This paper has established that word is spreading fast
in the capital giving consumers clues and links to
banks, buidling societies, corporates and dealers
selling cash at up to 20% profit.
This newspaper established
that four branches of a certain bank in Harare’s city centre are already
a hive of activity as consumers desperately seek the
scarce cash. It was not clear whether the illegal
deals of selling cash were being done by the bank as
sources said employees at the banks were taking
advantage of their positions and access to cash to
deal at personal levels.
“If you want cash, you can arrange to do an electronic
transfer into these dealers’ accounts but at 20%
charge,” a source who had just done a deal said. “For
example, I made a transfer of $100 million and got $80
million in cash from the guy at (bank named).”
Efforts to obtain comment from management at NMB were
in vain as everyone avoided this writer, the same as
did others at Kingdom Bank, Standard Chartered Bank
and Stanbic, also allegedly having employees engaging in the
deals.
Other points that have rapidly become popular and
where consumers are flocking to for cash include
backyard offices used by dealers and even others in
the retail industry, who access cash on a daily basis.
The country-grappling with a myriad problems of all
kinds and nature-recently plunged into a cash crisis,
attributed by Reserved Bank of Zimbabwe Governor
Gideon Gono to speculation and black market
activities.
Gono, in apparent display of utter confusion, this
week said he is preparing to introduce a new currency
and believes that would solve the economic morass the
country is battling with. That comes three weeks after
he ruled out the changing of currency.
With inflation-the official one which is highly
suppressed-galloping towards 20 000%, the Zanu (PF)
regime finds itself in a cul-de-sac having ruined the
economy through successive warped economic policies.
Post published in: News