Bulawayo residents have threatened to demonstrate if the shortage of mealie meal is not addressed.
Lesley Mathe, a Bulawayo resident who spoke to NewsDay on Wednesday, expressed anger over mealie meal shortages and warned that citizens’ patience is running thin. He said:
We have been tested for too long and, believe you me if things continue like this residents will end up taking to the streets because a hungry man is an angry man.
Nombulelo Ncube of Mahatshula told the publication that the shortages are caused by corrupt millers and retailers who connive to overprice the product. She said:
We are sick and tired of corrupt officials working with corrupt retailers to buy mealie meal then sell it on the black market. We are now buying a 10kg of mealie meal for ZAR100 and this is beyond the reach of many.
Meanwhile, Grain Millers’ Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) spokesperson Garikai Chaunza said people should not panic as there are 10 000 tonnes of maize already in the country that were imported from South Africa.