
Harare - Zimbabwe's much-anticipated new banknotes eventually reached banks on Tuesday after a delay that saw many waiting in long queues for cash the previous day.
"Banks were collecting cash from the central bank yesterday, and they only started issuing it today," Reserve Bank governor John Mangudya told dpa.
In June, President Emmerson Mnangagwa promised to introduce the new currency before the end of the year in a move intended to bring economic stability to the cash-strapped nation.
The southern African country had been using a combination of the US dollar and its quasi-currency, so-called bond notes, which Zimbabwe introduced during cash shortages a few years ago.
However, use of the greenback was banned earlier this year and the new Zimbabwe dollar was introduced in electronic form. This had left many people struggling to purchase much-needed items or draw their savings.