HARARE, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean police on Wednesday warned businesses against charging in foreign currency following the ban on use of the U.S. dollar for trading purposes.
The government last week scrapped the multi-currency system and made the Zimbabwe dollar the sole legal tender. The local currency is comprised of the electronic RTGS dollar, bond notes and bond coins.
In a statement, police said despite the law banning use of foreign currencies, some businesses had continued to sell their goods and services in hard currency.
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) spokesperson Paul Nyathi urged members of the public to report those still charging in forex.
"The ZRP warns all those who are charging commodities in United States dollars that they risk being arrested as the law will be applied without fear or favor," Nyathi said.
He implored supermarkets and shops to display commodity prices in order to allow members of the public to access goods and services in an environment which gives them room to plan, coordinate and buy the items freely without any form of manipulation by unscrupulous dealers.
Some businesses and shops have not been displaying prices of goods since the ban on the U.S. dollar, thereby causing uncertainty on buyers.
Zimbabwe is currently grappling with a shortage of foreign currency that has caused shortages of essentials such as fuel, medical drugs, power and bread.
