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RBZ boss warns big firms ‘manipulating exchange rate’

Published

4 years ago

September 7, 2021

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor John Mangudya has urged large corporates to stop “manipulating the exchange rate” by exploiting the gap between the parallel-market and official currency prices for profiteering.

The governor expressed concern that companies are snapping up more foreign currency than they are allowed to through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s auction system, then selling it on at inflated prices.

“They are manipulating the auction system through arbitrage behaviour.

“Some of them are coming to the auction with more than 50 surrogate entities and we have picked that up,” Mangudya said in an interview Monday.

“They come to the auction and they are allocated the foreign currency at $86 (for one United States dollar) but they offload it at $140 on the parallel rate,” he said.

Under the auction rules, primary producers are allowed to bid for as much as US$500,000 during the weekly auction while secondary producers can bid for a maximum of us$100,000.

Mangudya said the entities are also pricing their goods and services using the parallel rates, despite having accessed the dollars at the auction system.

“At the end of the day, it’s the consumer who will be forced to pay more and that is simply not fair,” he said.

Zimbabwe’s central bank last year abandoned a currency peg and set up a weekly auction to ease a severe United States dollar crunch that forced companies to turn to the parallel market for foreign currency. Since then, officials have regularly raised concern over the abuse of the auction system.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has previously issued warnings to private companies he blames for undermining his efforts to turn around an economy plagued by annual inflation of 50% and foreign-currency shortages.

In May, he published penalties for companies and individuals for currency manipulation that include fines of $1million (US$11,620) as well as a “total ban” from the auction. – Bloomberg

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Zimparks launches elephant culling program

Published

1 month ago

June 3, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

In a bid to address the growing elephant population in Save Valley Conservancy, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) has issued permits for a controlled elephant management exercise.

The exercise, slated to commence shortly, aims to cull an initial 50 elephants from the conservancy, which is currently home to 2,550 elephants – more than three times the ecological carrying capacity of 800 elephants.

According to ZimParks, the conservancy has been struggling to cope with the swelling elephant population, which has put a strain on the wildlife habitat and resources. Over the past five years, the conservancy has translocated 200 elephants to other areas, including Hurungwe and Sapi, in an effort to manage the population.

Zimparks says the controlled culling exercise is expected to provide relief to the conservancy’s ecosystem, while also benefiting local communities.

Elephant meat from the exercise will be distributed to local communities while the ivory will be kept by the State.

In a statement, ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo emphasized the authority’s commitment to responsible and sustainable wildlife management.

“We remain committed to ensuring that our wildlife resources are managed in a responsible and sustainable manner, for the benefit of present and future generations.”

In the community

Hwange police seek public’s help in locating missing teen

Published

2 months ago

May 15, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

The Hwange police are urgently seeking the public’s assistance in locating 16-year-old Latoya Lisa Munkuli, who went missing on May 7, this month.

Latoya, a dark-complexioned female juvenile, was last seen leaving her residence in Hwange around 4 pm.

She was wearing a distinctive outfit consisting of green trousers and a white T-shirt, and carried a black satchel. She stands approximately 1.6 meters tall.

Inspector Glory Banda of the Hwange police is leading the investigation and urges anyone with information about Latoya’s whereabouts to come forward.

If you have any information about Latoya’s disappearance, please contact Inspector Banda on 0785961747 or 0771256607.

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

3 months ago

April 16, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

A National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) locomotive suffered significant damage after catching fire while transporting export coal to Zambi. The incident occurred between Kalala and Matetsi sidings, resulting in the explosion of the locomotive’s fuel tanks.

According to the NRZ press statement on Monday, “A National Railways of Zimbabwe locomotive suffered some damages after it caught fire this afternoon while transporting export coal to Zambia.” Fortunately, the crew members on board managed to escape unharmed.

The NRZ responded swiftly to the incident, dispatching a rescue train with crews to the site. The team successfully extinguished the fire, preventing further damage. However, the locomotive itself sustained considerable damage.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, with investigations currently underway. “Investigations are already underway to establish the cause of the fire and the amount of damage to the locomotive,” the NRZ statement read.