Govt urged to control production, distribution of basic goods

The Zimbabwean police have blamed opposition-led "economic sabotage" for shortages of basic commodities, the official Herald newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The newspaper quoted a police report as saying that basic foodstuffs worth Zim $37 million (US $670,000 at the official rate) were recovered in a crackdown on hoarding, black market trading and illegal exports last month.

Sugar, cooking oil, maize meal and salt have all been in short supply in official retail outlets where they are price controlled, but readily available on the black market where they are sold at exorbitant prices, the Herald said.

According to the police report, the shortages began to worsen after the March presidential election, and "it is believed that the underlying cause is economic sabotage maliciously intended to discredit the lawfully elected government of Zimbabwe".

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), the report said, was hoping to gain political mileage "by orchestrating artificial shortages".

The Herald said the police had recommended that the government make concerted efforts to control the "production and distribution systems" of all basic commodities. They also urged the government to "ensure key positions in parastatals and board memberships were offered to patriotic Zimbabweans who have the nation at heart".