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Retailers have reneged on their undertaking to revert to prices obtaining as of 25 March 2020. Government and the private sector agreed on moratorium on prices of essential food items and under this agreement businesses that included retailers and manufacturers were supposed to reduce prices to March 25 levels.

Prices of basic food commodities that include cooking oil, sugar, flour, rice and other such commodities have instead gone up. Cabinet also confirmed on Tuesday that the prices of basic commodities were increasing despite the recent agreed price moratorium by all stakeholders.

The multi-sectoral partners conceded before the social contract on price moratorium that the price increases, particularly during this lockdown period were speculative and therefore unjustified. What is surprising is that the same businesses that agreed that the price increases were speculative, are now reluctant to implement the price moratorium.

All businesses along the whole value chain were supposed to comply with the price moratorium meant to protect consumers against unwarranted escalation of prices of basic commodities. What then is the way forward now that businesses have decided to increase prices instead of slashing them to 25 March levels? What businesses have confirmed is that they are not only dishonest but do not respect the Government.

Unscrupulous businesspersons therefore continue to take advantage of the lockdown to charge exorbitant prices and it is unfortunate that Government which has an obligation to protect citizens seem not to have powers to whip the errant businesses into line.

The next move is probably to regulate prices of basic commodities as has happened in other countries such as neighbouring South Africa and Rwanda.

The social contract on price moratorium has proved ineffective and there is therefore an urgent need to find another way of protecting consumers. Rwanda has fixed prices for 17 basic food items that include rice, sugar and cooking oil and this could be the best way to address the challenge of escalating of prices of basic commodities.

Many consumers can no longer afford prices of most basic commodities and what has worsened the situation is that breadwinners of most families were not reporting for work as a result of the lockdown.

Many companies just paid a fraction of the April salary while others did not pay anything. Most Zimbabwean workers are in the informal sector which has been closed since the lockdown started on March 30 and therefore have no source of income. These are the vulnerable consumers that should be protected by Government from unscrupulous businesses that are after profiteering.

Businesses should be sensitive to the plight of consumers during this Covid-19 pandemic which has not only killed thousands globally but has also adversely affected world economies.