Over the past few weeks, the growing political unrest in South Africa and the rise of Julius Malema, head of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), an expressly 'Marxist-Leninist' party calling for 'seizure of private property without compensation' and nationalization of the country's gold mines, banking institutions, and other industries [6453dfbb]. Malema has declared his plans to 'destroy South African capitalism' and turn the country into Cuba, which he describes as a 'successful socialist state' [6453dfbb]. Malema follows the Marxist playbook, demonizing entire classes of South Africans — mostly white farmers — and calling for their deaths [6453dfbb]. Malema has been chanting 'Kill the Boer' at his massive rallies, and his followers are listening; in 2023 alone, there have been 42 murders of white farmers in South Africa — more than one a week [6453dfbb].
In a recent interview on CapeTalk, Julius Malema admitted that he doesn't know the price of a loaf of bread [a38a43fa]. Malema stated that he doesn't have to buy bread himself, which sparked a debate about his disconnect from the everyday struggles of ordinary South Africans. However, the article from News24 highlights that answering the question accurately is difficult due to the wide range of prices available for bread in South Africa [a38a43fa]. The price of bread varies across different outlets, making it challenging to pinpoint a specific price. Malema's lack of knowledge on bread prices has further fueled the criticism against him, with some questioning his ability to understand and address the economic concerns of the country [a38a43fa].
In a recent development, it has been reported that bread prices in Bulgaria are increasing due to changes in the VAT Law [34859f2c]. From July 1 to December 31, 2024, the maximum overprice of white bread 'Dobrudja' and other types will become 15% [34859f2c]. This change has raised concerns about the supply of certain types of bread and will likely lead to an increase in the price of daily bread [34859f2c]. The decision to change the VAT Law was made by the previous parliament in April, and it also includes an extension of the zero VAT rate for bread and flour until the end of the year [34859f2c]. However, there has been no analysis conducted on the impact of these legislative changes [34859f2c]. The Association for Modern Trade has expressed concerns that this decision will not only affect traders but also consumers in the long term [34859f2c]. There is a possibility that some types of bread may disappear from the shelves, which would limit consumer choice and harm producers [34859f2c]. Currently, the price of 'Dobrudja' and standard bread in various food chains in Bulgaria ranges from BGN 1.99 to BGN 2.19, while white bread sliced toast of 550g costs an average of BGN 2.49 and country bread of 450g can be bought for BGN 3.29 [34859f2c].
The combination of Malema's lack of knowledge on bread prices in South Africa and the rising bread costs in Bulgaria adds to the ongoing discussions about the economic challenges faced by different countries and the impact on ordinary people's lives.