Zimbabwe’s central bank chief has described as illogical the amount of money leaving the country to pay for satellite TV subscriptions and has announced measures to limit international card payments.
In his latest monetary policy statement, John Mangudya said international cards payments, including TV subscription fees, accounted for the highest use of foreign exchange after fuel imports. A total of $206m (£165m) was spent from July to December last year, he added.
Zimbabwe has faced serious cash shortages because of a shrinking economy and an over-reliance on imports.
The central bank says foreign investment and remittances from Zimbabweans living abroad declined by up to a fifth in 2016.