Lawyers from Mbidzo Muchadehama and Makoni representing the complainants through their representative, Restoration of Human Rights- Zimbabwe, cited the finance minister and the Reserve bank of Zimbabwe as first and second respondents. CABS building society, Metropolitan bank, and POSB have also been cited in the court papers. The three banks are commonly used by workers in the low income bracket.

The workers said that the maximum daily cash withdrawal limit of $1000 was a blatant infringement of their various constitutional rights. The four - Roger Chagwededza, Tinashe Gotora, Jackson Mabota and Precious Mwateyeni want the limitation of withdrawals be declared unlawful.

“We are making an urgent application seeking certain acts of the respondents to wit, limitation of withdrawals, to be declared unlawful, inhuman and degrading and a violation of the right to life and other rights as enshrined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe and other international conventions,” the court papers said.

The applicants said that most of their daily transactions require about $10, 000 cash for transport, $1000 for loaf of bread, meat $3500, lunch $2500, vegetables $500, fresh milk $2500. “In addition I have monthly obligations which I have to meet such as rentals, water and electricity bills, school fees, clothing and various other incidentals all which require cash in excess of $2 million. This is against the possibility that I can only withdraw a maximum of $30,000 per month, if I am lucky that the automated teller machines are loaded with money on all days which is not often the case,” the papers said.

The applicants said that they were being forced to stand in the blistering sun, sometimes in the cold, in the windy-unswept streets, in the dust and being exposed to vagaries. They said the central bank policies were likely to cause mental breakdown.

“Respondents’ policies if continued unabated will in no time make us suitable candidates for admission into mental institutions, for psychological pressure brought upon by living under respondents’ policies which is no longer bearable,” they noted.

“We are unable to live like normal human beings because we are being limited to withdrawing an amount and meaningless. Their policies amount to a form of economic terrorism,” they stated.