Outrage as Mnangagwa raises fuel prices in Zimbabwe

Fanuel Jongwe

Harare – Zimbabweans reacted with outrage on Sunday to a sharp rise in
fuel prices announced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in a move to
improve supplies as the country struggles with its worst gasoline shortages
in a decade.

After years of international isolation, Zimbabwe’s economy has been in
decline for more than a decade with cash shortages, high unemployment
and a recent scarcity of basic staples like bread and cooking oil.

In a televised address late Saturday, Mnangagwa said prices of petrol and
diesel would more than double to tackle a shortfall caused by increased
demand and “rampant” illegal trading.

Mnangagwa, who took over from longtime leader Robert Mugabe and won
a disputed election last July, also announced a package of measures to help
state workers after strikes by doctors and teachers over poor pay.

He said from midnight on Saturday, petrol prices would rise from $1.24 a