ON 22 April 2022, the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) issued a paper which it styled as an urgent engagement paper on the currency situation in the country.
In that paper, CZI called for, inter alia, the suspension of the foreign exchange auction system and alleged that a mono-currency system was in place and also made unfounded references to “raiding” of foreign currency accounts and a bank run.
Response to CZI Paper on Currency Situation pic.twitter.com/0dAlnccQa7
— Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (@ReserveBankZIM) April 23, 2022
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) wishes to draw the public’s attention to the fact that the contents of the CZI paper are a response to rumours and not based on facts on the ground.
The contents of the said CZI paper and the impressions depicted therein are unfortunate and uncalled for as they have the potential of destabilising financial markets and economic stability of the country.
For clarity and avoidance of doubt, RBZ advises the public that:-
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
- Government and the Bank are committed to an orderly de-dollarisation process and hence it is false that a mono-currency system is now in place
- The foreign exchange auction system remains in place and will not be suspended as doing so will cause shortages of goods in the market and abet inflation
- All foreign exchange accounts are safe and the Bank has no reason or appetite to “raid” the accounts as alleged in the CZI paper
RBZ has also noted with serious concern that CZI has published the paper without engaging it to establish the veracity of the rumours that motivated the paper.
Consequently, CZI has created a negative impression that has the effect of stocking market confusion and inflation. RBZ is always at the disposal of stakeholders, including CZI, for discussion and dialogue with a view to fostering interests of industry and the economy and avoid causing market instability.
RBZ, therefore, advises that the contents of the CZI paper in question should be disregarded. John Mangudya RBZ governor
Journalism doing disservice to Earth Day
REGARDLESS that every day of the year should be World Earth Day — there is need for serious efforts to protect the earth rather than just brief media tokenism.
Clearly, too many mainstream media chief executives and senior editors remain unfazed by man-made global warming and its resultant extreme weather events.
Pretty much of the entire mainstream news-media spectrum that are complicity — especially as regards to human-created climate change.
In an interview with an online paper, linguist and media analyst Noam Chomsky noted that while the mainstream media do publish stories about man-made global warming, “it’s as if … there is a kind of a tunnel vision — the science reporters are occasionally saying ‘look, this is a catastrophe,’ but then the regular (non-environmental pro-fossil fuel) coverage simply disregards it.”
Particularly disturbing was an editorial in one newspaper printed with the headline Earth Day in need of a facelift.
It opined that “some people would argue that (the day of environmental action) … is an anachronism,” that it should instead be a day of recognising what we have societally accomplished. “And while it (has) served us well … do we really need Earth Day anymore?”
Varied lengths of the same editorial, unfortunately, was also run by some sister newspapers, all owned by the same media mogul who also happens to be an aspiring oil refiner.
Until reading this, I had never heard anyone, let alone a mainstream news outlet, suggest we are doing so well as to render Earth Day an unnecessary “anachronism”.
Considering the sorry state of the planet’s natural environment, I still find it one of the most absurd and irresponsible acts of editorial journalism I have witnessed in my 3,5 decades of news consumption. –Frank Sterle Jr
Voter registration programme should be extended
I AM appealing to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) chairperson Priscilla Chigumba to revisit the voter registration blitz which is coming to an end. It is a good idea, but it is a piecemeal not enough to capture all who want to register.
When the first blitz took place, it was in the middle of the rain season and accessibility by Zec officials to some areas was difficult. In case of Mbire, hundreds of potential registrants could not register because they were busy attending to their fields.
Mbire is a wildlife area where animals like elephants and baboons destroy crops.
So during farming time, people migrate to their fields to avoid the long distances to and from their fields to safeguard their crops from marauding animals.
People from Gonono area have their fields opposite the Karunga Game Park and obviously their crops need to be looked after.
So when Zec officials went to that area, a few people were in villages and they did not follow them to the fields, meaning that many did not register.
In Guruve, the blitz did not capture some potential registrants. This registration programme is different from census where one person can give information to a census officer about the whole family.
It is normal that each family leaves one or two people to look after the home and can give enumerators all they want. In case of voter registration, it must be the person physically there with all documents available.
I am, therefore, appealing to government to avail more resources to Zec so the voter registration exercise may run up to December.
It would be convenient if Zec officers moved around with their counterparts from the Registrar-General’s Office so that soon after obtaining an identity card, one registers to vote immediately. –Isaac Mupinyuri
IN response to Afrophobia: Can some in ANC stand up, TAPIWA MAMBO says: Zimbabweans in South Africa have no problem going home for Christmas or Easter holidays, but will never consider going home to register to vote. The honeymoon season for undocumented Zimbabweans in South Africa is over. They should be deported so that they can put their house in order in the 2023 elections. It is better to vote for change and rebuild Zimbabwe from 2023 under a new leadership than to continue hanging onto South Africa. The Zanu PF government cannot be allowed to continue plundering the country’s resources. We need a break from the past.
STEELBLADES WORDON says: Why is the Zimbabwe government so quiet about Operation Dudula? Why is President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government not being moved about anything that has happened in South Africa so far? There is something wrong going on in government. It is a fact that it does not care about its people. They are plundering the nation’s resources, but do not care about Zimbabweans.
JABU M NYATHI says: The ANC plan is clear. After the local government elections, ANC seems to have taken a decision that it should not go down with Zanu PF. So the next elections are all about survival, not solidarity.
TIGER ZINDOGA says: These vigilantes groups were created by ANC factions just to divert attention from real issues affecting ordinary South African which is looting of public funds meant for development.
IN response to Mlotshwa must not drag local football to the gutter, MAGADZIKE BLESSED says: Disband the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC). It has done nothing to improve our sports since its inception in 1991. We haven’t improved in anything. Instead, some sports disciplines such as athletics and tennis have been dying since SRC came aboard. It is a useless bureaucratic institution.
OBERT KARAMBAMUCHERO says: Soccer supporters must bring sanity to the game if the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) Gerald Mlothswa thinks he is bigger than Zimbabweans football. People must go to the SRC offices and demonstrate against him.
