Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is condemning the government’s decision to raise fuel prices yet again.
On Sunday, the price of petrol went up by more than 25%.
The Zimbabwe Energy Regulation Authority announced the price of diesel would immediately rise to 16.64 Zimbabwe dollars (about US$1), while petrol would go up to 14.97 Zimbabwe dollars.
The government was piling more misery on to already suffering Zimbabweans, MDC said. “Surely this madness must stop.”
A full tank of petrol costs now costs more than a month’s salary for a cook or a maintenance worker and more than half a month’s salary for a doctor.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took over from long-time ruler Robert Mugabe after he was forced from power at the end of 2017, has promised to revive the economy, but so far without results.
Zimbabwe is shackled by a devalued currency, mass unemployment, runaway inflation and shortages of essential items including petrol, electricity and water.
According to the International Monetary Fund, prices had risen by nearly 300% year-on-year in August. Analysts at the Bloomberg agency put inflation at 900%.
On Tuesday, tickets for the state bus company Supco doubled in price to one Zimbabwe dollar.
