Economic, food crisis rock Zimbabwe

About five million people, or a third of the 16 million Zimbabweans, are in need of aid and at least half of them are on the cusp of “starvation”, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).

Zimbabwe’s economy has been on a downturn for over a decade with perennial food shortages, a foreign currency crunch, scarcity of basic commodities and high unemployment.

A loaf of bread now sells at ZW$10, making it a luxury for the average Zimbabwean who is faced with doubled prices of basic goods and services.

It followed the renaming of the RTGS currency as the Zimbabwe dollar which has been sliding in value.

Fuel prices have since last week increased by up to 26 percent after the Finance Minister upped import tax on fuel.

While some believe foreign aid might free Zimbabwe from the current economic and food crisis, others are positive that such aid cannot build the country.

“This idea of depending on aid is not how to build a country, why should we be relying on aid when we have got all the resources,” questioned Taruvinga Mashayamombe, a denizen.