Slider

Zimbabwe imposes capital controls to stem currency’s slide

Published

3 years ago

May 8, 2022

BY RAY NDLOVU AND GODFREY MARAWANYIKA

Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has imposed capital controls in an attempt to control the currency’s rapid depreciation.

The Zimbabwean dollar has lost half of its value this year making it Africa’s worst performing currency.

Banks in the country have been ordered to stop lending with immediate effect “to minimise the creation of broad money that is prone to abuse for purposes of manipulating the exchange rate,” Mnangagwa said in a televised speech.

The move is meant to support the currency, amid a growing threat of the economy dollariszing for the second time since 2009 when the country last officially turned to the US dollars as hyperinflation soared.

Old Mutual, the largest insurer in the country, in its quarterly economic brief warned that dollarisation is inevitable to stabilise prices.

Annual inflation in April soared to 96.4% from 72.7%.

“Banks shall with immediate effect not process third-party country foreign payments,” the president said, referring to payments made to an entity overseas via another country.

“Third-party foreign payments are susceptible to illicit financial flows which prejudice the country of its hard-earned foreign currency resources.”

The new measures also reverse the administration’s propensity toward the US dollar which had the effect of undermining the local currency reintroduced in February 2019.

The state pays in part its employees salaries and Covid-19 allowances in the American currency.

It had also paid annual bonuses in US dollars last year.

In the southern African nation most payments from fuel to food, medicine and school fees are pegged in US dollars.

Multiple exchange rates of at least 350 to 420 per US dollar are readily available on the parallel market.

The local unit officially trades at 165.99 to the US dollar. – Bloomberg

Related Topics:Emmerson Mnangagwa Old Mutual Zimbabwean dollar

Up Next

Teenage Hadebe honours mom with career she helped launch

Don't Miss

Zimbabwe expects maize output to drop by almost half

Click to comment

Slider

Zimparks launches elephant culling program

Published

2 weeks 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

1 month 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

2 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.