Opinion / Columnist
Blitz on smuggling welcomed
08 Jun 2016 at 13:35hrs | Views
File photo: Smuggling
Smuggling has become an albatross around the country's economy as leakages of goods in and out of the country on our borders and illegal points of entry has impacted negatively on our efforts to resuscitate our economy which is under siege. It is high time we turn up the heat and make smugglers feel they have no-where to hide.
Smuggling is but one vice that has prejudiced the country of billions of dollars, money which could have made a difference for our socio-economic development. An assorted goods have been smuggled from cigarettes to the much needed minerals like gold, diamonds etc. Officer commanding Bulilima-Mangwe Chief Superintendent, Gideon Zulu was reported saying gold smuggling activities were rife at the Plumtree border with a total of 64 kilogrammes of gold being intercepted at the border in less than five months while being smuggled into Botswana.
A small scale miner admitted "it does not make sense that I sell gold worth $10 000 to RBZ and I cannot access that money. It is better to channel another portion to the black market so that I can get hard cash to cover other operational costs at the mine". This was revealed after reports emerged that small scale miners were smuggling gold into the Mozambican black market. Last year, Fidelity Printers and Refineries acting chief executive officer Mr Fradreck Kunaka acknowledged that an estimated 200 kgs of gold were being smuggled out of the country, against a monthly average of 600kgs gold deliveries by small scale miners. This is just but confirming the war we have at our doorstep.
Smugglers have proved to be daring individuals going to great length risking lives by using undesignated and landmine-infested routes, or cross crocodile-infested rivers in order to beat the system. Whilst for those who want to tempt their fate have gone as far as concealing contraband in various parts of their vehicles or even bodies to in a bid to circumvent duty payment and border controls. The status quo cannot be left unchecked as the monies the state has lost is astronomical.
The magnitude of smuggling, can only be understood in terms of numbers and figures with the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) CEO, Mr Christopher Mugaga attesting to an astounding fact that the country is losing US$1,5 billion, a figure that is more than one third of the 2016 national budget of US$4 billion. This staggering figure should jolt all stakeholders into action to stem the unabated haemorrhaging of our economy.
It is heartening to note that all is not lost in the country's bid to deal with this iniquity as reports in the past weeks and months have seen arrests of the culprits who remorseless bankrupt the country's coffers to their own ends.
Early this year, a Chinese businessman Li Yuchang (55) was nabbed for trying to smuggle US$ 32 000 at Harare International Airport. Recently, two Rwandese were arrested at Harare international airport recently attempting to smuggle $87 400. This is against a background of serious cash shortages and central bank imposing cash limits to stem the externalization of cash. Reports are that the Rwandese are the kingpins of the commuter sector in the country where they are culprits who do not bank their daily takings. Is it not time that we implement the Indigenization and Economic Policy to the letter as this sector and the retail and wholesale sector which have heavy concentration of foreigners are reserved sectors for Zimbabwean entrepreneurs?
The police have also doing a sterling job as an 18 tonnes haulage truck which was filled to the beam with smuggled second-hand clothes was recently impounded. A few months ago, a smuggling syndicate was busted at Harare international airport which included officials from ZIMRA, Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ), the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) for trying to smuggle 29 bags of cellphones. All this does not point to laxity on the part of law enforcement agents as some have alleged, but a determined drive to deal with the corrosive vice.
ZIMRA should also be commended in investing in hi-tech scanners at all border post to detect contraband and anti-smuggling units at these border post should go a long way in curbing these subversive activities. So much has been accomplished as reports of intercepted consignments of various goods from scrap metal to cigarettes have been reported. One report actually indicated that the smuggling unit at the Beitbridge Border post discovered a consignment of cigarettes cleverly concealed inside two five litre tins of oil. Smuggling has been termed "relatively sophisticated industry" hence units that burst these syndicates need also to be up to date with tactics and routines of these organised crimes.
Minister of Industry and Commerce, Mike Bimha recently acknowledged the need for cooperation among stakeholders and use of technology, "We decided to come together as an inter-ministerial committee that includes Home Affairs, Industry, Environment and the Mines ministry and we have involved experts," he said.
"We came up with a broad framework and we have managed to secure funding.
"We now have the funding to procure equipment and drones that will hover around the border."
This is the kind of cooperation that is need for the country to beat smuggling to cinders. If various stakeholders work together we can win this war. Notwithstanding the fact that we have some bad apples amongst our officials some of whom of part of syndicates that have prejudiced the nation of revenue. Government should not have mercy on these lechers and condemn them to life behind bars and all their ill-gained wealth forfeited to the state. The anti-corruption body should also up its game to weed out these oddities who are bent on condemning the country to penury.
Every Zimbabwean is a stakeholder in the fight against smuggling as information availed to law enforcing agents has gone a long way in curbing the vice. Many smugglers have been caught as a result of whistleblowing by ordinary Zimbabweans. A man was arrested in 2015 trying to smuggle about 50 kg of gold through Plumtree was a result of information provided by ordinary people who are pained by the malevolent bleeding of our economy.
Hence, revival of the economy is every Zimbabwean's business. If we stem all the loopholes that have been used to bleed the economy, then we will be putting one brick to the re-building of our economy and country. As much as we are glad smugglers are being apprehended so much need to be done as smuggling is still big business with smugglers proving to be egotistical individuals without the interests of the nation at heart, at a time when the country needs every Zimbabwean to be patriotic for us to revive our economy.
Tapiwa Maware <tmaware28@gmail.com
Smuggling is but one vice that has prejudiced the country of billions of dollars, money which could have made a difference for our socio-economic development. An assorted goods have been smuggled from cigarettes to the much needed minerals like gold, diamonds etc. Officer commanding Bulilima-Mangwe Chief Superintendent, Gideon Zulu was reported saying gold smuggling activities were rife at the Plumtree border with a total of 64 kilogrammes of gold being intercepted at the border in less than five months while being smuggled into Botswana.
A small scale miner admitted "it does not make sense that I sell gold worth $10 000 to RBZ and I cannot access that money. It is better to channel another portion to the black market so that I can get hard cash to cover other operational costs at the mine". This was revealed after reports emerged that small scale miners were smuggling gold into the Mozambican black market. Last year, Fidelity Printers and Refineries acting chief executive officer Mr Fradreck Kunaka acknowledged that an estimated 200 kgs of gold were being smuggled out of the country, against a monthly average of 600kgs gold deliveries by small scale miners. This is just but confirming the war we have at our doorstep.
Smugglers have proved to be daring individuals going to great length risking lives by using undesignated and landmine-infested routes, or cross crocodile-infested rivers in order to beat the system. Whilst for those who want to tempt their fate have gone as far as concealing contraband in various parts of their vehicles or even bodies to in a bid to circumvent duty payment and border controls. The status quo cannot be left unchecked as the monies the state has lost is astronomical.
The magnitude of smuggling, can only be understood in terms of numbers and figures with the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) CEO, Mr Christopher Mugaga attesting to an astounding fact that the country is losing US$1,5 billion, a figure that is more than one third of the 2016 national budget of US$4 billion. This staggering figure should jolt all stakeholders into action to stem the unabated haemorrhaging of our economy.
It is heartening to note that all is not lost in the country's bid to deal with this iniquity as reports in the past weeks and months have seen arrests of the culprits who remorseless bankrupt the country's coffers to their own ends.
Early this year, a Chinese businessman Li Yuchang (55) was nabbed for trying to smuggle US$ 32 000 at Harare International Airport. Recently, two Rwandese were arrested at Harare international airport recently attempting to smuggle $87 400. This is against a background of serious cash shortages and central bank imposing cash limits to stem the externalization of cash. Reports are that the Rwandese are the kingpins of the commuter sector in the country where they are culprits who do not bank their daily takings. Is it not time that we implement the Indigenization and Economic Policy to the letter as this sector and the retail and wholesale sector which have heavy concentration of foreigners are reserved sectors for Zimbabwean entrepreneurs?
The police have also doing a sterling job as an 18 tonnes haulage truck which was filled to the beam with smuggled second-hand clothes was recently impounded. A few months ago, a smuggling syndicate was busted at Harare international airport which included officials from ZIMRA, Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ), the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) for trying to smuggle 29 bags of cellphones. All this does not point to laxity on the part of law enforcement agents as some have alleged, but a determined drive to deal with the corrosive vice.
ZIMRA should also be commended in investing in hi-tech scanners at all border post to detect contraband and anti-smuggling units at these border post should go a long way in curbing these subversive activities. So much has been accomplished as reports of intercepted consignments of various goods from scrap metal to cigarettes have been reported. One report actually indicated that the smuggling unit at the Beitbridge Border post discovered a consignment of cigarettes cleverly concealed inside two five litre tins of oil. Smuggling has been termed "relatively sophisticated industry" hence units that burst these syndicates need also to be up to date with tactics and routines of these organised crimes.
Minister of Industry and Commerce, Mike Bimha recently acknowledged the need for cooperation among stakeholders and use of technology, "We decided to come together as an inter-ministerial committee that includes Home Affairs, Industry, Environment and the Mines ministry and we have involved experts," he said.
"We came up with a broad framework and we have managed to secure funding.
"We now have the funding to procure equipment and drones that will hover around the border."
This is the kind of cooperation that is need for the country to beat smuggling to cinders. If various stakeholders work together we can win this war. Notwithstanding the fact that we have some bad apples amongst our officials some of whom of part of syndicates that have prejudiced the nation of revenue. Government should not have mercy on these lechers and condemn them to life behind bars and all their ill-gained wealth forfeited to the state. The anti-corruption body should also up its game to weed out these oddities who are bent on condemning the country to penury.
Every Zimbabwean is a stakeholder in the fight against smuggling as information availed to law enforcing agents has gone a long way in curbing the vice. Many smugglers have been caught as a result of whistleblowing by ordinary Zimbabweans. A man was arrested in 2015 trying to smuggle about 50 kg of gold through Plumtree was a result of information provided by ordinary people who are pained by the malevolent bleeding of our economy.
Hence, revival of the economy is every Zimbabwean's business. If we stem all the loopholes that have been used to bleed the economy, then we will be putting one brick to the re-building of our economy and country. As much as we are glad smugglers are being apprehended so much need to be done as smuggling is still big business with smugglers proving to be egotistical individuals without the interests of the nation at heart, at a time when the country needs every Zimbabwean to be patriotic for us to revive our economy.
Tapiwa Maware <tmaware28@gmail.com
Source - Tapiwa Maware
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