Siphakeme .Mnindwa
Nqobile Bhebhe, nqobile.bhebhe@chronicle.co.zw
The importation and sale of second-hand clothing remain banned in Zimbabwe, with the Government directing all provinces to burn confiscated smuggled consignments to protect local producers, an official has said.
Following intense lobbying by captains of industry and commerce at various fora, the Government banned second-hand clothing imports in 2015 and has now moved in to curb the influx of such products, which are blamed for frustrating the viability of formal businesses.
Despite these measures, the selling of second-hand clothing (amabhele/mabhero) has, however, gained popularity in recent years in Zimbabwe and across the region, amid enforcement challenges in the wake of rampant smuggling, and is seen as a source of livelihood for thousands of people.
The ridiculously low prices for various “Kokhothama” clothing items are a customer magnet, offering lucrative gains for traders who are usually unregistered and hence not compliant with tax regulations or city by-laws.
Established textile, leather, and clothing factories have suffered huge losses to cheap second-hand products as a result, while citing unfair competition as they have to meet statutory obligations, salaries, rentals, and utilities, among other operating costs, which tend to affect their final product pricing.
Industry experts partly blame this scenario for the closure and collapse of established businesses and continue to call upon the Government to widen protectionist policies to safeguard the existing investments and preserve jobs.
Yesterday Permanent Secretary for Presidential Affairs and Devolution in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Engineer Tafadzwa Muguti, who conducted a tour of the giant clothing factory in Bulawayo, Carousel Manufacturing, a subsidiary of the listed Edgars Stores Group, opened up on the need to take stern measures to curb the influx of cheap second-hand clothes and reverse the adverse impact on established firms.
He clarified that the ban on these products remains in place and that further to that, the items confiscated by authorities across the country must be incinerated across provinces at Government hospitals.
“This is an industry that has been affected by second-hand clothes. As Government we have banned the sale of second-hand clothing,” said Eng Muguti.
“My office has directed all provinces to confiscate second-hand clothing immediately. We have been doing that since December and we are now burning them at the provincial hospitals.”
The directive comes at a time when the growth of the informal market is higher in Zimbabwe, especially in major cities and towns, with some formal players dipping their hands into trading smuggled goods, including flea markets and some retail shops selling used clothes. Health experts have said that smuggled used clothes not only pose a threat to businesses and the economy but also have adverse health implications for end users. In that regard, Eng Muguti the fight against smuggled products must be intensified and expressed satisfaction with how Bulawayo is implementing the anti-smuggling drive.
“I am happy with the anti-smuggling campaign in Bulawayo. It is the most successful in the country,” he said.
“Bulawayo did way better than the capital (Harare) itself, and we are seeing that more of the formal businesses are getting the right support from Government.”
The second-hand clothing trade is a problem for the whole of Africa and last year in July, the Council of Ministers for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), embraced a new protocol to ban trade in second-hand clothes within the region.
Most countries in Africa these days are seen as suitable dumping grounds for second-hand clothes, most of which come from Europe considering the near absence of the specific Asian cultural styles within the bales, and the slight American differences and specific styles.
The trade is fairly new, just a few decades old, and arises from the growing prosperity of Europeans, largely as a result of their free trade area, and the fact that many replace a lot of their clothing when fashion changes, a frequent occurrence, rather than when clothes wear out.
