In an interview at the Zimbabwe Mining Indaba, a senior official from the South African Chamber of Mines said: "Last night we went to the Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare and paid 2 000 South African Rands for a meal for only four people – not including drinks." He said in South Africa the same meal would have cost only 200 South African Rands.
The Second Secretary in the Japanese Embassy, Masa Iida said: "Your country is very expensive indeed. In Japan food is very cheap. You would need about $4 for lunch there, whereas here you would need about $25 per person which, is very expensive."
Harare was last month voted among the most "unliveable cities in the world" by an international tourism firm.
However, some businessmen dispute this saying it must be “the work Americans who want to denigrate the country all the time because they hate President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu (PF) political party”.
"You can't compare Harare to Johannesburg, for example, where they kill each other almost everyday. Harare is expensive but is very liveable," said one local businessman at the Indaba.
"How can you have such very high prices when you are trying to court investment?" asked another businessman.
"Instead of bringing in much-needed investment you are, instead, chasing it away. Many people here cannot wait to go back to South Africa because the prices in Harare are very high."
Zimbabwe's inflation currently stands at about three percent and is the lowest in the region, down from a record high of more than 231 million percent in 2008.
Post published in: Business
Its true, in general the Zimbabwean good are far expensive. You need more than $2 for an ordinary local call cost a day, yet in SA with about that much you make all necessary calls for a day in SA. A meal for 6 people in Zimbabwe cost way above $200, yet in SA about R200 is enough for the same. The matter must be addressed, late alone the quality of the food, which is way below the standard. Accommodation for ordinary hotel cost about R300 yet in Zimbabwe that is not even near the half. You have to pay about $70 yet if you check the quality of the linnen is way below.