Zimbabwe is not a supermarket economy- Industry minister says

The Zimbabwe government is not waiving on lifting unpopular import ban with  Industry and Commerce minister  Mike Bimha saying local industry needs to be protected at all cost.

According to  state run ZBC, Bimha told the station that.

"There is no going back on the implementation of the statutory instrument as the decision is meant to promote local industries adding that the country cannot be a supermarket economy for ever".

"He also noted that goods that are not produced locally will be imported adding that the SADC Secretariat was briefed and is fully aware of the recent measures" ZBC reported Saturday.

His comments comes a day after massive protests rocked Beitbridge Border Post.

The implementation of the statutory instrument 64 of 2016 has seen a number of people demonstrating at the border post Friday damaging property despite calls by the government to engage in dialogue.
huge stones.

Riot police were outnumbered but used tear smoke to disperse the crowds, which stretched for more than a kilometre.

Sources in the border town said heavily armed military personnel had been deployed to assist police quell the growing protests.

Government last week announced Statutory Instrument (SI 64/2016) which imposed an import permit on most products, thereby putting most cross-border traders out of business.