Shop supervisor in court for refusing ZiG

Panashe Takavarasha, a supermarket supervisor at Spar in Harare, appeared in court for allegedly refusing to accept Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) currency. He faces charges under the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Act and was remanded out of custody until July 4.

The complainant, Sydney Chatora, a 40-year-old soldier, visited Spar Supermarket Market Square on June 16 intending to purchase a loaf of bread using ZiG. Allegedly, Takavarasha informed him that the supermarket only accepted United States dollars, not ZiG. Following this incident, Chatora reported the matter to the police, resulting in Takavarasha's arrest.

ZiG was introduced in April as a replacement for the heavily devalued local currency, the Zimbabwe dollar, which had been rendered practically worthless due to inflation.