Letter from Africa: Zimbabwe, the land where cash barons thrive

In our series of letters from African writers, journalist-turned-barrister Brian Hungwe says the need for cash has not been eased by the release of new Zimbabwean dollar notes over the last week.

In Zimbabwe, cash is king.

You need notes in your hand to avoid paying a premium for goods.

This has come about because of a chronic shortage of physical cash – which has led to a three-tier pricing model.

For example, if you go into a supermarket to buy a 15 Zimbabwean dollar loaf of bread, you can pay…

You also need cash to pay for bus fares – electronic transactions are not accepted on public transport – and…