Will the Ragtag Pig Shed Built by ZANU Restore the ZiG Currency?

A Temporary Fix for a Permanent Crisis?

Harare’s Mbare Musika, once a thriving hub for informal traders, is now the site of a controversial reconstruction effort following the devastating fire that left thousands of vendors destitute. The ZANU PF government has quickly moved to erect a “modern” temporary market, but critics are questioning whether this hastily built structure is anything more than a cosmetic solution to a deeper economic crisis.

At the heart of the debate is the newly introduced Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) currency, which the government insists will stabilize the economy. But will a makeshift trading market, likened by some vendors to a “ragtag pig shed,” be enough to restore confidence in a currency that many Zimbabweans already view with skepticism?

A Currency on Shaky Ground

Since its launch last April, the ZiG has struggled to gain public trust. Market confidence is at an all-time low due to Zimbabwe’s turbulent monetary history, including the catastrophic hyperinflation of the 2000s and the more recent collapse of the RTGS dollar. Many traders at Mbare Musika, where transactions are often conducted in US dollars, have refused to fully adopt the ZiG, fearing it will follow the same disastrous path as its predecessors.

The government, however, has doubled down on enforcing the currency, with authorities targeting informal traders suspected of engaging in forex dealings. Leaked reports suggest that the fire that gutted Mbare Musika may have been a deliberate ploy to disrupt illegal currency trading and force vendors to accept the ZiG.

Space Barons and Corruption: Business as Usual?

Even as officials tout the new market as a step toward formalization and economic stability, reports are emerging that space barons—connected to ruling party elites—are already exploiting traders by demanding bribes of US$10 per person just to be considered for a stall. This raises serious concerns about the true beneficiaries of the reconstruction efforts.

Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe has assured traders that the allocation of stalls will be done fairly, but vendors on the ground remain skeptical. Many fear that politically connected individuals will seize the prime trading spots, leaving those most affected by the fire without a place to rebuild their businesses.

A Broken Trust: Traders Speak Out

Mbare Musika traders are unconvinced that rebuilding the market will address the economic realities they face. “A new structure will not bring back our lost goods, and it won’t fix the economy,” says one trader who lost over US$10,000 in the fire. “People don’t trust the ZiG, so they use US dollars. Unless the government stabilizes the economy, this is just another exercise in deception.”

The mistrust is well-founded. Previous government initiatives, such as the 2019 reintroduction of the Zimbabwean dollar, ended in disaster as inflation spiraled out of control. Without addressing the root causes of Zimbabwe’s economic instability—rampant corruption, excessive government borrowing, and a lack of investor confidence—no amount of infrastructure development will restore faith in the national currency.

Will the “Pig Shed” Save the ZiG?

The rush to erect a temporary market in Mbare Musika may serve as a political gesture, but it does little to resolve the deeper financial turmoil gripping Zimbabwe. The government’s alleged role in the market fire, combined with its failure to rein in corruption among space barons, has only fueled public distrust.

For the ZiG to gain legitimacy, the government needs more than new buildings—it needs policies that inspire economic confidence. Without concrete steps to curb inflation, protect traders from exploitation, and restore faith in monetary policies, the ZiG will be nothing more than another failed experiment in Zimbabwe’s long history of currency disasters.

For now, traders at Mbare Musika remain caught between a crumbling economy and a government that seems more interested in optics than solutions. Whether the makeshift market will become a beacon of economic revival or just another monument to Zimbabwe’s ongoing crisis remains to be seen.