‘I Was Not Consulted First,’ ED Makes U-Turn On Removed Of Mealie Meal Subsidies

President Emmerson Mnangagwa said today that he was not consulted first before the Minister of Finance Mthuli Ncube decided to remove the subsidy on maize and wheat.

Speaking at a Zanu PF Youth Interface rally in Kadoma, the president said:

We must create safety nets to help the poor amoung us. The day before yesterday, I heard that the subsidy on grains was removed. I reject that. I want to say it here that I reject it move because mealie meal is a basic commodity for the masses. We cannot remove the subsidy. So I am putting that subsidy back, so that the price comes down. So they will publish it tomorrow and they’ll have to admit that they had not consulted me first.

HE President @edmnangagwa has said that Govt has considered the effect of removal of subsidies on mealie meal on the larger population and the vulnerable. These have been restored as part of mitigating hardship on the vulnerable pic.twitter.com/2mtymyHo5Y

— Ministry of Information, Publicity & Broadcasting (@InfoMinZW) November 27, 2019

The president has been accused of pretending he didn’t know about the move before it was announced. Some notable Zimbabweans have likened the president’s to what they said are insincere methods used by late President Robert Mugabe’s government to reverse unpopular policy pronouncements.

Said filmmaker Hopewell Chin’ono:

1st Dispensation or 2nd Dispensation is all the same!
They create a crisis, citizens register their anger, then the President comes along as the saviour.
Mnangagwa’s pronouncement 2day that he is withdrawing the removal of mealie-meal subsidies is from Mugabe’s handibook.Listen👇🏿 pic.twitter.com/qei9vjfbAi

— Hopewell Chin’ono (@daddyhope) November 27, 2019

Said prominent journalist, Happiness Zengeni:

Lol…

Makuteedzera vaye vaye ka.

Pronounce- reverse, pronounce- reverse https://t.co/qSK5VWtV5O

— Happi Zengeni-Manyere (@happ_zenge) November 27, 2019

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