Zimbabwe Gives an Early Christmas Gift

This week Zimbabwe has given its people an early Christmas gift. After abandoning its original currency five years ago, Zimbabwe currently uses the US dollar and the South African rand as its currency despite very few coins of these money in circulation. As a result, most shoppers were simply given arbitrary items for change such as candy. So, leading up to Christmas, this week the central bank of Zimbabwe reintroduced coins of the original Zimbabwe dollar into circulation. However, the government insists that the nation will not return to using the Zimbabwe dollar in the near future.

The economy of Zimbabwe grew unstable in the latter part of the first decade of the 21st century. Hyperinflation caused the government to start printing Zimbabwe dollar notes worth $100 trillion. Prices fluctuated hourly, and 80% of the population was unemployed. Abandoning the Zimbabwe dollar in favor of the US dollar and South African rand has helped stabilize the economy, though many Zimbabweans still face harsh financial difficulties.