Hlatshwayo: Desire for upper-middle income status fueling 'Kiyakiya' economic statistics

HARARE - Former Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) member Gladys Hlatshwayo has criticised government’s pursuit of upper middle income status, saying it is driving unorthodox and misleading economic claims that do not reflect the lived reality of ordinary Zimbabweans.

Posting on her X account, Hlatshwayo lamented what she described as "kiyakiya economic statistics" being used to project success.

"How unfortunate that the desire to be an upper middle income country is fueling the kiyakiya economic statistics that we hear," she said.

She accused the administration of making bold claims of success without evidence, repeated so often that they appear true until examined against daily hardships faced by citizens.

"A GDP growth of more than 100% in less than five years is more than fiction! More so when nearly half of the population lives in extreme poverty, when there are no jobs with informalisation increasing to +76%, and when our public health sector is in comatose. Real economic growth should be felt by citizens and not this business of fudging numbers," she added.

Zimbabwe is currently experiencing a proliferation of unconventional business operations, with corruption reportedly on the rise as citizens zealously pursue economic empowerment.