Bread now Z$ 65,000 as food prices increase daily

By Tererai Karimakwenda
24 February 2006

Teachers, soldiers and civil servants received their salaries on Thursday but none of the month-end joy of having cash in the pocket was visible on their faces. This month, payday coincided with another drastic increase in food prices, making compensation for their hard work meaningless. Our Harare correspondent Simon Muchemwa reports that people woke up to “earth shattering” price increases Thursday morning, making Wednesday night’s earthquake a source of humour for many desperate families in the country.

Muchemwa said a loaf of bread is now between Z$ 65,000 and
Z$ 75,000, up from Z$ 45,000. Cooking oil went up to Z$ 710,000 from Z$ 560,000 and a 1kg packet of surf detergent now costs Z$ 400,000. He said The Consumer Council had pegged 1 family basket for the month at Z$ 25 million for the last 2 months, but he estimates it now to be close to Z$ 50 million. With salaries not increasing to keep up with this runaway inflation rate, every increase takes away much more from a population that now relies on money from relatives abroad, for those who have them.

And no-one is exempt from the effects of the economic crisis. Muchemwa said he spoke with 2 Central Intelligence Officers who said their duties have increased due to massive government layoffs. But they expressed resentment at top officials who are benefiting from the crisis, while their salaries do not reflect the extra time, effort and sacrifices they are making doing the “dangerous ground work”. Muchemwa said even the CIO agents now have to pay Z$ 82,000 for a small bag of tea leaves, and Z$ 300,000 for one of powdered milk.

As Zimbabweans were trying hard to adjust to these sudden increases, the MDC faction led by president Morgan Tsvangirai released a statement criticising the extravagant amounts being spent on Robert Mugabe’s birthday celebrations. Part of the statement read: “In typical medieval fashion, Robert Mugabe at the weekend will once again turn his birthday into a grand state occasion with lavish feasting and hype while the nation is in the middle of starvation.” Muchemwa said this hit home for many people, and has been the subject of many discussions. The statement goes on to say: “The real story of Zimbabwe is not the birthday of an 82-year old, but the massive starvation in our communities, the corruption in Zanu PF that has ground the economy to a halt and worsened the already collapsing education and health sectors.