adminSpeaking during the 2013 national budget stakeholder consultative meeting held in Masvingo last week, a Masvingo business executive based in South Africa, Mr Casper Shumba, appealed to Government to relax conditions on the importation of capital goods.
He said there were a lot of Zimbabwean business people outside the country willing to invest at home but were discouraged by bottlenecks that characterised the importation of equipment into the country.
“I am a business person living in South Africa but I am very eager to invest here in Masvingo. However, I am having second thoughts because the conditions for one to import machinery are not only stringent but very discouraging. It takes ages for one to have say, a manufacturing plant cleared at the border,” said Mr Shumba.
He said the clearing process should be done expeditiously to save time and even other resources. “I feel if the personnel at the border consider that when a person imports machinery into the country for the purpose of doing business, it is the economy of the country that stands to benefit. There must not be any delay in clearing machinery brought by a Zimbabwean even anyone who wants to invest in the country. Let’s address such grey areas before we lose a lot of money in potential investment opportunities,” he said.
Mr Shumba who represented the diaspora community also called on the Ministry of Finance to come up with policies that would attract investment and propagate interest from local business people living abroad to invest home.
“There are more than four million people living in South Africa and other countries and they are willing to establish business ventures here. I am into lucrative farming business here but I have encountered a lot of frustrations when bringing things for my businesses.
“This is to do with policies put in place by the responsible ministries. If the forthcoming national budget statement factor in our concerns as the diaspora community, things will improve for the better for our beloved country.
“When we are bringing money I must not be levied like someone who is taking out money. Here I mean when we bring machinery or any capital goods into the country the aim will be to invest — thus creating revenue for the country and provide employment to the unemployed.”
He said plans were afoot to invest in power generation in Masvingo which had a second biggest inland water body, Lake Mutirikwi.
“Plans are at an advanced stage for a group of Zimbabwean business people living in South Africa to establish a power generating plant here in Masvingo. I also call upon Government to decentralise one-stop shop investment offices. It would be cumbersome for an investor who wants to do business in Masvingo travelling all the way to Harare to process his application,” he said.
Online Reporter