Opinion / Columnist
Poor service by Zimra at Beitbridge Border Post
10 May 2016 at 21:04hrs | Views
It has became a nightmare for Small Medium Enterprises Development, (SMED). As economy biting is felt in every corner of Zimbabwe it has become worse and unaffordable for those who run small scale business depending on importing their products outside the country especial Beitbridge Border Post where corruption has raised its ugliness to any unacceptable level. Its sad the efforts being done by our government to try and resurrect our grinded economy has been pulled down by those who are employed and fail to perform their duties through corrupt activities.
The challenge being faced by SME is that they either use Passenger transport for their small stuff of imports, this is the only way to survive and keep them on business. This only affordable transport, when clearing the stuff at Zimra they do faxing to clearing agents, and papers are submitted before their arrival at entrance point where by, they are ordered to perform PE on goods before assessment of papers during this processes Zimra officers from commercial will check goods and doesn't update their outside counterparts about form of their PE. After doing their PE they return either to asses papers or raise queries on values just to demand bribes, if you fail to pay these bribes you are delayed until the bus leaves you at border where you will be forced to spend again.
Not enough with Zimra you get to the gate where you find CID who calls themselves, SWAT team they start searching, telling you that your invoices are fake. unless you give them money you will delayed for either 3 hrs. This has escalated smuggling as you would find that those who doesn't bother about doing it through commercial are always having easy passage out of Border. Can the relevant Authorities take action against this corruption.
The challenge being faced by SME is that they either use Passenger transport for their small stuff of imports, this is the only way to survive and keep them on business. This only affordable transport, when clearing the stuff at Zimra they do faxing to clearing agents, and papers are submitted before their arrival at entrance point where by, they are ordered to perform PE on goods before assessment of papers during this processes Zimra officers from commercial will check goods and doesn't update their outside counterparts about form of their PE. After doing their PE they return either to asses papers or raise queries on values just to demand bribes, if you fail to pay these bribes you are delayed until the bus leaves you at border where you will be forced to spend again.
Not enough with Zimra you get to the gate where you find CID who calls themselves, SWAT team they start searching, telling you that your invoices are fake. unless you give them money you will delayed for either 3 hrs. This has escalated smuggling as you would find that those who doesn't bother about doing it through commercial are always having easy passage out of Border. Can the relevant Authorities take action against this corruption.
Source - Concerned SME
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