In the midst of this week the RBZ announced that they would soon be releasing the new $100 ZWL in a bid to aid local cash transactions. The current biggest note in circulation is the $50 ZWL note which was introduced early last year. That is now worth about US$0.15 and this has made cash transactions a bit cumbersome to carry out. The $100 ZWL note, will not solve all our issues but will bring much-needed relief in this regard. The RBZ published a list of the features but thus far all we had to go by was the text in the Statutory Instrument that the government gazetted.

.Now the RBZ has released pictures of the new $100 ZWL note in posters meant to raise public awareness.

Pictures of the new $100 ZWL note

The note will look at home in the “bond” family as it shares some features with its sibling notes. The font looks very similar to what we have on the $10 and $50 notes. The note also ditches the break with tradition we saw with the $50 which features a person, Mbuya Nehanda and goes back to the flora and fauna scheme we are used to. Sadly I feel this note comes about 24 months late in the game. There was a time when people wanted something to break the cash crisis cash and the government wouldn’t budge. Now, most people are using USD cash and this note will be but a footnote in our history. It’s also likely to spell the end of the $10 note which has thus far survived demonetisation several times.