According to former Chivi South MP, Killer Zivhu, villagers in Zimbabwe have now resorted to barter trade instead of accepting payment in Zimbabwe Dollars. Zivhu, who was expelled from ZANU PF for advocating dialogue between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and CCC leader Nelson Chamisa, also revealed that touts now measure the local currency in kilograms.
He expressed:
“Did you know that villagers now consider the Zimbabwe Dollar worthless? One kombi tout suggested packing ZimDollar notes in 1kg bundles because a ride now costs a kilogram of Zimbabwe Dollars. An elderly woman mentioned that she would prefer a 2kg packet of sugar in exchange for her bucket of sweet potatoes. It’s unbelievable, a currency that even a madman refuses!”
There are reports that some manufacturers are declining Zimbabwe Dollar payments for certain products that are exclusively available in foreign currency. The Zimbabwe Dollar has experienced significant depreciation in recent months following adjustments to the forex auction system by the government. Last week, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe set the official exchange rate at US$1: ZW$5,900, while the street rate reached around US$1: ZW$9,000. However, certain larger retailers were using rates as high as US$1: ZW$10,000 for select products.
Furthermore, popular fast-food establishments were rejecting the local currency, citing malfunctioning point-of-sale machines that were unable to process swipe and EcoCash payments.
Source ZW News
