Zimra internet woes affect vehicle imports

Zimbabwe Revenue Authority has engaged its internet service provider to attend to a technical fault at Manica Transit Shed in Beitbridge where the processing of vehicle imports had been seriously affected by connectivity problems, it has emerged.

The development follows an outcry from car importers recently after Zimra was forced to revert to calculating duty for vehicle imports at Beitbridge Border Post after their information and technology officers failed to address internet connectivity system at the Manica bonded warehouse.

Prior to the new arrangement the authority had been handling all the vehicle clearance processes at the Manica Transit Shed except the payments which were being made at the border post for security reasons.

Problems at Manica mounted following the introduction of Asycuda plus system in March this year in a bid to ensure efficiency and reduce regular interface between the customs officers and its clients.

Asycuda, an acronym for Automated System for Customs Data, is a more efficient and advanced system for Customs data processing since it is internet based. Before the introduction of Asycuda, the revenue authority relied on a system which is based on its Local Area Network. The new system is connected to the organisation's national grid.

However, the system has been adversely affected by intermittent internet connectivity challenges leading to delays in the processing of imported vehicles.

Zimra's corporate and legal affairs director, Ms Florence Jambwa, said yesterday that they had started looking into problems at Manica.

"Intermittent connectivity challenges that are being faced at Beitbridge Border Post are being looked into in order to ensure uninterrupted internet access. I can confirm that the Internet Service Provider is currently attending to the technical fault at Manica Transit Shed. The long-term solution lies in putting a fibre optic link between the Manica Transit

Shed and the rest of the world. Our service contractor has since been given the necessary approvals by the council and the owners of the property to trench and lay the fibre optic cable.

"Zimra would, therefore, like to apologise to the transacting public for the inconvenience that has arisen from the connectivity challenges, which are being attended to," said Ms Jambwa.

By close of business yesterday, Zimra officials were expeditiously processing all car imports at Manica with no technical hitches.