An unemployed, political science graduate walks into the shop hoping to buy a battery for his phone. The shop assistant sings the benefits of the US$5 batteries that they sell, but the youth knows that the product will last him a few months at most.
“Products from China and Dubai have come as a great relief to most of us who live on less than US$1 a day because we are unemployed. The President’s “Look East” policy has brought smiles to our faces because we can now afford products that used to be reserved for the rich,” said Alfred Mumbire, an IT technician from Zengeza.
“Even my mother in Simuchembu owns a cell phone. It only cost US$10 for the phone and US$1 for the sim card. There have been some great strides in the development of information communication technology in Zimbabwe.”
While Mumbire had nothing but praise for the availability of Asian products, Rogers Maurukira was a bitter man after purchasing a t-shirt and a pair of trousers in a Chinese shop for only US$3.
“I wore my clothes for one day to attend church. The following day I washed the clothes only for the t-shirt to come apart in my hands. The trousers were bleached and the water turned blue. I realized that I had not saved anything by going for these cheaper items since I had lost my clothes overnight,” said Maurukira.
The Zimbabwean textile industry has been hard hit by the influx of cheap clothing from China with manufacturing firms like David Whitehead Textiles left with no option but to close their doors while businesses such as Julie White are forced to downsize.
In the midst of this chaos, those who are able to import clothes from countries like China, Dubai, Mozambique and Zambia are becoming rich overnight.
“US$1 buys K5000 in Zambia. A good shirt goes for K15000 which translates to only US$3. In Zimbabwe, I will sell the same shirt for US$10 which means I will make a profit of US$7 per shirt,” said Onward Mugova, a clothing trader.
The Forbes border post in Mutare sees a lot of traffic from clothing traders bringing goods from Mozambique into Zimbabwe. While most of these clothes are second-hand, they are popular with Zimbabweans who cannot afford to buy new clothes.
“I bought good khakhi “Dickies” trousers that I wear to work for only US$2 and these shoes for only US$5 from a trader who brought clothing bales from Mozambique at Mupedzanhamo market,” said a local security guard.
As Zimbabweans continue to find ways to earn a living in the current economic climate, and poor quality products flood the market from China, local industries will suffer and people will have no choice but to be satisfied with substandard goods.
Post published in: News