Back to Index

RBZ court case regarding review of bank withdrawal limits - September 25, 2008
Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR)
October 04, 2008

The Restoration of Human Rights Zimbabwe (ROHR Zimbabwe) has, today, taken the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (R.B.Z) to court over the central bank's failure to review bank withdrawal limits in line with the economic situation prevailing in Zimbabwe.

The court action is in line with the organization's mission seeking to promote a culture of human rights in Zimbabwe through community mobilization and capacity building and active responses to human rights.

It is prudent to highlight that the untenable situation obtaining in Zimbabwe where people have since last year, struggled to access their cash from banks, is a serious infringement on the rights of the people of Zimbabwe.

While the situation was dire last year, it has become even more risky this time around as people have resorted to spending nights in queues to withdraw paltry amounts that are insignificant to meet their daily demands.

The development has seen Zimbabweans, to a great extent, being reduced to mere beggars who have no idea, whatsoever, as to how this cash logjam would be unlocked and when.

Having to spend time in queues has also exposed citizens of this once great nation to a cocktail of ailments and diseases- a situation we believe as a human rights defence organization could be addressed by the authorities and powers-that-be.

It ceases to amaze us all how these people, forced into this kind of inhumane situation, answer to the call of nature given that in these banks where they queue, they have no access to ablution facilities.

What we believe is the only option, given the situation, is for these bank clients to relieve themselves in open spaces and allays, which in the broader analysis, creates another problem, that of a possibility of a disease outbreak.

We shudder to think what is likely to happen given that there is an outbreak of Cholera, which according to statistics in The Herald newspaper today has claimed 16 lives. Surely, this situation should be a cause for concern.

We believe that the central bank, through its governor's office, should be a bit serious when setting these bank limits and do the reviews while taking into account the inflationary environment Zimbabweans are currently living in.

It (the Reserve Bank) should also take into cognizance the fact that prices of basic commodities continue to rise on a daily basis, thereby eroding the amount of money that it has allowed depositors to withdraw from the banks.

While it might be the central bank's defence that banks have not met its requirements in terms of bonds, treasury bills, and excess cash after a day's disbursements, we believe this is a bureaucratic challenge that can be dealt with if there is will power, political will power for that matter, to address the situation and save Zimbabweans the shame and embarrassment of sleeping outside banks in search of their hard-earned cash.

It is light of the above that ROHR Zimbabwe has decided to take it upon itself, pushed by the plight of Zimbabweans, to challenge the central bank, through its governor, to lift the bar on the bank withdrawal limits.

We are sure that the High Court, despite the various goodies and niceties that the central bank chief, Gideon Gono has splashed on members of the judiciary, will remain objective and give a ruling that saves Zimbabweans from further agony of queuing for what rightfully belongs to them-the unlimited access to their cash.

Visit the ROHR fact sheet

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP