Non-tariff barriers (NTBs) continue to hamper trade into and through Zimbabwe, with supply chain service providers and in-transit cargo carriers complaining of random contraband checks along the way, especially on the A4 road to Harare.
In one of the latest incidents, a transporter who has been carrying cross-border cargo north of Beitbridge for years had a truck stopped and referred to a logistics warehouse in the Zimbabwean capital on Tuesday morning.
Although inspection of the vehicle’s cargo was scheduled to start at 9 am on Wednesday, authorities only began examining the truck’s cargo at 11 am.
Factoring in all related delays, such as officials departing their posts without being replaced, the transporter had to add 96 hours to his original delivery schedule, said Mike Fitzmaurice, regional vice president of the African Union’s Organisation for Transport and Logistics.
He calculated that $1 920 had been lost because of an inspection that had no foundation to begin with.
As he has stated before on behalf of compliant transporters entering or driving through Zimbabwe, Fitzmaurice said that if the Zimbabwean Revenue Authority (Zimra) made use of post-clearance auditing data, officials would be able to target unscrupulous service providers.
“Instead, they do random checks on everyone, often including legitimate service providers who wouldn’t compromise their businesses by carrying smuggled goods. Also, authorities often don’t have the means to offload cargo, inspect it, and reload trucks, adding to delays.”
In correspondence sent to Zimra, Fitzmaurice said random contraband checking in its current form was an NTB.
“None of these inspections are based on actual intelligence-based information, as the success rates of these inspections do not warrant the random inspections of transporters’ trucks.
“Please note, I am not in any way against the concept of anti-smuggling units carrying out inspections of trucks for contraband goods, and neither are transporters.”
However, he emphasised that if Zimbabwean officials “are going to do these inspections, they need to make sure they have the resources and manpower to deal with the inspections effectively and efficiently to minimise the transporters' downtime”.
