HARARE, 28 March 2008 (IRIN) - Gamuchirai Madondo, 35, has been a manager of a pub in the middle class Avenues suburb of the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, for the past six years.

"When I started working here just over six years ago, we enjoyed the patronage of locals. Business was good, but over the years it has declined. Very few people are coming to the restaurant. We prepare very little food so that none is thrown away. In any case, we never have enough ingredients to prepare adequate food.

"There is either no rice, maize meal, meat or oil for preparing food. At times we don't have electricity or running water, which forces us to close down … We have had to throw away meat which had gone bad after we did not get electricity for three days.

"We have not received any deliveries of beer and soft dinks for the past week. Our suppliers tell us that they have nothing in stock; as we head towards the elections, goods have become even more difficult to get and the prices have shot through the roof.

"I usually don't concern myself about political developments but I am now worried that if the same government is retained, then we will have to close down because we cannot survive another five years of this kind of economic decline.

"I have 10 employees working in this establishment. I will not be able to pay their wages in the next two months if the situation remains as it is."   dd/jk/oa

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