Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube has pleaded with business not to reject coins and those notes inscribed “bond notes” saying they were still legal tender.
Ncube was responding to legislators in Parliament on Wednesday after they had complained that traders were rejecting small denominations as well as $2 and $5 notes that were inscribed “bond notes”. Said Ncube:
We want to make it clear that $2 notes are still legal tender. Perhaps we need to issue a press statement to that effect. But we will be substituting those bond notes with new notes but it is a gradual process.
Yesterday the government announced that civil servants and Government pensioners will get an immediate 50 per cent pay rise for the next three months.
The package also includes a flat non-taxable US dollar-denominated COVID-19 allowances of US$75 a month for each civil servant, regardless of grade, and US$30 a month for Government pensioners.
