Zimbabwe: Cash withdrawals with international bank cards currently not possible!

update (07 Dec 2017): According to the latest update of the Foreign travel advice - Zimbabwe (29 Nov 2017) by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (UK), Zimbabwe is still experiencing a shortage of cash and it is therefore not possible to make cash withdrawals using an international bank card. It is advised to have sufficient funds in US dollar notes for your visit.

update (09 Nov 2017): According to the latest update of the Foreign travel advice - Zimbabwe (18 Sept 2017) by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (UK), Zimbabwe is still experiencing a shortage of cash and it is therefore not possible to make cash withdrawals using an international bank card. It is advised to have sufficient funds in US dollar notes for your visit.

update (13 Oct 2017): According to the latest update of the Foreign travel advice - Zimbabwe (18 Sept 2017) by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (UK), Zimbabwe is still experiencing a shortage of cash and it is therefore not possible to make cash withdrawals using an international bank card. It is advised to have sufficient funds in US dollar notes for your visit.

update (20 Sept 2017): According to the latest update of the Foreign travel advice - Zimbabwe (18 Sept 2017) by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (UK), Zimbabwe is still experiencing a shortage of cash and it is therefore not possible to make cash withdrawals using an international bank card. It is advised to have sufficient funds in US dollar notes for your visit.

update (11 July 2017): According to the latest update of the Foreign travel advice - Zimbabwe (25 May 2017) by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (UK), Zimbabwe is still experiencing a shortage of cash and it is therefore not possible to make cash withdrawals using an international bank card. It is advised to have sufficient funds in US dollar notes for your visit.

update (30 June 2017): According to the latest update of the Foreign travel advice - Zimbabwe (25 May 2017) by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (UK), Zimbabwe is still experiencing a shortage of cash and it is therefore not possible to make cash withdrawals using an international bank card. It is advised to have sufficient funds in US dollar notes for your visit.  

update (26 May 2017): According to the latest update of the Foreign travel advice - Zimbabwe (25 May 2017) by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (UK), Zimbabwe is still experiencing a shortage of cash and it is therefore not possible to make cash withdrawals using an international bank card. It is advised to have sufficient funds in US dollar notes for your visit. 

update (18 May 2017): According to the latest update of the Foreign travel advice - Zimbabwe (16 May 2017) by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (UK), Zimbabwe is still experiencing a shortage of cash and it is therefore not possible to make cash withdrawals using an international bank card. It is advised to have sufficient funds in US dollar notes for your visit. 

update (16 March 2017): According to the latest update of the Foreign travel advice - Zimbabwe (14 March 2017) by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (UK), Zimbabwe is still experiencing a shortage of cash and it is therefore not possible to make cash withdrawals using an international bank card. It is advised to have sufficient funds in US dollar notes for your visit.

update (10 March 2017): According to the latest update of the Foreign travel advice - Zimbabwe (08 February 2017) by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (UK), Zimbabwe is still experiencing a shortage of cash and it is therefore not possible to make cash withdrawals using an international bank card.

update (23 February 2017): According to the latest update of the Foreign travel advice - Zimbabwe (08 February 2017) by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (UK), Zimbabwe is still experiencing a shortage of cash and it is therefore not possible to make cash withdrawals using an international bank card.

update (24 January 2017): According to tourismupdate, in Victoria Falls only Barclays Bank and Standard Chartered banks accept foreign cards.

update (09 January 2017): According to the latest update of the Foreign travel advice - Zimbabwe (27 November 2016) by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (UK), Zimbabwe is still experiencing a shortage of cash. It is still not possible to make cash withdrawals using an international bank card.

 update (07 December 2016): According to the latest update of the Foreign travel advice - Zimbabwe (27 November 2016) by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (UK), Zimbabwe is still experiencing a shortage of cash. It is still not possible to make cash withdrawals using an international bank card.

update (17 October 2016): According to the current Foreign travel advice - Zimbabwe (06 September 2016; still current at 17 October 2016), Zimbabwe is still experiencing a shortage of cash. It is still not possible to make cash withdrawals using an international bank card.

update (16 September 2016): According to the current Foreign travel advice - Zimbabwe (06 September 2016; still current at 16 September 2016), Zimbabwe is still experiencing a shortage of cash. It is still not possible to make cash withdrawals using an international bank card.

update (19 August 2016): According to the current Foreign travel advice - Zimbabwe (07 August 2016; still current at 19 August 2016), Zimbabwe is still experiencing a shortage of cash. It is still not possible to make cash withdrawals using an international bank card.

According to an update of the Foreign travel advice - Zimbabwe (07 June 2016) by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (UK), it is not currently possible to make cash withdrawals with an international bank card in Zimbabwe. Travellers should make sure that they have sufficient funds in US dollar notes on them when visiting Zimbabwe. In addition, it is illegal to leave the country with more than $1,000 (or equivalent) in cash. It is also illegal to exchange foreign currency anywhere other than at officially licensed dealers (eg, banks).

Zimbabwe travel advice - GOVUK

Zimbabwe: ATMs are currently low on money!

According to an update of the Foreign travel advice - Zimbabwe (17 May 2016) by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (UK), ATMs in Zimbabwe are currently low on money. Therefore a number of local banks have put in place restrictions on using international bank cards to withdraw cash from their ATMs. It is also now illegal to leave Zimbabwe with more than $1,000 (or equivalent).

Zimbabwe travel advice - GOVUK

South Africa: New banknotes to feature former president Nelson Mandela

update (31 Oct 2012): The bank notes featuring former president Nelson Mandela will enter circulation in South Africa on 06 November 2012, the South African Reserve Bank said on 30 Oct 2012. 

The South African Reserve Bank announced the forthcoming introduction of a new series of banknotes honouring former president Nelson Mandela. The new banknotes, which are equipped with a unique combination of state-of-the-art security features, will come into circulation before the end of 2012. The new banknotes will also have enhanced features for the visually impaired, including raised print on both sides.
The front of the banknotes feature an image of South Africa's first democratically elected president Nelson Mandela, while the back of the notes have maintained the "Big Five" animal images that appear on current banknotes. The current and the new banknotes will co-circulate and both are legal tender.

screenshot

update (21 Sept 2012): To introduce South Africa's new banknotes, the South African Reserve Bank has released a TV commercial to inform the public.

South Africa to phase out the 5ct coin

South Africa will no longer be making 5 cent coins, says Cabinet spokesperson Jimmy Manyi.
Briefing the media on Thursday, Manyi said at its ordinary meeting on Wednesday that Cabinet had noted the discontinuation of the production of the South African 5 cent denomination coin.
Further to this, the 10 cent denomination coin is to be replaced with a new 10 cent denomination coin with effect from April next year.
"The new proposed 10 cent denomination coin will remain the same size. The metal content will change from the previous bronze-plated steel to copper-plated steel. This will result in the reduction in cost of producing these coins," said Manyi.
Various commemorative coin designs for 2012 were also approved by Cabinet, including 2012 Natura series 24 carat gold coins, a 2012 R2 Crown to mark the Olympic Games and the Centenary of the Race to the South Pole. (via Buanews)

South Africa: customs, duty free goods, currency restrictions etc.

According to a recent survey most Britons are not aware of certain currency restrictions when travelling to and/or out of South Africa. Therefore we summed up the most important regulations:

Customs:

• 200 cigarettes and 50 cigars and 250 g of tobacco
• 2 bottles (2 litres) of wine and 1 bottle (1 litre) of spirits or liquor
• 50 ml. of perfume and 250 ml. of eau de toilette per person
• other goods (new, used or duty free) up to a value of ZAR 3,000.00

Baggage Clearance regulations:

• Baggage is cleared at the first airport of entry in South Africa.
  Exempt: baggage of transit passengers with a destination in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia or Swaziland, provided the passengers do not leave the transit area.

Currency Import regulations:

• RESIDENTS: local currency (South African Rand-ZAR): ZAR 5,000.00 in S.A. Reserve Banknotes; foreign currencies and traveller's cheques: unlimited, provided declared upon arrival.
• NON-RESIDENTS: local currency: ZAR 5,000.00 in cash. foreign currencies and traveller's cheques: unlimited, provided declared upon arrival.

Currency Export regulations:

• RESIDENTS: local currency (South African Rand-ZAR): ZAR 5,000.00 in S.A. Reserve Banknotes (not included in travel allowance); foreign currencies: up to the full amount allowed per year
• NON-RESIDENTS: local currency: ZAR 5,000.00 in cash. Foreign currencies and traveller's cheques (also in ZAR): up to the amounts imported and declared and provided departure is within 12 months after entry.

No limit for travel between Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland, as these countries belong to the same common monetary area. [src. iatatravelcentre.com]
Pls see SouthAfrica.info for all visa-related information.

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Barclay Bank's ATM in Victoria Falls working again!

I just got a mail via facebook from the Backpacker's Bazaar team in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, saying that Barclays Bank in Victoria Falls town has activated their cash machine. You can now withdrawal US$ at the machine (max. is 400US$/day). The ATM is currently only accepting VISA cards, but the MASTERCARD network is going to be activated in the next couple of weeks. Backpacker's Bazaar still advices people to bring with them cash as this is still in the early stages as a back up.

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