In an attempt to improve supplies as Zimbabwe grapples high gasoline shortage, angry protesters on Monday, January 2019, took to the roads- burning tyres, throwing stones and laying barricades, after the government doubled the price of fuel in the country. According to sources, when President Mnangagwa took over from Mugabe, he vowed to revive the waning economy and end the country’s international isolation.

In an address by the new President however, he reportedly claimed that the fuel prices would rise above the doubled price, to fill up the lacuna caused by increased fuel usage and incessant illegal trades. Conversely, the Zimbabwe Congress Trade Union joined by the main labor alliance called for a three- day home strike in reaction to the supposed lack of “empathy” by the government, especially for the poor. However, the government alleged that the protesters were those seeking a political “regime change” through “subversive political activities”.