Controversial Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Secretary General, Senator Sengezo Tshabangu, has stirred public outrage after calling for Zimbabwe to fully adopt the newly introduced Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) currency as the country’s sole legal tender.
Speaking over the weekend, Tshabangu declared it was time for Zimbabweans to embrace economic self-determination by moving away from foreign currencies.
“As Parliament, we wish to have our own currency in Zimbabwe and as a country to have self-determination. Forward ever, backwards never,” he said.
Tshabangu’s comments quickly sparked backlash, with critics accusing him of making reckless and poorly informed statements on a sensitive economic issue.
Former CCC youth assembly spokesperson Stephen Sarkozy Chuma slammed the remarks as “wishful, ill-advised and baseless.”
“Tshabangu must understand that currency issues are deeply rooted in confidence and stability, not slogans,” Chuma said.
His statement also drew sharp criticism on social media, where many users blasted the senator for what they described as a dangerous and populist stance at a time when trust in local currency remains fragile.
“This is how economies collapse—through careless political posturing,” one user posted on X (formerly Twitter), while another commented, “ZiG can’t buy bread, and Tshabangu wants us to ditch the dollar?”
The ZiG, introduced by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe in April 2024 to replace the inflation-wracked Zimbabwe dollar, has so far struggled to gain traction in everyday transactions, with most Zimbabweans preferring the US dollar due to stability and broader acceptance.
Despite Tshabangu’s bold call, analysts say full de-dollarisation will require more than patriotic rhetoric—it needs sound economic fundamentals, trust, and real value backing the local currency.
Source: Zimeye
