Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor John Mushayavanhu has urged members of the public to report supermarkets using exchange rates which are higher than the official rate.
This follows reports that some traders use a higher rate than the official Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG)13,5 to US$1.
In a recent interview with StarFM radio, the Central Bank chief warned that authorities will revoke shop licences of supermarkets found using black market rates. He said:
You should report on supermarkets that are not using the ZiG13,5 rate but a higher rate. We are not going to tolerate that. They are going to get their licences terminated.
ZiG is going to be a stable currency and it is here to stay. Hang on to your ZiG and do not fall for evil people who want to exchange the currency at a high rate.
The ZiG currency, introduced on 05 April 2024, is trading between ZiG17 and ZiG22 for US$1 on the parallel, according to NewsDay.
The Consumer Protection Commission (CPC), the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and the RBZ’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) are working together in a blitz on businesses refusing to accept the new currency.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) on 04 May, issued a fuel review notice indicating prices of petrol and diesel in both USD and ZiG.
However, this does not necessarily mean that fuel is now being sold in ZiG because ZERA has always done the same for Bond Notes even when they were not accepted at the fuel pump.
According to the notice, diesel now costs ZiG22.24 and US$1.66, while petrol is now selling at ZiG21.15 and US$1.58 per litre respectively.
