2005 an 'agonising' year for Zimbabweans

2005 an 'agonising' year for Zimbabweans

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By Staff Reporter

THE year 2005 was “agonising” for most Zimbabweans who saw the prices of basic commodities skyrocket, Zimbabwe’s official consumer watchdog said Thursday.

The Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) said prices of goods like bread, soap, milk and cooking oil surged more than 10 times in the last 12 months.

Bread - a staple for many Zimbabweans, eaten with black tea in the morning - cost 3,500 Zimbabwe dollars in January. Now it costs 44,000 dollars (0.54 dollars) in some shops and as much as 50,000 in others.

Some consumers say they weren’t even able to afford bread for Christmas Day celebrations.

“The year 2005 witnessed living standards for most consumers plummet,” the CCZ said.

“Real incomes for most consumers - mainly the low-income earners - have been eroded. Critical foreign currency shortages, a decline in savings and investments, company closures and high unemployment all had a hand in making 2005 ultimately agonising,” it added.

Zimbabwe’s economy took a downturn in the late 1990s, worsening when President Robert Mugabe began his controversial programme of white land seizures in 2000.

Since then, agricultural production and foreign investment have dramatically declined, leading to critical shortages of foreign currency and the steady weakening of the Zimbabwe dollar. Inflation is currently running at 502 per cent.

The government blames Zimbabwe’s woes on repeated drought and sanctions imposed by the West.

The CCZ said some Zimbabweans had become “poor millionaires”, who, though they had jobs, were still unable to meet the rising cost of living.

Heavy rains in some parts of the country in the last fortnight have led to hopes the coming agricultural season may be better. – Sapa-dpa.
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