Toe shedding: Zimbabweans reportedly selling their toes to make ends meet

Published Jun 3, 2022

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Cape Town – Social media erupted this week after a video emerged that folks in Zimbabwe are reportedly selling their toes to make money, local media reported on Wednesday.

A video, posted on social media seen by Ripples Nigeria, on Tuesday, was posted on social media platform, Twitter, showed a man limping, with wool covering a part of his toe.

He was bragging about using the money he got from selling the toe to purchase a Toyota vehicle, the Nigerian publication reported.

According to a BBC report, the unfounded story that suggests Zimbabweans are parting with their digits to beat poverty seems to be trending across Zimbabwe.

A tongue-and-cheek Zimbabwean blog post suggested the trade was happening at a shopping centre in the capital, Harare.

The Gambakwe blog, published on May 28, said the “trade in toes” was happening at Harare’s Ximex Mall.

It quotes WhatsApp messages with figures as high as $40 000 (R621 230) being offered by traditional healers in South Africa for a big toe.

According to reports, toe memes and jokes are circulating in Zimbabwe, often posted with the hashtag #Chigunwe, which means “toes” in the local Shona language.

IOL

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