Truck drivers have often been accused of being involved in illicit dealings such as draining fuel, paying for prostitutes and money changing during the economic crisis.
Cross border traders have mastered the art of evading duty and in some cases smuggling goods in the country. The drivers and traders are united in their goal to make as much money as possible.
A stallholder at Mupedzanhamo flea market, who only identified herself as Mai Gety, said she had built a strong relationship with truck drivers who charge her $40 to smuggle her second hand bales of clothes from Beira in Mozambique.
The bales are stashed in the haulage truck commonly known as gonyeti. The syndicate often does not end there, as some Zimbabwe Revenue Authority officials are also involved.
“Sometimes we are caught if we use designated entry points but we don’t have to worry as it only means cashing out a little more money to bribe the officials,” said Mai Gety.
Payment in kind
The stall owner admitted that things get ugly if the truck drivers demand payment in kind.
“You have to remember that the driver might be driving all the way from Tanzania or DRC and might not have seen his wife for two weeks He is sex starved. Some cross border traders end up bedding the driver as a token of appreciation,” said Mai Gety.
Goods are smuggled into the country this way from as far afield as Malawi. The truck drivers interviewed said there was nothing wrong with what they were doing. One driver said they were only ‘helping out’.
“Most drivers are developing their stands and some have extended families, where do you think they get the money?” said one driver. “International and established companies used to pay good remuneration during the Zimbabwe Dollar era. Some of us were given US$200 as salaries and when we changed it on the illegal market we got a lot of money. Nowadays our wages are peanuts and we have supplement our salaries by carrying goods and passengers.”
Some long distance bus drivers have also joined the league. Cross border traders who do not have the necessary documents are allowed aboard for a fee.
“It is common knowledge that when we approach a border post, the driver will ask for documents and if one happens not to have the papers, he is asked to put some cash in a book or a passport which is not valid. It’s the duty of the driver to talk to the officials and sometimes we don’t have to queue as we are given VIP treatment,” explained one cross border trader.
ZIMRA loses out
Some buses are never opened to declare the goods.
The country could be losing millions of dollars in revenue through these means. Finite Gombe, a ZIMRA official, said they constantly deployed inspectors to catch drivers and traders working the system but they were ill equipped in terms of manpower.
“Evading of duty and smuggling of goods is a global problem,” said Gombe.
He acknowledged that most traders tried not to declare their goods at the borders.
There are unconfirmed reports that cross border traders are using the smuggling system to bring expired medical drugs into the country.
Areas like Huruyadzo Shopping Centre and Mupedzanhamo flea market are awash with drugs such as contraception pills, raising suspicions that they may have been smuggled.
One vendor boasted that she could get ARVs for a very low price.
Cross border traders blame the government for prohibitive duty tariffs. In a bid to resuscitate the textile industry, the government, through the ministry of finance, introduced duty on second hand bales in 2010.
Last year ZIMRA raided flea markets demanding proof that the second hand bales were brought into the country legally. The bales were later auctioned.
Economic analysts have urged the government to come up with a win-win situation with the cross border traders so that both parties could benefit.
“Zimbabwe is still reeling from a decade long economic meltdown and it needs all the sectors of the economy to perform. The country needs revenue to fund other sectors and realistic duty tariffs will go a long way,” said Floyd Kadete, a Harare-based economist.
Post published in: News