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Chinamasa express ignorance about Choppies ownership
13 May 2016 at 06:48hrs | Views
Finance and Economic Development minister Patrick Chinamasa has expressed ignorance about the ownership of the Choppies Supermarket which is well known to be owned by Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko.
This was after Tafara MDC-T MP James Maridadi questioned the reasons why the government was allowing such supermarkets to extenalise the US dollar at the time when the country faces serious cash shortages.
"I get the impression that the Hon. Member is becoming very personal. At first he mentioned two supermarkets, Pick n Pay and Choppies and just now he has just forgotten about Pick n Pay, but I will answer the question though," said Chinamasa.
"Firstly, I am not aware that Choppies Supermarket is foreign owned. Clearly I am not aware. I am also not aware of the content of the stock whether what percentage is locally procured and what percentage is imported. I am aware though, that the Ministry of Industry and Commerce have been going through various shops especially supermarkets, to determine the local content of what is being sold in those shops. I believe that local content has increased to what it was last year."
Chinamasa said a lot of supermarkets are very conscious of that fact.
"You may also need to know Hon. Member, that the clarification by His Excellency of the indigenisation framework is precisely addressing the point raised by Hon. Maridadi," he said. "As you may know the policy states that the retail sector is reserved for indigenous people. Any foreigner to enter that sector must do so under a special dispensation which will include as we go forward, insistence on our part as Government that the investor into the retail must have out growers and must be able to source locally."
He said where those factors are satisfied, he was sure that a special dispensation can be given to foreigners or to foreign investment which come into the reserve sectors.
"In this case, I will be quite happy to give a licence for a foreign investor into the retail sector where that foreign investor is going to procure everything, 90% locally and also to have out growers. So, the principle is very clear but the implementation will take time," he said.
This was after Tafara MDC-T MP James Maridadi questioned the reasons why the government was allowing such supermarkets to extenalise the US dollar at the time when the country faces serious cash shortages.
"I get the impression that the Hon. Member is becoming very personal. At first he mentioned two supermarkets, Pick n Pay and Choppies and just now he has just forgotten about Pick n Pay, but I will answer the question though," said Chinamasa.
"Firstly, I am not aware that Choppies Supermarket is foreign owned. Clearly I am not aware. I am also not aware of the content of the stock whether what percentage is locally procured and what percentage is imported. I am aware though, that the Ministry of Industry and Commerce have been going through various shops especially supermarkets, to determine the local content of what is being sold in those shops. I believe that local content has increased to what it was last year."
Chinamasa said a lot of supermarkets are very conscious of that fact.
"You may also need to know Hon. Member, that the clarification by His Excellency of the indigenisation framework is precisely addressing the point raised by Hon. Maridadi," he said. "As you may know the policy states that the retail sector is reserved for indigenous people. Any foreigner to enter that sector must do so under a special dispensation which will include as we go forward, insistence on our part as Government that the investor into the retail must have out growers and must be able to source locally."
He said where those factors are satisfied, he was sure that a special dispensation can be given to foreigners or to foreign investment which come into the reserve sectors.
"In this case, I will be quite happy to give a licence for a foreign investor into the retail sector where that foreign investor is going to procure everything, 90% locally and also to have out growers. So, the principle is very clear but the implementation will take time," he said.
Source - Byo24News
