The iniquitous ZANU PF sponsored youth brigade has been deployed in suburbs in and around Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare where they are forcefully reducing food prices.

The youth militia, armed with baton sticks and whips are targeting supermarkets, shops and parallel market traders, in which they order the selling of goods at very unreasonably low prices.

Prices, especially of basic commodities are rising on a daily basis mainly owing to escalating inflation which is weakening the local currency against other world major currencies.

Last week in Chitungwiza, a group of ruling party supporters went to one of the country’s largest retail supermarkets- OK Zimbabwe at the Town Centre where mealie-meal had been delivered and was about to be sold.

A source said in a well orchestrated move, the group instructed the supermarket bosses that the 50 kilogramme bags of mealie-meal were to be sold at a mere $1.5 billion per bag.

“In a couple of seconds, there was a long queue. However, due to frustration, the supermarket officials took time to serve customers resulting in a few bags being sold,” he said.

“Customers who have relatives or friends who work in the supermarket had no difficulties in buying the mealie-meal.”

“I know everyone wants something affordable, but $1.5 billion is not even enough to take one on a single trip to or from town,” he said.

On Monday this week, the local currency was trading at $5.2 billion (parallel market) and $4.2 billion (inter-bank) rates, to the US$.

Prices have soared drastically in the past weeks with a kg of beef now fetching for not less than $10 billion. A bar of washing soap costs at least $10 billion. A 2 litre bottle of cooking oil costs around $30 billion. A trip to Harare’s city centre is now between $1 billion to $2.5 billion.

On Monday morning, ZANU PF youths- in party regalia thronged Mereki shopping centre in Warren Park D where they pounced on parallel market traders.

“The ruling party youths took everything and started selling he stuff to people at very low prices,” he said.

“Can you imagine? Bread which was sold at$2 billion per loaf, was being sold by the youths at $100 million per loaf,” he said.

Later in the evening around 8.30 pm, another source hinted the ZANU PF youth gang was back at the same shops where it pounced on traders.

“This time they were beating up parallel market traders using sticks.”

“The fracas did not last for long as the youth quickly disappeared in the dark,” he said.

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