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Kapeya urges Northerners to rid off old currency ahead of expiry date
Luwingu, May 28, ZANIS ——- Information and Broadcasting Deputy Minister Mwansa Kapeya has advised of Luwingu residents and the general public in Northern province to ensure they deposit their old currency into commercial banks before 30th June 2013.
Mr Kapeya gave the advice when he paid a courtesy call on Luwingu District Commissioner Mambwe Katontoka saying old notes should be deposited into the local banks before the stipulated date expires as government will not extend the period.
The Deputy Minister said most of the villagers in the country side were still keeping the old currency thinking that government would extend the period after the official closing date of 30th June 2013.
Mr Kapeya noted that many villagers in rural areas do not keep their money in banks but buried their hard earn money in various secrete places either in their gardens, maize fields or within their homes.
The Deputy Minister said this has prompted him and other government officers in all districts to embark on a sensitisation tour to all the communities to educate them on the importance to keep money in banks.
Mr Kapeya also noted that some villagers feared to exhume their buried monies during the day time for fear of alarming other villagers as well as fearing to be laugh at by their colleagues.
He appealed to the District Commissioner and all government heads to intensify community sensitisation on various developmental projects taking place in the country which include changing of Zambian notes and the removal of maize and fuel subsidies.
The removal of subsidies has not been welcomed by different political parties who now fear that the Patriotic Front government will never been removed if it starts implementing some developmental projects promised during the 2011 presidential and general elections.
Mr Kapeya said government will not extend the programme because it had given the Zambian community enough time to change their money.
“Let everyone who has the money under ground to unearth it so that it is changed before time expired and we will not allow the banks to extend the period. We have given the public enough time to do so,” he explained.
Meanwhile some businessmen and women of Kamumango market in Luwingu district have started refusing to accept the old currency in their business transactions.
A snap survey carried out by ZANIS in Luwingu indicated that the business community in the area was becoming sceptical to accept old currency saying they too were finding it difficult to transact using it as wholesalers in Nakonde and Lusaka were also refusing to accept the old currency during their business transactions.
The business community in Luwingu has however commended government for changing the currency saying it was easier to carry and wondered why villagers opts to keep the old currency to themselves in homes.
Luwingu business communities are saying villagers should just take monies straight to the national saving and credit bank instead of holding on to it.
