By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
Civil servants in Beitbridge have welcomed the upgraded Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) banknotes but have raised concerns about whether the notes will be readily accessible in the border town.
The concerns were raised during the ZiG awareness campaign by the RBZ, which was part of the stakeholder meeting held in Beitbridge on Tuesday.
The district’s Arts and Culture Officer, Cossam Zulu, said electronic ZiG transactions are currently the most common form of payment in the area.
Zulu said many residents and businesses in Beitbridge have never encountered physical ZiG notes in formal retail spaces, which make up the majority of trade in the border town.
He added said South African rand remains the most widely used currency in the area.
Responding to the concerns, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Deputy Director for Exchange Control and Financial Surveillance, Mr Vuka Mlalazi, who was leading the awareness campaign, assured stakeholders that the new banknotes will be available through banks and automated teller machines (ATMs).
“The banknotes will be accessible through ATMs, and people will be able to withdraw them from banks and use them for transactions,” Mlalazi said.
He said the new ZiG notes are not a new currency but rather an upgrade of the banknotes introduced in April 2024.
The upgrade was implemented following criticism that the earlier notes were of poor quality and not widely available.
“This is simply an improvement in the quality of the notes,” he said.
Addressing another common question on whether ZiG will be accepted for fuel purchases, Mlalazi said the currency will eventually be usable for that purpose, although current conditions are not yet suitable.
The new Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) banknotes are expected to enter circulation on 7 April 2026, circulating alongside the series introduced in April 2024.
Smaller denominations ZiG10, ZiG20, and ZiG50 will be released first on 7 April, while ZiG100 and ZiG200 notes will be introduced at a later stage.