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Arron Nyamayaro
AFTER going into hibernation for about three months, after authorities cranked the heat on them with dozens being arrested, it appears the money changers have crept out of their shells and returned into business on the streets of Harare.
Of course, they have changed tactics in a bid to conceal their illegal activities and escape the attention of authorities.
In May, Government promulgated Statutory Instrument 81A of 2024 to enable it to punish those found flouting the exchange rate.
While the money changers would conduct their business in public before the crackdown, they are now taking cover in their parked vehicles.
Some daring women were even conducting their business along First Street Mall in Harare yesterday but they appeared to be just serving the clients they know.
Another group of women has been conducting their illegal activities at the corner of Sam Nujoma Avenue and Agostinho Neto Avenue (formerly Speke Avenue).
However, the group was not there when an H-Metro team arrived at the place where they operate from yesterday.
This newspaper’s crew noted during our tour around the Harare Central Business District that deals were still being struck, mainly in cars, parked on the streets of the capital.
Before the introduction of ZiG in April, the money changers were a common sight at every entrance and exit points of major supermarkets, the Harare City Council offices and money transfer agencies.
However, after raids by authorities netted scores of money changers, most of them disappeared from the streets and many were hesitant to deal in foreign currency.
It appears many of them have found new ways to evade arrest and they are now back in full force with most of the transactions being conducted in parked cars across Harare’s CBD.
“They are back but they have changed tactics, they are now operating mainly from their cars and the feeling among some of these guys is that the dust has settled,” said a source.
“Remember, even on their WhatsApp groups, many were reluctant to post that they had dollars or they were looking for local currency when the heat was on.
“The rates had disappeared from the text messages which dominate these WhatsApp groups but all these things are now back and are part of the conversations on these groups.
“Many believe the heat was just for that period, shortly after ZiG was introduced and that is now in the past and they can transact without worrying about arrest.”
One of the dealers told H-Metro yesterday that they were now playing the game with a lot of caution.
“We cannot completely withdraw ourselves from the streets since this is our source of living.
“We are relying on our trusted clients and we do not accept new clients to avoid some traps.
“We remain in our parked vehicles and respond to calls from our trusted clients only.
“The even driver keeps the engine running so that we will be able to try and speed off in the event that we get raided.”
Police and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) launched a fresh crackdown against illegal currency traders across the country.
Under the joint operation, more than 300 money changers were arrested.
Yesterday, our sister newspaper, Chronicle, reported that the surge in black-market exchange rates, which peaked at US$1:25 ZiG last week, led some unscrupulous businesses in Bulawayo to continue defying Government directives by rejecting transactions in ZiG.
This defiance undermines the Government’s efforts to stabilise the currency and maintain its utility, further diminishing consumer purchasing power and contributing to economic instability.
In Bulawayo, some businesses have resorted to faking network issues with their point of sale (POS) machines, in a bid to justify exclusive trading in foreign currency. Supermarkets in the city centre and residential areas like Mahatshula North have resorted to turning away without forex. This has also been reported in Harare.
A Harare-based journalist, who works in Bulawayo but was home for the weekend, complained on social media that he was quoted a rate of US$1 to 27 ZiG at a restaurant and walked away without buying anything.
The RBZ’s FIU established a hotline and WhatsApp number to enable members of the public to report businesses rejecting the local currency or using the black-market exchange rates. (H-Metro)
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