partner at KPMG Zimbabwe, noted that "business opportunities are arising in Zimbabwe through policy changes driven by government. These opportunities will be enhanced by the Zimbabwean government's decision to privatise and commercialise some of its parastatals. The commercialisation of public utilities will create opportunities for re-tooling and recapitalisation" , he said.
Mangoma also urged South African companies to re-capitalise Zimbabwean based subsidiaries. "Where you are a parent company, please recapitalise subsidiaries in Zimbabwe. Now is the time. Whoever is strong [in Zimbabwe] now, will be very strong in the future. Zimbabwe also needs lines of credit and extended credit terms. Let's extend 90 day terms to 180 day terms, which companies can do. Companies might see this as risky, but the South African government has been asked to guarantee credit lines to Zimbabwe," he said.
About KPMG International
KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. We operate in 144 countries and have 137,000 people working in member firms around the world. The independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated with KPMG International, a Swiss cooperative. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such.
For more details please contact:
John Saker
Chief Operating Officer
Tel: 011 647 7121 or 084 647 7121
E-mail: john.saker@kpmg. co.za
Lara Magnus
Orange Ink
Telephone: 011 704 3894
E-mail: lara@orangeink. co.za
KPMG, the audit, tax and advisory firm (www.kpmg.co. za), is the S.A. member firm of KPMG International.
Caitlin Hawken
Orange Ink
t: (011) 704 3894
f: 0866 990 710
c: 083 391 4023
www.orangeink. co.za
A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of root beer (iron brew in SA context) and started his journey.
When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her some chips. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.
Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.
As twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave; but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"
Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?" She replied! "I ate potato chips in the park with God." However, before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime! Embrace all equally!
Have lunch with God ....... bring chips.
"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can."
John Wesley
"Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities" (Luke 16:10 NLT).
Servants do every task with equal dedication. Whatever they do, servants "do it with all their heart" (Colossians 3:23 NIV).
The size of the task is irrelevant. The only issue is, does it need to be done?
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MIRROR CAN ONLY DEAL WITH E MAIL QUERIES, PLEASE DO NOT PHONE IN YOUR ADVERTS AND QUERIES... ONLY E-MAILS WILL BE CONSIDERED
