Latest September 2022 Updates – Civil Servants, NetOne, ZINARA, ZERA

It has been a bit of some time since we discussed some updates directly or indirectly related to the prices of services in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe undoubtedly always has many things going on every week. One of the most notable trends now is government’s failure to pay suppliers timely. There have also been indications that the government withheld Zimbabwean dollar payments to suppliers. Another dynamic is that of gold coins being bought using the Zimbabwean dollar. The ripple effects this has been creating have been seriously damaging the economy. For example, Zimbabwean dollar shortages have come onto the scene lately; the ZWL$5000 weekly limit is too low. The last time I was in the Masvingo Central Business District, there were long queues at banks. Today we are looking at 4 talking points: civil servants, NetOne, ZINARA, and ZERA.

Civil Servants Get US$25 Pay Rise

Up until lately, civil servants were getting a total of US$175 as the US dollar portion of their salary. This comprised US$100, which was their US dollar basic and US$75, which was the COVID-19 allowance. After some deliberations between the government and the respective unions, the US dollar basic has been increased by US$25. The COVID-19 allowance remains the same. This means their US dollar salary portion is now US$200. Of course, civil servants wish this were much more than that. Additionally, the government indicated annual bonuses will still be in US dollars, like last year.

Noteworthy NetOne Latest Updates

Reviewed Its One-Fi Price Back To The Old Price

NetOne last reviewed their ZWL Voice, Data, SMS, and USSD tariffs with effect from 2 September 2022. One of the notable reviews was that of their private Wi-Fi bundles, i.e. One-Fi. They reviewed their 10 GB monthly One-Fi bundle from ZWL$10465 up to ZWL$26200 – a 150 percent increment. This aroused some chatter as people complained. Interestingly, I am not sure when, but a few days later, they reviewed that bundle back to ZWL$10465. It appears they did this silently because I found it out by accident. It was inevitable because I am sure their sales for that bundle had gone down. This is not the first time NetOne has done this back and forth on data prices.

MoGigs Bundles Now Purchasable From OK, OK Mart, And Bon Marche

At least they introduced MoGigs bundles, which are denominated in US dollars. They are more convenient and quite affordable for many. They are as follows:

Initially, they said one could only buy them from their NetOne shops. This was inconvenient for many, especially those living far away from a NetOne shop. For example, I stay over 40 kilometres away from my nearest NetOne shop. Recently they announced that MoGigs bundles can now be purchased from OK, OK Mart, and Bon Marche supermarkets. Still, that leaves out other people who would have to travel to get them. They did indicate that they are working on expanding their distribution network. The ideal scenario should be that any airtime vendor should sell these MoGigs bundles. The other option is to purchase them using OneMoney but not everyone has it for several reasons.

NetOne Services Being Decentralized To ZimPost Offices

For added convenience, NetOne will now provide OneMoney, Airtime, SIM replacements, and new SIM cards at ZimPost offices. So far, this is now possible at the following ZimPost offices: Harare Main Post Office, Murombedzi, Chegutu, Mrehwa, Nyanga, Plumtree, Hwange, and Nkulumane. They said more branches would be opening soon.

ZINARA Announces Stringent Vehicle License Discs Regulations

ZINARA recently issued a public notice pertaining to vehicle license discs as follows:

The Zimbabwe National Road Administration would like to advise the motoring public that all vehicles without valid license discs will NOT be allowed to pass through the Tollgates with effect from 01 October 2022.

This is in line with the Vehicle Registration and Licensing Act (Chapter 13:14) subsection 6 and 22 which states that all vehicles which are de-registered, vehicle with licensing exemptions, and vehicles without number plates are not allowed to move around Zimbabwean roads.

As such, we urge the motoring public to make sure that their vehicles are fully licensed before they embark on any travel to avoid inconveniences. ZINARA will allow motorists with valid insurance receipts to pay for their vehicle license discs at the Tollgates and collect them at the nearest ZINARA licensing offices.

Fuel Prices At Fuel Stations Still Higher Than Official Ones

The latest fuel prices became effective 8 September as follows:

The old prices were as follows:

Magnitude Of Change

No longer surprising that the ZWL$ prices keep going up – it is to be expected. Interestingly, the diesel price in US dollars has remained the same for a while now. The price of petrol this time around even went down by 3 US cents.

My issue, though, and this has been for a while, is why fuel prices at fuel stations are higher than the ones prescribed by ZERA. I was in the Masvingo CBD a few days ago and I noticed at ZUVA fuel stations, for example, that the price of petrol was US$1.65. That is 12 US cents higher than the prescribed price. Why this still continues to happen, I wonder; it is not like ZERA does not know.

These are some of the noteworthy updates about what is happening in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe still remains a country characterised by ferocious corruption. It is no doubt the biggest factor behind the state of the economy and the suffering of many.