I-WILLEMSTAD, eCuracao - Iinqwelomoya ezisuka eVenezuela zisiya kumazwe akufuphi zigcwele abahambi ababambe amakhadi etyala kwaye bajonge ukwenza iimali ezikhawulezayo phantsi kwemithetho umhlali uHugo Chavez owaziswa ukunqanda indiza enkulu.
Isiqithi seCaribbean saseCuracao, esikunxweme lwaseVenezuela, yeyona ndawo ithandwayo ngabantu baseVenezuela abakhenkethayo ukuze benze ingeniso enejusi yokuthenga iidola ngexabiso eliphantsi eliqingqiweyo. Baphinda kabini imali yabo ngokuthengisa i-greenbacks ekhaya kwimarike ehambelanayo esemthethweni.
Abakhenkethi ababizwa ngokuba yimali, babaleka besuka kwiinqwelomoya baye ngqo koomatshini bemali kwindawo enelanga eyayisakuba yithanga lamaDatshi elinabahlali abangama-300,000. Iinqwelomoya eziya eCuracao nakwezinye iindawo ezithandwayo eAruba nasePanama zihlala zibhukishwa ngokupheleleyo kwiinyanga ngaphambi kwexesha.
“Sithenge amatikiti ethu kwiinyanga ezimbini ezidlulileyo, yonke into igcwele ngenxa yolawulo lwemali. Xa izinga elihambelanayo linyuka wonke umntu uhamba, ”utshilo umhlali waseCaracas uLino Olivero, oneminyaka engama-30, kwicafe yesiXeko sasePanama ebonelela ngokutya kunye nomabonwakude waseVenezuela.
Umthetho waseVenezuela uvumela abemi ukuba bathenge ukuya kuthi ga kwi-5,600 yeedola ngonyaka ngeenjongo zokuhamba ngexabiso eliphantsi elimiselweyo. Kodwa imfuno yeedola iphezulu, kwaye zinokuthengiswa kwimarike ekhulayo, ehambelana nomthetho ngexabiso eliphezulu kakhulu.
Abahambi banokurhoxisa i-500 yeedola ngenyanga koomatshini bemali yaphesheya, kwaye bathathe okuseleyo kwikhomishini esempilweni ngokusebenzisa abarhwebi abenza utshintshiselwano olungeyonyani - bavumela abantu baseVenezuela bathengise iidola okanye bazibeke ekongeni.
Iivenkile zaseCuracao zizaliswe ngabathengi abaswayipha amakhadi ezandla betshintshiselana ngeedola.
Ishishini lilungile kakhulu kubarhwebi abaswayipha amakhadi kangangokuba omnye usomashishini uthe wakwazi ukuthenga amagumbi okuhlala abakhenkethi bemali kunye neeSUVs ukuze abathuthe.
IVenezuela iyonwabele ukukhula kwezoqoqosho ixesha elide kwaye ayikaziva iimpembelelo zokudodobala koqoqosho lwehlabathi okanye ukuwa kwamaxabiso eoli kwamva nje, ngoko ke abantu baseVenezuela abaphambukayo abathengayo basachitha ngokukhawuleza kwaye bejikeleza iCaribbean ukuze bafumane imali kwizinga lotshintshiselwano. Bahlala besebenzisa izabelo zabahlobo kunye nezalamane ukunyusa ibhonanza.
UChavez udale inkqubo yemali ngo-2003 emva kobhukuqo-mbuso lwexesha elifutshane kunye nokuvalwa kweshishini leoli ngabachasi bakhe bezopolitiko kwaphakamisa uloyiko lokubaleka okukhulu kwenkunzi.
Imali ye-bolivar imiselwe ngokusemthethweni kwi-2.15 kwi-dollar kodwa izinga lisondele kwi-5 kwi-market parallel, eyenzelwe ukuthengiselana okulinganiselweyo kodwa ngoku imarike enkulu ebeka ngokufanelekileyo izinga lokutshintshiselwa kuninzi lwezoqoqosho.
Izabelo zohambo zinobunzima koovimba baseVenezuela bangaphandle. Ukuza kuthi ga kuNovemba walo nyaka urhulumente ukhuphe i-4.4 yeebhiliyoni zeedola zokuhamba. Uvimba wemali yangaphandle yebhanki esembindini wehla ngeepesenti ezi-4 ngoNovemba ukuya kwi-39 yeebhiliyoni zeedola.
Abantu baseVenezuela abakulungeleyo ukubamba amakhadi okuthenga ngetyala kwaye bathenge amatikiti eenqwelomoya bayakonwabela ukuxela ukuba usoshiyali uChavez, othembise ngokuphelisa ubungxowankulu behlabathi, uxhasa izityebi, kodwa bambalwa abakhalazelayo ngemali ekhawulezayo.
“Abantu bathi uChavez umbi, kodwa abantu baseVenezuela abakaze bahambe naphina- bajonge ngoku, bagcwele yonke indawo,” utshilo uVictor, umqhubi weteksi kwisiXeko sasePanama ofumana imali eyongezelelweyo kubakhenkethi bemali.
Iivenkile ezikwikomkhulu laseCuracao eWillemstad zigcwala ngeempelaveki kunye nabathengi baseVenezuela ubukhulu becala abangayinanzanga into yokuntywila kwi-scuba diving kunye nesakhiwo esingaqhelekanga samaDatshi esitsala abakhenkethi abavela kwihlabathi liphela.
Baqokelela izixhobo zombane, iimpahla kunye neziqholo ezinokuphinda zithengiswe ngenzuzo eVenezuela apho amaxabiso aphezulu khona, okanye basebenzise iidola ezisanda kufunyanwa ukuze bavule iiakhawunti zebhanki engaselunxwemeni - rhoqo ziphethe iibhegi ngesandla kuba azihlali ubusuku bonke.
Abarhwebi bemali yaseCuracao bagcwala kwisikhululo seenqwelomoya saseWillemstad apho uninzi lweentsuku zabakhenkethi baseVenezuela bakhupha oomatshini bemali abathathu beedola.
Ngempumelelo encinci, ibhodi yemali yaseVenezuela iye yazama ukuliphelisa ishishini ngokujonga iirekhodi zokuthenga ngeenkcukacha zokufudukela kwisikhululo seenqwelomoya.
Amahemuhemu okuba urhulumente uza kuthoba ixabiso elisemthethweni okanye anciphise izabelo zeedola aphembelele ukungxamela ukuchitha izabelo zokuhamba.
Abantu baseVenezuela bayo yonke imivimbo yezopolitiko bazama ukuqokelela iidola ngenxa yokuba izinga lokunyuka kwamaxabiso eepesenti ezingama-27.6 - elona liphezulu eLatin America - liphantse libe kabini inani lenzala, oko kuthetha ukuba ukonga kwasekhaya ngokukhawuleza kuphulukana nexabiso.
“NdinguSoshiyali kwaye ndingumxhasi weChavez, kodwa ndinelungelo lokusebenzisa iidola zam. Ngabesizwe, ayingorhulumente,” utshilo omnye umsebenzi karhulumente ocele ukuba angachazwa.
INTO ONOKUYITHATHA KWELI NQAKU:
- Venezuela has enjoyed a long economic boom and has not yet felt the impact of the world economic slowdown or the recent collapse in oil prices, so shopping-mad Venezuelans are still spending fast and jetting around the Caribbean to cash in on the exchange rate distortions.
- 15 to the dollar but the rate is closer to 5 on the parallel market, designed for some limited transactions but now a large market that effectively sets the exchange rate for much of the economy.
- The Caribbean island of Curacao, which lies off the coast of Venezuela, is a favorite spot for Venezuelans on lightning tours to make juicy profits buying dollars at a cheap fixed exchange rate.
