The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has reported that it intercepted bales of second-hand clothes in an abandoned vehicle in Chikombedzi. The owners of the vehicle reportedly fled into the bush after being stopped by police.
Posting on Twitter, the police said:
Police in Chikombedzi have intercepted 34 bales of second-hand clothes in an abandoned Nissan Caravan vehicle (AFF 4387) at Chikombedzi Business Centre on 08/03/21. The unknown driver was stopped by a Police patrol vehicle but ignored the instruction prompting a chase up.
The suspect later dumped the vehicle and fled into the bush. A search ensued and the smuggled bales were recovered in the vehicle. Meanwhile, the ZRP warns members of the public against smuggling.
Zimbabwe banned the importation of second-hand clothes and gave a grace period to those who had already imported so that they can deplete their stock.
A number of people have been making a living out of selling second-hand clothes that are imported from neighbouring Mozambique, Zambia and other countries.
Many Zimbabweans cannot afford new clothes as the majority are not employed or a being paid paltry salaries that cannot meet all their necessities.
Resultantly, they have turned to businesses that sell second-hand clothes, who are usually informal traders, to clothes themselves and their families.
The development has had a toll on formal traders who are the taxpayers who contribute to the national fiscus.
Formal traders pushed the government to take action on informal traders, the hard-to-tax sector, or risk the closure or flight of formal traders.