Bulawayo Airtime Vendor Arrested For Refusing $2 Notes

A woman in Bulawayo was arrested for refusing to accept $2 notes while she was selling airtime in the city of KIngs, the Chronicle reports. 21-year-old Prudence Mhene appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya facing charges of contravening a section of Statutory Instrument 175/2008, the Bank Use Promotion and Suppression of Money Laundering Act.

It is the state’s case that:

On July 17 at 10am at Mandalane Building located at 5th Avenue and Fife Street Bulawayo, the accused was selling airtime in the shop. The complainant, Mr Mthokozisi Ngwenya handed over $18 bond notes intending to buy Telecel airtime. The accused told Mr Ngwenya that she had a limit for the amount of $2 bond notes and handed him back 2 x $2 notes and asked for a $5 note.

The accused person implied that the customer should produce $5 bond notes only as she had limits of accepting denominations less than $2 bond notes. The complainant later revealed his identity as a police officer and the accused person was arrested.

Mhene was remanded out of custody and will be back in court tomorrow. ZRP has reportedly launched “Operation accept Zimbabwe currency as legal tender” which has seen over 100 people being arrested for various crimes including refusing to accept the Zimbabwe Dollar for their goods and services.

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