Posted to the web 10 October 2008 Bernard Mpofu JOSPHAT Zulu stares in awe at the empty supermarket shelves in Mabelreign, Harare. In one corner there is shoe polish he needs for his eight-year-old son who attends a school nearby and it costs $60 000. With the onset of the rainy season imminent, he desperately needs the shoe protective. He has no savings and his employer -- government -- cannot pay him that much. Even with R100 reportedly being paid to gardeners, Zulu knows that it would be ludicrous for him to part with a month's earnings for a tin of polish. Alternatively he can make a trip to town where he can find the same product for $8 000 on the thriving parallel market. But soaring transport costs could also limit his movements. Zulu's ordeal represents the plight of millions of Zimbabweans facing the brunt of...
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