Some major supermarkets in Harare have run out of basic foodstuffs. This was revealed in a survey carried out by Newsday over the weekend. Major retailers, Food World, OK and TM Pick n Pay in the central business district had run out of flour, mealie-meal and cooking oil, among others.
Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers president Denford Mutashu said that the reason for the shortages is that most manufacturers could not distribute their products due to the shutdown. He said:
It’s a case of a supply gap because most manufacturers could not distribute their products due to the shutdown. The gap taken by the shutdown cannot be filled easily. We are hoping that the suppliers would deliver today. I am actually coming from a meeting with suppliers right now, and they assured us that they would supply.
Some retail shops have started rationing products that can be bought by customers at a time in order to prevent stock outs.