As is our custom, we periodically look at some latest price updates. It has mostly become recurrent in the price updates we cover since they revolve around ZERA, ZINARA, and the like. That is what we shall be discussing in this article and more. Interestingly, exchange rates have been relatively stagnant for quite some time now. This has given some semblance of price stability but upward price movements still occasionally occur. That is usually the case with Zimbabwean dollar (ZWL$) prices.
Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA)
New Fuel Prices Effective 12 October 2022
| ZWL | US$ | |||
Diesel 50 (ZWL/Litre) |
Blend E20 (ZWL/Litre) |
Diesel 50 (US$/Litre) |
Blend E20
(US$/Litre) |
|
Maximum Prices |
 1084.08 |
 971.21 |
1.73 |
 1.55 |
The old prices, effective from 6 October 2022, were as follows:
| ZWL | US$ | |||
| Diesel 50
(ZWL/Litre) |
Blend E20
(ZWL/Litre) |
Diesel 50
(US$/Litre) |
Blend E20
(US$/Litre) |
|
| Maximum
Prices |
1057.55 |
951.85 |
1.69 |
1.52 |
Magnitude Of Change
| ZWL | US$ | |||
| Diesel 50
(ZWL/Litre) |
Blend E20
(ZWL/Litre) |
Diesel 50
(US$/Litre) |
Blend E20
(US$/Litre) |
|
|
+26.53 |
+19.36 |
+0.04 |
+0.03 |
|
It seems the trend of US dollar fuel prices going down or remaining unchanged no longer holds as had become the norm.
Latest Liquefied Petroleum Gas
The new LPG prices (for October 2022), calculated according to the Petroleum (Liquid Petroleum Gas Pricing) Regulations 90 of 2021, are as follows:
US$1.85 per kilogram or ZWL$1161.88 per kilogram
The old prices were (for September 2022):
US$1.88 per kilogram or ZWL$1078.09 per kilogram
Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) Tollgate Fees
The new fees are as follows:
| Class | USD | New
Toll Fees (ZWL) |
| Motorcycles | Exempted | Exempted |
| Light Motor
Vehicles |
2 |
1300 |
| Minibuses | 3 | 1950 |
| Buses | 4 | 2600 |
| Heavy
Vehicles |
5 |
3250 |
| Haulage
Trucks |
10 |
6500 |
| Residential
Discount Per Term |
40 |
26000 |
The old fees, effective from 29 August 2022, were as follows:
| Class | USD | New
Toll Fees (ZWL) |
| Motorcycles | Exempted | Exempted |
| Light Motor
Vehicles |
2 |
1100 |
| Minibuses | 3 | 1650 |
| Buses | 4 | 2200 |
| Heavy
Vehicles |
5 |
2750 |
| Haulage
Trucks |
10 |
5500 |
| Residential
Discount Per Term |
40 |
22000 |
Tollgate Fees (In South African Rands Or British Pounds)
They are still unchanged as follows:
| Class | ZAR | BWP |
| Motorcycles | Exempted | Exempted |
| Light Motor
Vehicles |
40 | 30 |
| Minibuses | 60 | 40 |
| Buses | 70 | 60 |
| Heavy
Vehicles |
90 |
70 |
| Haulage
Trucks |
180 |
130 |
| Residential
Discount Per Term |
690 |
520 |
University Tuition Fees
I recall about a month or so ago, students at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) were protesting fee hikes. It seems every other university has followed suit since then. I recently saw that Midlands State University (MSU) hiked its tuition fees. MSU recently hiked the tuition fees by 407 percent. The new fees structures or ranges look like this:
Undergraduate
ZWL$212 129 – ZWL$359 212
Work-Related Learning
ZWL$147 609 – ZWL$204 732
Postgraduate
ZWL$306 366 – ZWL$930 932
Those new fees reflect the general fee structures for state universities in Zimbabwe right now. Let us put something into perspective by looking at how much that would be in US dollars, the working assumption being the use of parallel market rates. The average tuition fees are as follows:
Undergraduate – US$340
Work-Related Learning – US$207
Postgraduate – US$1460
Understandably things are tough for many Zimbabweans right now. However, those figures seem quite reasonable if we are objective. It is just that in Zimbabwean dollar terms, they seem awfully much. Even compared to other universities in the region, e.g., South Africa, they are much lower. Overall, the shock of the sudden hefty increment did not sit well with people. Coupled with the generally tough economic environment we are in.
Refusing Refunds And Returns Now Attracts 5-Year Jail Term
I have always wondered why I see signage in Zimbabwean outlets that says ‘No Refunds. No Returns!’ It has been widely practised in Zimbabwe to the point where people think it is legal. Well, it is an illegal contractual clause when dealing with customers. The new Consumer Protection Act set a 5-year jail term for businesses refusing customers their right to refunds and returns. This Act was consummated in 2020 and comprises 92 sections. As a business or startup in Zimbabwe, you might want to familiarize yourself with it. The crazy thing is that most enterprises and customers have no idea about this document. I will detail this Consumer Protection Act in a separate article. Notices such as ‘No Refunds. No Returns!’ are unlawful and attract a level 14 fine or up to 5 years in jail. Kindly take note of this!
That wraps it up for some of the latest price updates in Zimbabwe. It would be great to hear from you what your experiences have been like prices-wise. Kindly share your thoughts on the latest university fee hikes.
