While winter is almost over the weather still remains decidedly chilly at least here in Harare. One way to fight back is to make yourself a hot cup of tea or coffee-you pick your poison.

For most people that require sugar-duh. The problem is that despite the latest hike in the price of sugar by Tongaat Huletts it has remained absent from the shelves of most popular supermarkets.

Currently however you can get it from Pick n Pay and Choppies in Harare. There were stacks of sugar at the Second and Jason Moyo as well as Nelson Mandela branches of these shops respectively.

Both are selling sugar at a reasonable price of $17.49 RTGS. This is just 27 RTGS cents above the retail price marketed by Tongaat Huletts.

The alternative sucks

For people getting sugar means having to go and buy it from the Downtown Tuckshops of Harare which operate on a cash basis only. Most of us earn RTGS and this means:

  • A bank to wallet transfer
  • Hunting for an agent to do cashout
  • Paying 4% IMT tax to the government during cash out
  • Paying the cashout fee to Econet
  • Paying the black market fee which currently stands at 40%

This means you end up with 50% as much RTGS as you had in your account. Downtown tuckshops are charging $19 bond per that is close to $35 RTGS!