Zimbabwe probes foreign involvement in reserved sectors

Government is conducting a study to assess the extent of foreign participation in economic sectors legally reserved for locals, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi told the Senate yesterday.

Responding during the Senate's Question and Answer session, Minister Ziyambi said the study was being led by the Ministry of Industry under a whole-of-government approach.

The reserved sectors, as outlined in the Finance Act No. 2 of 2024, include retail trade, transport and logistics, hairdressing, barber shops, and pharmaceutical retailing, among others.

"The Ministry of Industry is carrying a study to ascertain the extent to which locals have been crowded out in the reserved sectors," Ziyambi said.
"Once the study is completed, it will inform areas we need to tighten the law, if any."

He noted that many retail outlets in downtown Harare — commonly known as Kuma tuckshop — were operated by foreign nationals in contravention of the law. The probe, he added, would also extend to the real estate sector.
"We don't want a situation where the majority of locals end up paying rentals to foreigners," he said.

Turning to mining legislation, Minister Ziyambi told Senators that the Mines and Minerals Bill was now before Parliament, urging them to actively debate its provisions.
"The old law was not enacted with the rights of indigenous Zimbabweans in mind. You could be easily removed from your land if a miner came. Now that the Bill is before Parliament, it's an opportunity for you to have all your concerns taken on board," he said.