Zim consumers hit by further price hikes

● Despite this week’s 29% salary increase, civil servants still cannot make ends meet as bread goes up by 94%

Janet Ncube‚ a nurse who, like all Zimbabwean civil servants, received a 29% salary increment on Monday‚ got angry when she woke up to the news of an effective 94% price hike for bread just a day later.

Tuesday’s bread increase follows that of beer‚ fuel and agro-based products that went up in early April.

As of April‚ the lowest paid public servant will now earn Z$600 (R23.18) – which is less than the cost of the monthly bread basket for a family of six, pegged at Z$800 (R30.91) by the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe.

The council’s bread basket is even queried by economists, who say the figure is an understatement and does not reflect currency fluctuations.

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions said the minimum wage should be paid in US dollars and proposed US$600 (about R8‚400).

“The national minimum wage is the only way to help the suffering workers.

“After getting reports from all the affiliate unions which represent workers across the country’s economic sectors‚ the ZCTU general council set the national minimum wage at US$600, or RTGS$1,800‚ which is in line with the poverty datum line‚” the labour union’s president, Peter Mutasa, said.

RTGS refers to Real Time Gross Settlement, an electronic form of funds transfer where the transmission takes place on a real-time basis.

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general Raymond Majongwe said poor remuneration had resulted in low morale among workers.

“There can never be good service delivery when 95% of the workers are disgruntled.”

For Ncube‚ working for the government has always been a tough choice. “Ever since I started working in 1990‚ life for a government worker has been tough, and worse for the unemployed.

“No salary increment as far as I can remember has ever done well for us‚” she said.

In 1990‚ when she graduated from the school of nursing‚ Zimbabwe had just come out of a brief one-party-state rule and already voices of displeasure were being heard.

At the time‚ the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme‚ a neo-liberal marketdriven policy measure‚ had been adopted.

Local musicians such as Edwin Hama sang Asila Mali (we don’t have money).

Another prophetic musician was Lovemore Majaivana, who sang Lelilizwe kalilamali’ (this country has no money).

Ncube‚ who was relatively young then‚ believes the situation has reached a dead end.

“Those songs are very relevant today. Actually more.

“At this point in time, the leaders are clueless.”

The wave of price hikes has been sparked by the continued fall of the local currency against the US dollar. –