PRICES of basic goods and services have been spiralling out of control with no sign of relief in sight.
Supermarkets are slowly becoming a no-go area for many as they bring depression with the value for money no longer being felt.
The prices of basic commodities such as bread and cooking oil are going beyond the reach of many and some basic needs are now being classified as luxuries which people are being forced to cut off.
Salaries and pensions have been eroded and the majority of ordinary citizens are crying out to the authorities for help.
While the prices are going up, the salaries have remained stagnant and even an increment is not enough to match ever rising prices.
The black market foreign currency exchange rate is ballooning with each passing day which is becoming a burden to ordinary citizens.
Salaries for many are not being paid in forex and ordinary citizens cannot access the regulated forex auction market yet goods and services are pegged in United States dollars.
It is common knowledge that rentals in the country are being charged in US dollars as property owners shun the depreciating local currency and one has to resort to the black market to access hard currency.
The government has been promising to bring sanity in the market but nothing has materialised and people continue to suffer.
It is high time that responsible authorities take decisive action to ensure that normalcy is back on the market and that people enjoy value for their money.
The current situation breeds vices such as corruption which will destroy the nation in the long run and action is required as a matter of urgency.
Blaming sanctions and recently the Russia- Ukraine war is not enough. All that is needed are policies that help bring relief to the hard-pressed citizens.
Promises alone do not bring food on the table.
Schools will be opened in a fortnight and with this current trend, it will be a nightmare for parents to prepare for their school-going children.
Levies at schools are most likely going to be adjusted and against a background of non-improved salaries and rising prices, it will be a disaster.
Civil servants particularly teachers and those in the health sector have for long been branded ungovernable over their demands for improved salaries but a closer look at their grievances shows that they are genuine.
Pensioners and war veterans continue to wallow in poverty with meagre monthly pay outs that cannot fill a small basket in supermarkets.
Responsible authorities have to act and act now otherwise the situation will degenerate into chaos.