Zimbabweans do not fully understand the value of the United States dollar, the main currency that they have been using since 2009, because it is only in Zimbabwe that a hamburger that costs US$1 in most countries costs up to US$15.
This was said by Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi in Parliament on Wednesday in response to a question about what his ministry was doing to boost tourism.
“The United States dollar has been misunderstood post 2008, in terms of its purchasing power parity. What it buys locally is just ten percent of what it will buy in South Africa and elsewhere,” Mzembi said.
“It is a systemic evil in our society which must be addressed from all angles, starting with the person who produces tomatoes and onions, if we are going to open windows for our farmers to supply animal based and agricultural products into the hospitality industry.
“We are not saying buying Zimbabwe is buying expensive. So, we must go back to the drawing board…..”
“It is in this country where you buy a hamburger at the most expensive price, sometimes at the value of US$15 but a hamburger is just US$1 elsewhere. We seek to cure this mischief but it must be cured at a consolidated level of an Inter-Ministerial Committee which is what we will be doing tomorrow afternoon.”
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