While the government has granted retailers permission to charge for their merchandise in United States dollars and South African rand, no mechanism has been put in place to ensure that low income workers in small towns and rural areas, who account for more than 70 percent of Zimbabwe's population, have access to foreign currency.
Millions of Zimbabweans cannot afford basic food items, often priced at twice their original cost in neighboring countries. This has created acute food shortages among poor families living in rural areas and small towns. Surviving on less than one meal a day is the harsh reality, therefore, for many vulnerable families. This insufficient diet prevents them from reaching even the most modest nutritional requirements, causing a resurgence in malnutrition-related diseases among children. Moreover, the failure to meet the dietary requirements for HIV treatment among adults has resulted in an increase in mortality from HIV-related illnesses.
An aggressive intervention to provide basic food and medical supplies and services is needed until the new political administration takes the necessary measures to respond to the crisis.
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