Zimbabweans battle to change currency as monetary crisis escalates

ZIMBABWEANS battled yesterday to change temporary currency into new banknotes before it becomes worthless on December 31, as the country’s central bank tries to tackle a shortage of cash in the country.

Bearer cheques, essentially money printed on ordinary paper, were introduced in 2003 as a temporary expedient measure to ease currency shortages caused by skyrocketing inflation and expire at the end of the year.

Banks opened extraordinarily this weekend to cope with customer demand, made worse by the fact that 200,000 zimdollar (about €5.50) bank notes will also become worthless on December 31.