According to the Minister of Energy, Fortune Chasi, ZERA has shutdown a service station in Glendale for demanding and accepting cash payments only. The minister has said that this is part of an ongoing effort by the Energy regulatory authority to enforce laws on service stations.

ENERGY UPDATE: ZERA shuts down ruyamuro service stations in Glendale and at ndzvimbo Growth point in Chiweshe. Reason: refusing other payment methods except cash. Other service stations awaiting due process.

— Fortune Chasi (@fortunechasi) August 27, 2019

Triple pricing is the norm everywhere

Just as everyone knows we breathe in Oxygen, every Zimbabwean knows there are three prices for everything:

The RTGS price i.e. swipe and sometimes Ecocash
The coin price i.e. the price when one is paying in bond coins
The bond note price i.e when one is paying in bond notes

Sometimes there is even the USD price, especially in pharmacies. Usually, you are better off paying this hidden price which you will never know off unless you ask and do not present as suspicious otherwise you will end up paying the RTGS price even if you are paying using cash.

Some stubborn traders, fuel service stations among them, might refuse all other forms of payments except cash. Apparently, ZERA is cracking on this. Given ZERA’s mandate is limited to the energy sector a lot of traders not going to be affected by this crackdown.