By A Correspondent

Despite bold proclamations from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), the government’s latest attempt to dress up the ZiG currency as a success appears to be more rhetoric than reality. In a statement released Monday, the RBZ claimed that local currency transactions on the National Payments System had jumped from 26 percent in April 2023 to 43 percent in 2024—a 17 percent rise since ZiG was launched.

The central bank lauded this as a sign of growing confidence in the local currency. “The ZiG continues to experience widespread usage in the economy,” the RBZ said, painting a rosy picture of acceptance that sharply contrasts with the real experiences of Zimbabwean citizens still battling volatile prices and limited access to basic goods.

Further amplifying its upbeat tone, the RBZ reported that the country’s foreign currency reserves now exceed US$700 million, presenting it as a buffer that will supposedly stabilize the ZiG. The Bank also projected a six percent economic growth rate for 2025, attributing it largely to a strong agricultural season.

But behind the statistics lies a different truth: ordinary Zimbabweans remain unconvinced. Trust in government-backed currencies has been eroded by decades of hyperinflation, policy failures, and abrupt monetary shifts. While the RBZ hails numeric gains, many citizens see a familiar pattern of inflated optimism used to mask deeper structural economic problems.

In reality, the so-called resurgence of the ZiG may be little more than a forced adaptation, driven more by limited alternatives than genuine confidence. As the government doubles down on its narrative, the public continues to ask: can rhetoric feed families—or is this just another currency experiment doomed to fail?