adminunwarranted impounding of goods and humiliating body searches at border posts.
CBTAZ president Mr Killer Zivhu said they had written to the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee outlining the several challenges which were drawing back this key sector, which employs over 80 percent of the people in Zimbabwe.
“This is a very critical sector considering the fact that cross border trade spurs and catapults many small scale entrepreneurs to eschew poverty and creates employment opportunities for a number of people.
“So we want the Jomic to help us table our problems to Parliament for redress,” Mr Zivhu said.
He said the cross border sector consisted of a diverse group dominated by women and generally comprising the vulnerable, unemployed, orphans, refugees, the youth, school leavers and widows.
Mr Zivhu said their members were harassed and humiliated at border posts despite having all the required travel documentation.
“We have reports from some of our members who despite having the relevant documents are subjected to inhumane treatment. Some have their goods confiscated by unscrupulous customs officials.
“So we are appealing to Government through the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee to have these issues addressed because we as cross border traders contribute to the economy of the country,” he said.
He said some of the challenges included limited access to formal credit schemes, lack of reliable transport and an unfavourable policy and regulatory environment.
“Most of our laws are not protecting us as locals businesspeople and favour foreigners. We don’t have anything against them but we need laws that protect our own people and enhance their livelihoods,’ Mr Zivhu said.
He said the CBTAZ was working on enhancing, planning and co-ordinating the cross border trade sector by bringing together non-organised informal cross-border traders to identify key issues that hinder the potential growth of the sector.
Mapping steps to increase their collaboration in addressing challenges faced by this important yet marginalised sector is also a point of concern for the sector. Mr Zivhu said the association would go on a nationwide tour giving key note addresses, sharing information and planning in a bid to develop a roadmap on strategies to address these challenges.
The informal cross-border trading plays a critical role in economic growth, employment creation and poverty alleviation in many Southern African countries.
The Southern Africa Trust (SAT) and the Economic Justice Network (EJN) commissioned different research studies on the Informal Cross Border Trade (ICBT) in the region.
These studies were necessitated and influenced by the enormous growth and significance of the sector.
Suffice to say, all of these studies came to a conclusion, informal cross border trade contributes immensely to the economies of many Sadc countries in various ways.
According to studies, the level of ICBT in Southern Africa remains high and many people are making a decent living out of this form of business.
For many citizens of Sadc, ICBT has become a profitable enterprise to the extent that some of them have dared to leave formal employment to concentrate on informal cross-border trading. Despite the lack of data,
some estimates have put ICBT at between 30 to 40 percent of intra-Sadc trade, suggesting that by ignoring informal cross-border trade, Sadc member states could be overlooking a significant proportion of their trade (SARDC Research Paper 2008).
Online Reporter