In an interview with English to Africa reporter Ashenafi Abedje, Macumbe describes the mood among Zimbabweans on the eve of their independence anniversary. “Unfortunately it is very gloomy, because the majority of Zimbabweans cannot afford most of the basic necessities of life and doesn’t seem to be any prospect for productive change in the near future.” He says the economic difficulties are “essentially making people look at this independence as a non-event.”