Zimbabwe encourages poverty again

From the department of I'm-wondering-whether- Mugabe-is-deliberately-trying-to-destroy-his-country:

The Zimbabwean parliament has passed a bill to move majority control of foreign-owned companies operating in the country to black Zimbabweans.

The goal is to ensure at least a 51% shareholding by indigenous black people in the majority of businesses.

The bill completes a process that began with the controversial seizure of white-owned farms starting in 1999.

Zimbabwe is currently experiencing the world's highest inflation and shortages of food, fuel and foreign currency.

The bill still has to go to the upper house - the Senate - for final approval. It already has the support of President Robert Mugabe's government.

If passed in the Senate, the practical effect of the bill may, however, be severely limited, says the BBC's Peter Biles in Johannesburg.

Many foreign companies in Zimbabwe are already operating at a low level, with reduced turnover resulting from the seven-year economic crisis.