Recent events have shown how natural disasters can wreak havoc on an economy. Take for instance the earthquake and tsunami that recently devastated Japan, reversing economic gains that had been achieved over the years. Similar catastrophes in the form of raging fires, droughts, blizzards and heat waves have been experienced elsewhere, illustrating how harsh nature can be on humankind.

Zimbabwe has been spared such extreme experiences. In fact, its climate was voted ‘the best climate on Earth’ alongside Malta in the International Living magazine’s 2011 Quality of Life Index published in January ranking192 countries. Yet a month later, Zimbabwe’s capital city, Harare was considered the ‘least livable city in the world,’ by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s ‘world's most livable cities’ survey of 140 cities across the globe.