Kitwe traders refusing to accept coins

Some marketeers at Chisokone market in Kitwe have complained that some clients and traders were refusing to accept coins.

ZANIS reports from Kitwe that one of the affected marketer, Agnes Nkuwa, expressed concern that some traders especially bus operators and small shop owners were refusing the rebased currency in preference for the old one.

And another marketer Kelvin Siame said the coins were too small and difficult to carry.

Mr. Siame appealed on government to revert the K1 coin into note form which is easier to carry and handle.

He added that coins were also a risk to child who can easily swallow them.

And Agriculture Deputy Minister Luxon Kazabu has also observed that many people still have problems with the new currency especially dealing with the coins.

He however said government will continue with the sensitization programmes until it is satisfied that members of the public are able to use the money correctly.

Mr. Kazabu who is also Nkana Member of Parliament strongly appealed to business people who have learned how to use the rebased money to help their fellow traders to ensure that they don’t get cheated by unscrupulous people.

Over the weekend, Mr Kazabu took time to sensitize Chisokone Marketeers on the rebased currency and check on how they are coping up with the new cash notes and coins.

And most of the traders he talked to expressed ignorance and confusion over the new money and said that they are facing many challenges in their day to day transactions.

However, the traders welcomed the move by the minister to go round and expressed gratitude that they have been helped a lot.

Meanwhile, the Bank of Zambia (BOZ) has said it will continue providing information on rebasing to the public to ensure successful implementation and completion of the exercise.

BOZ Currency Rebasing Project Manager Morris Mulomba said the bank was impressed with the rebasing exercise so far and would scale up its sensitization efforts by partnering with various stakeholders whenever necessary.

Mr. Mulomba was speaking to ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today.

He said the rebasing exercise was a success to a large extent.

He was gratified that businesses and retail outlets have complied with the exercise adding that the bank would work tirelessly to promote the rebasing message across the country.

Mr. Mulomba however said a few glitches have been experienced in certain areas where people were failing to display dual prices of commodities and were unsure of how to use the coins.

He added that BoZ had recognised several aspects that needed more information among them the K100 notes, dual pricing and usage of coins which appear to pose the biggest challenge to people.

He said the bank had thus engaged musicians to help it in carrying out massive sensitisations in various parts of the country.

This was also in response to the Zambia Association of Musicians’ (ZAM) call that the bank should engage musicians in their rebasing sensitisation.

But Mr. Mulomba said ZAM’s call was a bit late as the bank had already engaged some musicians who were helping with songs on radio and various media outlets.

He named one of the musicians as Zambian veteran artist Brain Shakarongo and Spooky Mulemwa.

Mr. Mulomba explained that the bank sought to engage individual artists to implement the exercise instead of musicians at the association level in order to make the campaign easier and more effective.

He disclosed that the bank was working on a sensitisation partnership with the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) and various media houses on the rebasing sensitisation.

ZANIS