Businesses profiteering from hailstorms risk losing licences – Govt

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, Tafadzwa Muguti, has ordered the withdrawal of licences for businesses in Masvingo accused of increasing building material prices to take advantage of the damage caused by Monday’s hailstorm.

More than 17,000 households were affected by the storm, with many left with broken window panes or without roofs.

Muguti issued the directive on Thursday, 8 October, as a high-powered delegation of ministers and permanent secretaries visited Masvingo to assess the extent of the damage.

The price of building materials reportedly increased by more than 100% following the disaster, according to the Masvingo Mirror.

Window putty, for example, was reportedly selling for US$3 per kilogramme, up from the usual US$1, while standard window panes increased from US$1 each to US$2.50.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has since declared the hailstorm a State of Disaster.

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Masvingo runs out of window panes and roofing after hailstorm Hailstorm leaves 13,500 Masvingo households reeling