JOHANNESBURG, July 15: Zimbabwe’s annual inflation almost doubled to a new 10-year high of 175.66% in June, official data showed on Monday, after a sharp rise in prices of basic goods and depreciation of the local currency.
The southern African nation last month made its RTGS currency the sole legal tender and renamed it the Zimbabwe dollar as part of reforms President Emmerson Mnangagwa hopes will revive a sickly economy.
NRB fails to control consumer inflation
The hope of Zimbabweans that the economy will quickly recover after Robert Mugabe was removed in an army coup in 2017 is turning to frustration amid shortages of U.S. dollars, fuel and bread, and rolling power cuts.
Inflation was 97.85 in May.
On a month-on-month basis, the central price index rose 39.26% compared to 12.54% in May, statistics agency ZIMSTATS said.
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube has said the monthly inflation rate should start to fall from October, but analysts say pressure on government wages and the currency will keep inflation high.
