Industry and Commerce minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu
on Wednesday warned industry that the incessant hikes in prices of basic
commodities will push long-suffering Zimbabweans to revolt.
The warning came as the consumer rights watchdog was
calling on government to convene an urgent cost-of-living forum that would
bring together business and consumers, among other stakeholders, in order to
arrest the runaway prices.
Zimbabweans are being subjected to regular price increases,
usually tracking the exchange rate between the United States dollar and the
real time gross settlement dollar on the black market, which currently stands
at 1:4.3. In the past week alone, prices of some basic commodities rose by as
much as 75%.
Ndlovu told a Bulawayo provincial investment conference at
the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre that business should exercise
caution.
“They are pushing consumers to revolt… We want to have
candid discussions around this issue, which is killing our economy,” Ndlovu
said.
Business cited an unstable exchange rate between the United
States dollar and the RTGS dollar for the recent price hikes, but the Industry
minister argued otherwise.
“I don’t know whether our economy is a foreign exchange
market or what, but this does not make sense,” Ndlovu said.
Speaking to Southern Eye, National Consumer Rights
Association (Nacora) advocacy and campaign adviser Effie Ncube urged all
stakeholders to convene a cost-of-living forum to address the crisis before the
situation got out of hand.
“This rise in the cost of living cuts a deep wound in the
lives of people, harming the young and old, employed and unemployed, in a
profound way, even for people accustomed to pain in recent years,” Ncube said
yesterday.
“We call upon the government to urgently convene a cost-of-living
forum in which government, business and workers and consumers will be
represented. It must be remembered that not all consumers are workers, so the
unemployed consumer must have a seat at the table as well,” he added.
“Appropriate steps should be taken to cushion consumers,
both employed and unemployed, from the unrelenting rise in the cost of basic
commodities upon which day-to-day life depends. The forum must address the real
root causes of the unabated rise in the cost of living.”
Ndlovu said there was need to avoid the recurrence of the
January protests against steep fuel price hikes, which resulted in security
forces killing 18 and injuring nearly 200, according to human rights groups.
Newsday
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