The Mobile Money Transfer Agents Association of Zimbabwe (MMTAAZ) has temporarily suspended operations, leaving agents who offer money transfer services without collective representation, officials told ITWeb Africa on Monday.

MMTAAZ was established in early 2014 to assist agents in their dealings with mobile money companies and lobby for inclusion in policy making, particularly regarding the issue of exclusive contracts with agents and regulation of trade.

Francis Chinjekure, coordinator of the Association told ITWeb Africa that the organisation has been "temporarily grounded" owing to viability problems. "It's lacking in terms of viability, especially without support, so it is on hold as for now but looking for every opportunity to sustain and go further."

Zimbabwe's three mobile operators – Econet, NetOne and Telecel Zimbabwe – all have mobile money platforms, with Econet's EcoCash leading the industry with about 5 million registered users.

MMTAAZ had signed on more than 300 agents by the mid-year mark in 2014, according to association officials.

Agents who spoke to ITWeb Africa said the mobile money companies had partly addressed some of their concerns, although they still wanted the companies to offer "more flexibility of operations and more support".

"We still have some issues where we have unequal treatment as there are some agents that are deemed as too special or more important than others. They should also offer us support through finance schemes because we often run out of float money," said an agent in Harare.