small change

The deal is for 300 million US dollars -- and they're negotiating it right next to us as a waitress hands out Fanta.

"That was Vice President Msika's* son," says the 30-something Shona man proudly. Earlier he told the adolescent busy fixing his wife's laptop that he'd lived in 'Ukay' for 20 years where he'd been a professional boxer. He returned to Zimbabwe three years ago. "Now I sell fuel," he tells the spikey-haired teen.

His wife returns with the associates. They sit on puffy leather chairs. There are flies on the tables.

"That was Vice President Msika's son," the Shona man repeats. "Douglas. Not the other one Joel. He's a bit stupid. He's just given us an order for three million."

The ageing white man -- Portuguese? Spanish? -- appears unimpressed. He's irritated by the heat, the flies. He flicks open his cellphone, shouts in broken English.

"Look, yesterday you tell me 46 cents a litre. Now you tell me 56. I want your boss. This not how you do business." He turns to his neighbour. "10 cents extra a litre - that's two million."

"They don't play games," insists the Shona guy to no-one in particular. His wife, freshly-coiffed, says she has a friend at Noczim, the state fuel procurer. She's on a cellphone too, asking about fuel prices in Bulawayo. "The Msikas are a good family, a strong family..."

"I call you tomorrow," the patriarch says.

* VP Msika died earlier this year. Businessman Billy Rautenbauch was specially thanked by the Msika family in the official Herald newspaper last week for help offered during their 'time of loss.'