The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), working with the Zimbabwe Republic Police, has advised tenants to report landlords who are demanding rentals in foreign currency.
ZACC spokesperson John Makamure said the Commission was working with police to ensure the implementation of Statutory Instrument 213 of 2019 which criminalises the charging in forex without the central bank’s approval. He said:
What is happening is that we are working with the police in monitoring this therefore we encourage members of the public to either approach our officials or their nearest police station.
As you might know, Zacc and the police are more of one entity in fighting such corrupt elements, worse still when there is a specific law that criminalises such acts.
Affirmative Action Group Matabeleland Chapter president Reginald Shoko said landlords demanding rentals in forex are involved in money-laundering. Said Shoko:
We know that some people now think it is normal to demand rentals in forex but what monthly repairs do they do to their properties that require foreign currency, they don’t pay rentals in forex, neither do they remit taxes in forex. Clearly these people are contributing to the country’s economic meltdown because what they are doing is tantamount to money laundering.
This follows reports that landlords in Bulawayo’s high-density suburbs are charging 100 Rand for a room while some charge US$50 for a five-roomed house.
In Senga, Gweru, students from the Midlands State University (MSU) are asked to pay US$50 per head while in Gwanda landlords prefer to charge in Rand and houses are pegged between R200 and R2 000 per month.