The president of the Cross Border Traders Association, Killer Zivhu, stated that his organization has been working with the government to combat smuggling activities.
During the inauguration of an anti-smuggling initiative in Bulawayo the previous week, Zivhu shared these comments. He mentioned that various organizations have been enlisted to combat both smuggling and money laundering. This collaboration aims to prevent merchants from transporting substantial amounts of currency across borders for inventory replenishment.
We have reached an understanding with the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority [Zimra] that primarily, the reason many individuals resorted to smuggling stemmed from disagreements over the receipts that traders presented at the border.
"For example, if someone presents a receipt for a mobile phone, Zimra would verify its cost online. If the item turns out to be counterfeit, they will apply the duties associated with an authentic model," he explained.
Zivhu insisted that both parties had concurred that for this pilot initiative, they would accept the receipts presented at the border by traders, who would then settle their duties based on those documents.
That was primarily why individuals engaged in smuggling vehicles from Japan; even when presented with invoices, Zimra would impose the highest possible charges arbitrarily.
The underground economy has been causing the government significant distress. However, with our new program featuring the FBC Bank Rand Card, depositing U.S. dollars and receiving their South African rand equivalents at standard bank exchange rates becomes more affordable compared to the black market, which charges much higher fees.
"People flocked there due to the lack of solutions; they sought South African rand but couldn’t locate any. Many issues we encountered, such as clashes with ZIMRA and law enforcement officers, along with those from the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, seem to be resolving themselves. Smuggling, money laundering, and the black market will likely become obsolete," he stated.
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