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in the number of second-hand vehicles entering the country as most importers and car dealers now prefer to use other border posts.
The chairperson of the Shipping and Forwarding Agents’ Association of Zimbabwe (SFAAZ)’s Beitbridge branch, Mr Simeon Mudau, yesterday said the number of imported second-hand cars brought into the country through Beitbridge Border Post had gone down by about 75 percent compared to last year during the same period.
SFAAZ is a representative body of about 500 clearing houses operating in the country.
“We are witnessing a sharp decline in the number of car imports that we handle at Beitbridge Border Post. In fact, comparatively we used to clear between 30 and 35 car carriers a day during this period last year and now we are getting less than 10 carriers while in some days we get virtually nothing,” he said.
A vehicle carrier truck transports a maximum of eight light vehicles at a given time.
Mr Mudau attributed the decline to the increasing number of importers shunning Beitbridge Border Post.
“Most car importers now prefer to use other inland ports of entry such as Plumtree and Kazungula Border Post in Victoria Falls and that has seen a decline in the number of cars entering Zimbabwe through Beitbridge,” he said.
Mr Mudau, who also manages the Manica Africa bonded warehouse in Beitbridge which handles imported cars, said last year they handled many cars as importers were trying to beat the Government imposed deadline on the importation of cars manufactured more than five years ago.
Another local clearing agent, Miss Joyce Sibiya, said: “I specialise in clearing second-hand cars and of late business has been very low owing to a decline in the number of cars coming in through Beitbridge Border Post. Most of the clients that I used to deal with have resorted to using Plumtree Border Post.”
Importers who spoke to Chronicle yesterday said they were shunning Beitbridge Border Post largely due to delays and bureaucratic hurdles they encountered in the customs clearance procedures.
“The customs procedures at the Beitbridge Border Post are excessively complicated resulting in unnecessary delays and we now prefer to use other border posts. In fact, I have just imported a car from the UK and I am expecting it to arrive next week through Kazungula Border Post,” said Mr Lawrence Chauke of Beitbridge.
Mr Michael Tshuma, a car dealer said: “I now prefer to use other border posts as they are more efficient and fast in clearing clients unlike Beitbridge where you are forced to spend several hours if not days waiting to be cleared. The process is just strenuous and time-consuming, resulting in one spending a lot of money.”
Ms Sithokozile Ndlovu of Bulawayo echoed Mr Tshuma’s sentiments: “At Plumtree Border Post we don’t pay storage fees because there is no bonded warehouse since the cars are just dumped at the customs yard while waiting to be cleared by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) officials unlike in Beitbridge where you incur extra expenses due to delays.”
On arrival at Beitbridge Border Post, imported vehicles are taken to the local bonded warehouses where the importer goes through rigorous customs clearance formalities.
Bonded warehouses charge handling fees of $30 and those that delay in paying customs duty incur extra costs in storage fees which amount to $5 per day.
Online Reporter