Opinion / Columnist
Car smugglers hunt for draught animal power - $400 for a donkey
03 Sep 2017 at 07:33hrs | Views
IN most villages in Beitbridge district, donkeys are used majorly as a source of draught power. These are used for tillage, drawing carts, fetching firewood and other household chores.
Donkeys are resistant to the harsh conditions associated with this semi-arid region and are normally allowed to go on a free reign when grazing.
In some areas they fetch $150 or less on the market. However, the price goes up to $400 in villages underlying the Limpopo River, where they (donkeys) are used for other means that are a little divorced from the usual community or village work but commercial.
The scramble for donkeys in this party of the world is enormous, especially now that they form the draught power to transport contrabands across the Limpopo River to either South Africa or Zimbabwe.
Besides carrying loots of banned or controlled goods in and out of the two neighbouring countries, donkeys have become the most sought after animals used to draw an assortment of sleek vehicles from the South African side of the border into Zimbabwe.
This practice is common around Dite, Mai Maria and Panda Mine areas in Beitbridge East. It is understood that the donkeys are now getting VIP treatment with their owners now putting them on zero grazing with lots of stock feeds, so that they may effectively execute tasks along the Limpopo River.
The smuggling of vehicles has become rampant around the border and the Government is losing millions of dollars in import revenue annually.
A modest car is charged 96 percent import duty inclusive of VAT and Surtax on the total invoice value.
Indications are that most of these cars are stolen from rental car companies in South Africa and are smuggled to Malawi and Tanzania via Zimbabwe.
However, several others allegedly find their way to the local car sales in the country. Recently, South African police intercepted five top of the range vehicles which were being smuggled to South Africa via the Limpopo River.
Two of the vehicles were being pulled across the river by donkeys after they got stuck in the sand. This has been the case almost every day along the border. On a probability scale, one would assume that for every one intercepted vehicle, 10 others would have passed through illegal entry points undetected.
Limpopo police spokesperson, Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said all the vehicles were recovered during operation ‘Operation Vala Madi', which was being jointly implemented by the police's Crime Intelligence, Tactical Response Team, Public Order Police, and the K9, supported by the South Africa's Defence Forces.
In 2012 Zimbabwean police smashed a well-orchestrated car smuggling syndicate near the Panda Mine area and arrested seven Malawians and recovered five top of the range vehicles worth 4 million Rand.
The vehicles included two Toyota Fortuners, one Nissan Navara, Toyota High Rider and a Toyota Vigo.
Sunday News is reliably informed that some of these syndicates are linked to some corrupt security personnel manning the border and officials either from Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) or the Central Vehicle Registry (CVR). The officials are alleged to be facilitating the smuggling and registration processes.
Sources claim recently police unearthed a syndicate at the CVR, where database officers would register smuggled vehicles using particulars of registered ones. Portia Chirara (36) of Budiriro 5, Harare was implicated as the brains behind the criminal activity. Chirara, whose whereabouts are still not known, was a Southern Region Trading Company official, who was attached to the CVR. Southern Region Trading Company is currently managing the CVR database. Chirara is believed to have connived with several criminal elements to fraudulently register vehicles into the CVR database and she is wanted by the CID in connection with the 10 smuggled vehicles.
The Criminal Investigations Department officers believed that a number of vehicles on the country's roads could have been smuggled using the same method, although investigations have so far led to the discovery of 10 vehicles. It is understood that Chirara is wanted for fraud involving $53 000 in CVR prejudice.
During the period extending from January to February 2017, Chirara fraudulently registered 10 smuggled motor vehicles at the Central Vehicle Registry. She substituted already registered motor vehicles with particulars of smuggled motor vehicles. When Chirara learnt that investigations were being instituted, she resigned from work and was never seen again.
The number of illegal activities going on at the country's borders is a sure sign of the porosity and security laxity that the Government should plug in as a matter of urgency. A number of criminals were nabbed in recent years after they allegedly stole vehicles, especially SUVs.
They would then attempt to smuggle the vehicles into Mozambique through Sango Border Post in Chiredzi.
Last year, Zimra launched investigations to establish whether or not all vehicles imported between January 2014 and June 2016 were cleared in accordance with the law. According to the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara), the country's vehicle population now stands at 1,2 million, from 800 000 in September 2014.
Fears are however that thousands of vehicles could have been smuggled into the country by a syndicate of ZIMRA officials and clearing agents using counterfeit import documents and an audit is currently underway to establish anomalies that may as well open a can of worms.
The audit is centred on executive payroll and packages including secondment of Zimra staff, personal loans advanced to executives and subsequent imports and clearance of vehicles.
So far Government has secured at total of $600 000 which was used to beef up security along the border with South Africa.
Part of the money is reported to have gone towards the purchase of; border patrol vehicles, lie detectors, mineral and metal detectors, patrol motor bikes, secret cameras and repairing the border parameter fence which had been vandalized by criminals.
Home Affairs Minister, Dr Ignatius Chombo who heads a cabinet crack team set up to look into operations and reducing smuggling activities said recently, that the country was losing potential revenue through underhand dealings at Beitbridge port and borderline.
Other members of the inter-ministerial team include; Minister of Finance and Economic Development Patrick Chinamasa, Mines and Mining Development Minister Walter Chidakwa, Environment Water and Climate Minister Oppah Muchinguri – Kashiri, Industry and Commerce Minister Dr Mike Bimha and Agriculture, Mechanisation and irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made.
Government should therefore come up with an effective strategy to deal with intrusive leakages along its borders that is causing excessive revenue loss, otherwise curbing crime will remain a perennial mirage if there is kids glove treatment to the perpetrators of economic crimes.
Further, the Government should consider creating an independent specialised unit, to deal with serious economic crimes. This unit should be well equipped and have skilled personnel soundly paid to avoid rooms for bribes and corruption. South Africa has a similar unit, the Hawks.
It is also important that Zimra conducts periodic audits of car sales across the country, to detect any criminal activities. Some of the car sales are alleged to be part of the ready market for smuggled cars.
Motorized patrols should also be intensified along the border line to reduce incidents of smuggling.
In addition, the vehicle identification system at tollgates must be linked to Zimra, CVR and the police Vehicle Theft Squad (VTS), with the full details of the car owners and make.
The same system should also be enhanced to detect the vehicle make, levies, and owners' details.
The CVR should also periodically update its data base by removing vehicles involved in accident from the system (especially those written off), to minimise the risk of having criminals driving cars mounted with registration plates of nonexistent cars.
Feedback: tupeyo@gmail.com
Donkeys are resistant to the harsh conditions associated with this semi-arid region and are normally allowed to go on a free reign when grazing.
In some areas they fetch $150 or less on the market. However, the price goes up to $400 in villages underlying the Limpopo River, where they (donkeys) are used for other means that are a little divorced from the usual community or village work but commercial.
The scramble for donkeys in this party of the world is enormous, especially now that they form the draught power to transport contrabands across the Limpopo River to either South Africa or Zimbabwe.
Besides carrying loots of banned or controlled goods in and out of the two neighbouring countries, donkeys have become the most sought after animals used to draw an assortment of sleek vehicles from the South African side of the border into Zimbabwe.
This practice is common around Dite, Mai Maria and Panda Mine areas in Beitbridge East. It is understood that the donkeys are now getting VIP treatment with their owners now putting them on zero grazing with lots of stock feeds, so that they may effectively execute tasks along the Limpopo River.
The smuggling of vehicles has become rampant around the border and the Government is losing millions of dollars in import revenue annually.
A modest car is charged 96 percent import duty inclusive of VAT and Surtax on the total invoice value.
Indications are that most of these cars are stolen from rental car companies in South Africa and are smuggled to Malawi and Tanzania via Zimbabwe.
However, several others allegedly find their way to the local car sales in the country. Recently, South African police intercepted five top of the range vehicles which were being smuggled to South Africa via the Limpopo River.
Two of the vehicles were being pulled across the river by donkeys after they got stuck in the sand. This has been the case almost every day along the border. On a probability scale, one would assume that for every one intercepted vehicle, 10 others would have passed through illegal entry points undetected.
Limpopo police spokesperson, Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said all the vehicles were recovered during operation ‘Operation Vala Madi', which was being jointly implemented by the police's Crime Intelligence, Tactical Response Team, Public Order Police, and the K9, supported by the South Africa's Defence Forces.
In 2012 Zimbabwean police smashed a well-orchestrated car smuggling syndicate near the Panda Mine area and arrested seven Malawians and recovered five top of the range vehicles worth 4 million Rand.
The vehicles included two Toyota Fortuners, one Nissan Navara, Toyota High Rider and a Toyota Vigo.
Sunday News is reliably informed that some of these syndicates are linked to some corrupt security personnel manning the border and officials either from Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) or the Central Vehicle Registry (CVR). The officials are alleged to be facilitating the smuggling and registration processes.
Sources claim recently police unearthed a syndicate at the CVR, where database officers would register smuggled vehicles using particulars of registered ones. Portia Chirara (36) of Budiriro 5, Harare was implicated as the brains behind the criminal activity. Chirara, whose whereabouts are still not known, was a Southern Region Trading Company official, who was attached to the CVR. Southern Region Trading Company is currently managing the CVR database. Chirara is believed to have connived with several criminal elements to fraudulently register vehicles into the CVR database and she is wanted by the CID in connection with the 10 smuggled vehicles.
The Criminal Investigations Department officers believed that a number of vehicles on the country's roads could have been smuggled using the same method, although investigations have so far led to the discovery of 10 vehicles. It is understood that Chirara is wanted for fraud involving $53 000 in CVR prejudice.
During the period extending from January to February 2017, Chirara fraudulently registered 10 smuggled motor vehicles at the Central Vehicle Registry. She substituted already registered motor vehicles with particulars of smuggled motor vehicles. When Chirara learnt that investigations were being instituted, she resigned from work and was never seen again.
The number of illegal activities going on at the country's borders is a sure sign of the porosity and security laxity that the Government should plug in as a matter of urgency. A number of criminals were nabbed in recent years after they allegedly stole vehicles, especially SUVs.
They would then attempt to smuggle the vehicles into Mozambique through Sango Border Post in Chiredzi.
Last year, Zimra launched investigations to establish whether or not all vehicles imported between January 2014 and June 2016 were cleared in accordance with the law. According to the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara), the country's vehicle population now stands at 1,2 million, from 800 000 in September 2014.
Fears are however that thousands of vehicles could have been smuggled into the country by a syndicate of ZIMRA officials and clearing agents using counterfeit import documents and an audit is currently underway to establish anomalies that may as well open a can of worms.
The audit is centred on executive payroll and packages including secondment of Zimra staff, personal loans advanced to executives and subsequent imports and clearance of vehicles.
So far Government has secured at total of $600 000 which was used to beef up security along the border with South Africa.
Part of the money is reported to have gone towards the purchase of; border patrol vehicles, lie detectors, mineral and metal detectors, patrol motor bikes, secret cameras and repairing the border parameter fence which had been vandalized by criminals.
Home Affairs Minister, Dr Ignatius Chombo who heads a cabinet crack team set up to look into operations and reducing smuggling activities said recently, that the country was losing potential revenue through underhand dealings at Beitbridge port and borderline.
Other members of the inter-ministerial team include; Minister of Finance and Economic Development Patrick Chinamasa, Mines and Mining Development Minister Walter Chidakwa, Environment Water and Climate Minister Oppah Muchinguri – Kashiri, Industry and Commerce Minister Dr Mike Bimha and Agriculture, Mechanisation and irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made.
Government should therefore come up with an effective strategy to deal with intrusive leakages along its borders that is causing excessive revenue loss, otherwise curbing crime will remain a perennial mirage if there is kids glove treatment to the perpetrators of economic crimes.
Further, the Government should consider creating an independent specialised unit, to deal with serious economic crimes. This unit should be well equipped and have skilled personnel soundly paid to avoid rooms for bribes and corruption. South Africa has a similar unit, the Hawks.
It is also important that Zimra conducts periodic audits of car sales across the country, to detect any criminal activities. Some of the car sales are alleged to be part of the ready market for smuggled cars.
Motorized patrols should also be intensified along the border line to reduce incidents of smuggling.
In addition, the vehicle identification system at tollgates must be linked to Zimra, CVR and the police Vehicle Theft Squad (VTS), with the full details of the car owners and make.
The same system should also be enhanced to detect the vehicle make, levies, and owners' details.
The CVR should also periodically update its data base by removing vehicles involved in accident from the system (especially those written off), to minimise the risk of having criminals driving cars mounted with registration plates of nonexistent cars.
Feedback: tupeyo@gmail.com
Source - sundaynews
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