Staff ReporterHARARE — Zimbabwe’s Finance, Economic Development, and Investment Promotion Minister, Mthuli Ncube, has assured that civil servants will receive their April salaries on time, amidst the country’s transition to a new currency, the ZiG. The announcement came during a National Assembly session where Minister Ncube addressed concerns raised by Emakhandeni-Luveve MP Discent Bajila (CCC) regarding the currency in which April’s salaries would be paid.
The query from MP Bajila followed the recent announcement by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) that ZiG notes and coins are set to be introduced on April 30. This has led to uncertainty among public workers about the availability and functionality of the new currency for their mid-month salary disbursements.
In his response, Minister Ncube clarified that while physical ZiG currency will be available by the end of April, the electronic transactions in ZiG are set to begin much earlier. “Civil servants will start receiving their salaries from April 18, and I’m happy to say that ZiG is already operational for electronic payments,” Ncube stated, addressing the Assembly.
The RBZ had previously indicated a staggered approach in rolling out the new currency, leading to criticisms from several economic experts. They labeled the move to announce a currency without immediate physical availability as imprudent. This decision has complicated transactions, especially for smaller-scale traders and service providers who frequently deal in amounts less than US$1. With the Zim dollar notes swiftly falling out of favor, the smallest transactions are becoming increasingly challenging.
The shift to ZiG aims to stabilize the Zimbabwean economy but has introduced immediate hurdles for commerce and daily transactions across the nation. As Zimbabwe navigates these economic changes, the focus remains on ensuring that civil servants and other stakeholders experience minimal disruption during this transitional period.
