OT: just be glad this kind of thing doesn't happen in USA

[pico]

Zimbabwe bans bulk buying amid frenzyStory Highlights
Zimbabwe authorities orders businesses to stop selling basic goods in bulk

Price freeze attempt to avert shortages after buying frenzy empties shelves

Mugabe orders businesses to roll back prices after wild increases

Spiraling prices have pushed inflation above 4,500 percent

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HARARE, Zimbabwe (Reuters) -- Zimbabwe authorities ordered businesses on Thursday to stop selling basic goods in bulk to avert shortages after an official price freeze triggered a frenzied buying spree that has emptied most shop shelves.


An official price freeze triggered a frenzied buying spree that has emptied most shop shelves in Zimbabwe.

President Robert Mugabe's government last week ordered businesses to roll back prices to June 18 levels after wild increases of up to 300 percent within a week following the plunge of the local currency on a thriving black market.

Spiraling prices have pushed inflation above 4,500 percent, the highest in the world, underscoring an eight-year economic recession that has ravaged urban workers the most and sparked foreign currency, fuel and food shortages.

"Wholesalers and retailers should desist from allowing bulk buying of basic commodities," Obert Mpofu, the Minister of Industry and International Trade, told the official Herald newspaper on Thursday.

Mugabe denies charges he has presided over the country's worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1980 and instead says the West has sabotaged the economy to punish him for seizing white-owned commercial farms for blacks.

Over the past week shoppers have been buying sugar, cooking oil, flour, salt and maize-meal in bulk, leaving shelves empty while manufacturers have stopped producing. They say the price freeze is not viable given the price of other goods and raw materials continue to skyrocket.

Police had to be called in at a supermarket in central Harare early on Thursday to control a huge crowd that had jammed the shop after word quickly got round that sugar was available.

"We heard there is sugar here that is why there is all this commotion," Rosemary Marawa said as she tussled in a long queue which also included uniformed police and soldiers.

Some people have formed teams to trawl shops in the capital and buy whatever basic goods they can in bulk.

Mugabe has accused businesses of being drafted in a conspiracy by his Western foes to topple him from power by increasing prices without justification. He warned his government could seize and nationalize the companies.

More than 200 business people -- including a ruling party senator -- have been arrested for defying the price freeze, which economic analysts say will only entrench the black market.

Police also said they had unearthed huge quantities of sugar, soap and cooking oil -- all in short supply -- at a site in Harare and suspect the goods were being hoarded to create artificial shortages in the market.

"The public is urged not to be involved in panic buying of commodities whose prices have been reduced as sustainable continuous supplies will be provided," Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu told the Herald.

[sungus77]

of all the atrocities happening in africa, i daresay shortages due to price freezes are not the worst.

[ritehook]

Bring back former PM Ian Smith and rename the place Rhodesia. 90% of the black citizenry would vote for it, they've had nought but misery since the "anti-colonial" terrorists won the day there.

[BrentCrude]

Lets face it,we are becoming more socialistic even here in the U.S.A

Everything is heading to the left throughout the world where even the U.S.A.now in my opinion has adopted socialism.Then you have Africa that always was into socialism so it's getting worse.More socialism doesn't cure the damages socialism has already inflicted throughout the world.I live in an area where imigrants came from countries that practiced socialisma nd instead of getting out of that mode of thinking when they relocated here to the states,they just colonized socialism by getting it in place here on the local and state level.The black race even more so than the eastern europeans love socialism and look what they have done voting socialist democrats into office in urban inner cities where they all have become morally and financially bankrupt disaster zones.

[pico]

Everything is heading to the left throughout the world where even the U.S.A.now in my opinion has adopted socialism.Then you have Africa that always was into socialism so it's getting worse.More socialism doesn't cure the damages socialism has already inflicted throughout the world.I live in an area where imigrants came from countries that practiced socialisma nd instead of getting out of that mode of thinking when they relocated here to the states,they just colonized socialism by getting it in place here on the local and state level.The black race even more so than the eastern europeans love socialism and look what they have done voting socialist democrats into office in urban inner cities where they all have become morally and financially bankrupt disaster zones.

i think you got my point. the reason i posted this article is to show people bad things can happen when you screw with market economy.

[BrentCrude]

Another theory of mine!

The public school system run by the democrats-socialists-unions are on a mission to dumb down the kids in this country.They want the kids to be functionally good at a narrow field from medicine to being a car mechanic,etc.but dysfunctional in how to learn skills to run their lives as an adult being financially litterate etc.where they won't have allot of financial and moral chaos in their lives where they won't have extended fractured patchwork families with multi problem needs where they need allot of social services-government programs.

Since the kids become adults and now are at the mercy of the government for financial aid,nurturing and guidance,they vote for people in favor of expanded bigger spending government.

Socialism and the left have a big advantage in gaining power with the brains full of brainwashed left wing thinking mush the public school system puts out in society just as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny have a big advantage in kids liking them better than some stern old parent that grounds them and cracks the whip when you do wrong where you have to pay the consequences for bad behavior.