The Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) has resolved to blacklist its members found guilty of supplying the black market with mealie meal subsidised by the government.
Speaking during a telephone interview with the Chronicle on Thursday, CZR president Denford Mutashu issued a stern warning such retailers. He said:
As CZR, we’ll also take action against the shops involved inside marketing. One of the actions we will take is blacklisting them from accessing the Government’s subsidised products; we will ask the millers to cease supplying them.
If they are abusing the facility, then it means that there won’t be a success in the implementation of such Government’s programmes.
Recent reports indicate that some unethical retailers were channelling the roller meal to the parallel market for arbitrage opportunities.
The subsidised roller meal is supplied to shops by the Grain Millers’ Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ), with the gazetted price of the commodity being $50 for a 10-kilogramme bag.