MONEY TRANSFERS to Zimbabwe are facing significant delays, say Ireland-based natives of the devastated southern African country.
As the economic crisis in Zimbabwe worsens, its people are increasingly dependent on either charity handouts or money transfers wired from relatives working abroad in countries such as Ireland.
However, the transfers are often not reaching them on time, and many are forced to go to neighbouring Botswana or South Africa to receive money sent from overseas.
Punch John, a Zimbabwean living in Ireland, said the service was “very inconsistent”, and that receiving the money often depends on how well the recipient knows the agent or how articulate they are. The service varies from one branch to another, he added.
According to him, younger-looking people are more likely to be turned away and told to wait by agents. “The only explanation I can think of is that they think young people can get by, while old people really need that money,” John said.
A Zimbabwean living in Harare, who did not wish to be identified due to links with the opposition movement, said it takes up to three weeks to receive money from a Western Union agent in Zimbabwe.
Cash shortages are cited by many agents as a reason they cannot pay the receivers. But Zimbabweans on the ground speculate that the agents may be deliberately withholding money from customers to make a profit.
“By the time you get the money it loses value due to inflation,” said the Harare source. As a result, people are forced to make the long trip into South Africa or Botswana, where the transfers typically take hours.
Both Western Union and MoneyGram offer money transfer services to Zimbabwe, however all of the complaints voiced to Metro Éireann referred to the former. At press time Western Union had not replied to a query regarding delays and the reliability of its agents in Zimbabwe.
