Govt Lied To People, Import Ban Still Stands

Published: 2016 July 03 06:22:14 (5257 Views)

An announcement made by the Zimbabwean government to revoke its policy to ban selected basic commodities has been dubbed a gimmick to calm the angry Beitbridge Mob after Industry and Commerce Minister Mike Bimha has announced that the Statutory Instrument Number 64 of 2016 will not be reversed because the policy is in Zimbabwe’s best interests and was introduced after wide consultations.

Industry and Commerce Minister Mike Bimha

State Security Minister Kembo Mohadi, has added that South African businesspersons operating near Beitbridge Border Post should not think they can use illegal tactics to force Harare to adopt policies that favour them but are detrimental to Zimbabwe.

Bimha yesterday told a local publication that Government would not deviate from engineering its economic revival agenda and would press ahead with the limited import restrictions.

Bimha said the regulations did not bar people from importing a few products for personal consumption, and were aimed at stopping importation of truckloads of locally available goods at a time Government was trying to boost manufacturing capacity. He said Zimbabwe would apprise Sadc trade ministers on why the country introduced the restrictions at the Council of Ministers meeting slated for Botswana next week.

Minister Bimha said, “If you recall, two years ago we started by restricting the importation of cooking oil and the results are now starting to show. The cooking oil industry is growing, creating jobs and production is increasing to the level where we will soon start exporting.

State Security Minister Mohadi said South African businesspeople in the border town of Musina should not think they could dictate to Government what customs regulations to adopt.

“Why should the South African businesspeople try to influence our policy formulation? They have their own laws and we don’t meddle with them. “The burning of tyres during demonstrations is foreign to us and we suspect that a third hand was involved in the chaos that rocked Beitbridge town on Friday,” he said.

Last month, Government gazzetted SI 64.2016, which removed goods that are locally available from Open General Import Licence exemption.

BANNED GOODS

The goods include bottled water, mayonnaise, salad cream, peanut butter, jams, maheu, canned fruits, vegetables, pizza, yoghurts, flavoured milks, dairy juice blends, ice creams, cultured milk, cheese, coffee creamers, camphor creams, white petroleum jellies, body creams and plastic pipes.

The SI also controls importation of second-hand tyres, urea and ammonium nitrate fertilisers, tile adhesives and tylon, shoe polish and synthetic hair products. Goods categorised as builder-ware products including wheelbarrows (flat pan and concrete pan wheelbarrows), roofing frameworks, pillars, columns, balustrade, shutters, towers, masts, roofs and roofing framework are also part of the restricted list.

Flash doors, beds, wardrobes, bedroom and dining room suites, office furniture and specified woven fabrics of cotton were restricted.

- Sunday Mail