EDITOR – Those tasked with grocery shopping may join me in slit-eyed cynicism at the overly-swift response of the food retailing monopoly to the relentless media warnings of massive looming hikes in food prices, and thus the question arises – could this have been carefully orchestrated?
Just one example would be tomatoes: just weeks ago this staple was available for around R6 to R8 per kilogram. Yesterday your favourite supermarket (with all the heart-warming slogans) was offering the same tomatoes for a staggering R32.50 per kilogram.
The media has also warned that beef prices would halve due to stock culling. You’ll notice that your supermarket missed that cue, since they’ve almost doubled the price.
The list is endless and relentless – not just fresh food, but all foods. But do you – like me – detect something a little more sinister here?
Consider this – savagely higher prices render (to the state) higher taxes. Higher profits for the retailers also render higher taxes (again, to the state). Are we facing yet another ‘stealth tax’ to fund even more profligate, unproductive expenditure?
Executive jets cost around R4 000 000, remember? But do we, as ‘plebs’, have a weapon? Yes, we do. Years ago, EROS (‘Eradicate Rip-Off Society) appeared on the scene (print media) at a time when food prices were being questionably manipulated, advocating the boycotting of certain products for specified periods.
So successful was EROS that the then Minister of Agriculture was constrained to comment that “Boycott politics are counter-productive.” Really? Then why comment? They worked in the plebs’ favour, that’s why.
Compatriots, let’s try again. In memory of EROS, please boycott tomatoes from every retail source for two weeks of reading this, or until the price returns to ‘normal’ – no more than R8 per kilogram.
Viva EROS, viva!
Roger Service
Kloof
