Eric Bloch
| Erich Bloch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 2, 1939 Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Died | September 20, 2014 (aged 75) cancer |
| Children | Raphi, Barry, Mark, Ruth |
Dr. Erich Bloch was an economist in Zimbabwe. He is mostly known for his analysis as a newspaper columnist. He also served as an advisor to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. Bloch died in September 2014 at 75 years.
Background
Bloch was born in South Africa to Hans Bloch and his wife Friedel. The family migrated to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe when Eric was a child. His father was also an accountant
Eric attended Milton Boys Junior and then went on to Milton Boys' High.
Career
Bloch became a chartered accountant by profession.
He contributed as a columnist initially for the Financial Gazette, and then later for the Zimbabwe Independent from May 1996 until his death in 2014.
He was chairman of the Advisory Board of the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) Faculty of Architecture and Quantity Surveying, and a member of the Industrial Advisory Board of the Faculty of Journalism and Media Studies.
Economic views
Bloch strongly believed in the efficacy of a free market economy. He was an exponent of the IMF’s austerity measures once Zimbabwe adopted its structural adjustment programme in 1992. He believed most state enterprises and parastatals should be privatised to weed out corruption and enhance operational efficiency, and hence cut costs to the Fiscus.[1]
Land reform views
Bloch believed that the grabbing of land from white farmers in the 2000 era land invasions was wrong. He believed in the willing seller, willing buyer approach. He, however, declared support for the land reform but disagreed with the methodology.[1]
Personal life
He was a member of the Jewish Community in Bulawayo; Eric and his wife Baileh were Orthodox Jews. His wife died in 2011 of a heart attack. [2][3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Joram Nyathi, Fare thee well Dr Eric Bloch, The Herald, Published:26 September 2014, Retrieved: 13 January 2019
- ↑ Farai Gundan. "Renowned Economist And Former Adviser To The Reserve Bank Of Zimbabwe, Eric Bloch Has Died (1939 - 2014)", Forbes, 22 September 2014. Retrieved on 24 September 2014
- ↑ Silence Charumbira. "Economist Eric Bloch dies", NEWSDAY, 21 September 2014. Retrieved on 24 September 2014.
