Demonstrations yesterday erupted in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare against the sharp rise in fuel prices by the government, in the midst of severe economic crisis.
Commuters were stranded in Zimbabwe’s two main cities as angry protesters, reacting to the increases, burned tyres and used rocks to barricade roads and blocked buses from carrying passengers.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Saturday announced a more than 100% rise in the price of petrol and diesel in a move to improve supplies as the country struggles with its worst fuel shortages in a decade.
Police also fired tear gas at dozens of protesters in downtown Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city, witnesses said. The city is a centre of opposition to the government.
Many people in the streets directed their anger at President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took power after longtime leader Robert Mugabe was forced to resign in November 2017 but has not delivered on promises to revive the economy
