Zimbabwe: Panic Buying in Zimbabwe

26 September 2017

"I can´t take a chance - 2008 is back! These are the last tins of fish inside this shop," says a mother of two pushing a shopping trolley with at least 80 tins of mackerel fish in a giant supermarket in central Harare. "The shop manager, a friend, phoned me to come and hoard the fish and stock it in my bedroom because by Monday the shelves will be empty," says Vera [not her real name].

In 2008, inflation in Zimbabwe hit 231 million percent according to The Guardian, and shop shelves were left bare. Panic buying has returned as prices for many items have rocketed in the last two weeks and people fear shortages. The price of frying oil has jumped from around $3 per litre to US$5 (all prices in this article are US dollars) in just one week. In Harare, fuel stations are running out of petrol.

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