Govt Set To Investigate Basic Foodstuffs "Scarcity"
The Government has said it needs more time to investigate claims that basic foodstuffs are disappearing from supermarkets.
This comes after Mpopoma-Mzilikazi legislator Charles Moyo (CCC) asked what measures the government had put in place to curb the disappearance of basic commodities from supermarkets during a question-and-answer session in the National Assembly.
In response, the leader of government business in Parliament, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said the Ministry of Industry and Commerce will investigate to ascertain whether claims of the disappearance of foodstuffs from shops have substance or not. He said (via NewsDay):
This is extremely specific and I need to interrogate it to have the relevant ministry analyse whether goods are disappearing and whether there is an impact that has happened because of the budget.
Once they do that analysis, we will be able to inform the government to make the necessary interventions.
I admit what he is saying may be very correct, but I cannot answer that without specific evidence that this has happened because of this and therefore, there is a need for an intervention.
Earlier this week, the Government reimposed duty on cooking oil, maize meal, milk, sugar, rice, flour, salt, bath soap, washing soap, washing powder, toothpaste and petroleum jelly imports.
The Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion had allowed the importation of the aforementioned products duty-free since May 2023 in response to shortages and rapid price changes as suppliers resorted to forward pricing.
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