Musina is once again set for a fresh economic boom as Zimbabweans have started flocking into the border town in search of food, groceries and building materials, which are now in short supply in their country, following a recent government directive in which shops were ordered to slash their prices by 50%.

Prior to the latest food crisis in Zimbabwe, the number of cross-border traders and day-trippers flocking into Musina for shopping had drastically gone down by 50%over the past months. According to the Musina Chamber of Commerce, the drop in trade since the beginning of the year had been attributed to the economic situation in the neighbouring country, which had resulted in the stream of cross-border traders from that country virtually drying up.

While the situation in Zimbabwe continues to tense up, it is, however, a different and contrasting scenario for shop owners in Musina who now have every reason to smile. Shop operators in Musina who spoke to Mirror on Friday last week said they had, over the past few weeks, been reporting brisk business as a huge influx of Zimbabweans were flocking into the border town to buy commodities.

The scarce commodities in Zimbabwe include cement, door and window frames, sugar, beef, soap and mealie-meal, amongst other items. "We are reporting brisk business here in Musina, largely because many people from Zimbabweans are now buying a lot of groceries and other food stuffs which are in short supply there," said Mr Shaik Naidoo, an Indian shop owner.

He said Zimbabweans were normally buying boxes of cooking oil and bar soap and sugar for resale and consumption back home.

Another vendor at a market stall in the Musina taxi rank, Margaret Mudau, said scores of Zimbabweans carrying loads of food stuff and boxes of soap and cooking oil have of late turned into a common feature as they board local taxis to ferry them back home. Bakkies from Zimbabwe are also a common sight in Musina where they are normally seen carrying cement and other building material. "These Zimbabweans are always here in big numbers and we normally see them carrying huge consignments of groceries, which we hear are scarce in their country," she said.

Manufacturers of essential commodities are no longer producing their goods, following the directive by Government to reduce their prices; a move they felt compromised their production costs.

This has also resulted in both wholesalers and retailers running out of stocks and subsequently failing to meet the demand.

According to a report by the South African Migration Project (SAMP), Zimbabweans are the top spenders in the South African economy. In 2006, they pumped over R2.2 billion into South Africa’s economy, which is a significant contribution to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and is higher than the R1.4 billion spent by visitors from the Americas and R1.1 billion splashed by Australians and Asian tourists.

It is reported that there are over 3 million Zimbabweans who have fled their country, due to the deteriorating economic situation, with around 1.5 million believed to be settling in South Africa, the majority of them illegally.