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Oswell Moyo Chronicle Reporter
COMMUTER omnibus operators in Bulawayo were yesterday refusing the new bond coins.
Furious passengers said the operators wanted to find out whether or not service  stations and shops selling motor spares accepted the coins.A snap survey conducted by The Chronicle revealed that a majority of kombi operators plying western suburbs routes are refusing the new coins.

A kombi operator Josphat Sibanda said: “I’m not accepting the coins because I don’t know whether service stations which usually import fuel from South Africa would accept them. Some passengers don’t accept the coins as change. It’s too early for us to start accepting them.”
Banks were offering the imported bond coins to their clients yesterday, although the coins had not yet reached many people by the end of the day.

Another driver on the Emakhandeni-city centre route, Mthokozisi Dube, said he was not accepting coins because he imported most of his kombi spare parts from South Africa.

“I’m not going to accept bond coins because  most of my spare parts are imported  from  South Africa. We don’t need these coins in  Bulawayo because we’ve adequate rand coins in circulation,” said Dube.

The coins are in denominations of 1c, 5c, 10c and 25c and there are plans to introduce a 50c coin later. The bond coins are at par with US dollar coins and will be interchangeable into US dollars at any bank, shop, supermarket or other business in Zimbabwe.

A passenger who spoke on condition of  anonymity said she was forced to pocket her bond coin and produce R5 after the conductor refused to  take it.

She said the conductor told her that the owner of the kombi had instructed him not to accept bond coins.

“I don’t know why they’re refusing the coins while shops are accepting them,” she said.

Bulawayo Public Transport Association chairman Albert Ncube said they wanted to first confirm that service stations and shops selling motor spare parts accept the coins.

“If service stations which import fuel from South Africa accept the coins then we’ll start accepting them as well,” said Ncube.