High Court Orders Harare Polytechnic To Accept Zimbabwe Dollar Payments
High Court judge Justice Gladys Mhuri has ordered Harare Polytechnic College to stop demanding payment of tuition and other levies exclusively in United States dollars and accept payments from students in RTGS at the prevailing interbank rate.
According to NewsDay, this comes after some students, through the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), challenged the move by Harare Polytechnic College, arguing that the mode of payment was discriminatory and a violation of the country’s exchange control regulations.
The student application was filed on 25 January in response to a circular issued on 12 January 2024.
The college had ordered students to pay tuition, catering and accommodation fees exclusively in United States dollars.
To facilitate payments, Harare Polytechnic College only provided a United States dollar-denominated account, leaving no room for payments in the local unit.
Late last year, the Government enacted Statutory Instrument 218 of 2023 which extended the use of the multiple currency system to December 2030.
The law compels businesses and individuals to accept the Zimbabwe dollar and a few other foreign currencies in domestic transactions.
Economists estimate that 80% of the local economy is dollarised, with the gap between the official and exchange rates continuing to widen.
More: Pindula News
