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By Tafadzwa Muranganwa
The United Freedom Party (UFP) – a newly formed opposition party has raised concern about the spiralling exchange rate saying it is impoverishing most workers.
The foreign exchange rate is hovering around US1-450RTGS on the black market and United Freedom Party (UFP) in its Workers’ Day statement, said the development has had a negative effect on the workers’ welfare.
“The ever-rising exchange rate has pauperised the Zimbabwean worker. According to the latest figures, the poverty datum line for a family of six is currently pegged at $92 000, which translates to an average of US$250 using the parallel market rate,” UFP said.
The Godwin Zivavose-led party also signalled the fuel price hikes as another hurdle that made Workers’ Day meaningless to many workers.
“Fuel prices have been going up of late, causing a spiral effect on prices of basic commodities and services. This has seen prices of foodstuffs, hospital fees, and medicines among other basics shooting through the roof.
“It is the ordinary worker who bears the brunt of these increases, implying that there is nothing to celebrate on Workers’ Day,” added the opposition party.
With schools opening today (Tuesday), UFP says ordinary workers will not be able to pay school fees for their children.
“Meanwhile, most schools have increased their fees drastically starting the second term.
“This means education will now be a preserve of the elite as the ordinary worker cannot afford to send children to school,” UFP asserts.
The opposition party castigates the high level of the graft with the corrupt living in obscene luxury at the expense of the toiling workers.
“What is disturbing is the opulence in which the corrupt live as they oil their lives with the proceeds of graft at the expense of the national economy and ordinary citizens and workers who toil day in, day out, but get peanuts at the end of the day,” remarked the newly formed opposition party.
The concern by UFP on the rising exchange rate is coming at a time when there is a heated debate on whether the use of the local currency is still sustainable.