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The recent disturbances at Beitbridge Border Post which led to the torching of a Zimbabwe Revenue Authority warehouse was mainly as a result of misinformation. Members of the public who were ignorant of the provisions of Statutory Instrument 64 of 2016 were hoodwinked into believing that government had become insensitive to their plight.
The country’s detractors abused the social media to disseminate falsehoods thereby inciting people into staging violent demonstrations in Beitbridge leading to the destruction of property worth thousands of dollars. Members of the public were informed through the social media that under the new regulations they would not be allowed to bring any groceries even for their own consumption which is not true.
Government on Thursday clarified provisions of the new regulations which allow individuals to bring in groceries for their own consumption. Under the regulations government has come up with quantities one is allowed to bring into the country that will be cleared under the Open General Import Licence (OGIL). Government has also come up with administrative arrangements on the treatment of goods brought in by returning residents, immigrants, diplomats and inheritance goods.
Goods for resale will require import permits issued by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. Responding to questions from delegates attending the Buy Zimbabwe annual summit in Mutare on Thursday, Ministry of Industry and Commerce permanent secretary Mrs Abigail Shonhiwa said it was regrettable that the new regulations were announced without clarity. Mrs Shonhiwa said government was putting in place modalities to ensure ordinary travellers at the border are not affected by the new regulations.
She said it was important to emphasise that the new regulations were meant to regulate commercial imports hence travellers bringing in goods for their own consumption such as groceries will not be affected. Government, we want to believe, now appreciates the importance of providing detailed information regarding provisions of new regulations especially on issues affecting people’s daily lives.
It is a fact that thousands of Zimbabweans cross the country’s borders daily and many of them bring in goods such as groceries. We also have many Zimbabweans working in neighbouring countries such as South Africa and Botswana who send groceries to their families every month and all these were fooled into believing that government had banned the groceries. It is therefore important in future to explain in detail new regulations to guard against misinformation.
Members of the public have also learnt that official information regarding government policies or regulations are communicated through authentic media platforms and not social media. Government has already warned that it will disconnect from using the country’s mobile networks, individuals caught generating or sharing abusive and subversive material on social media. Government should demonstrate that it has the capacity to punish deviant elements that abuse social media.
What has been happening for the past few weeks if allowed to continue could cause anarchy and there is need to put a stop to the abuse of social media.
The country’s enemies are using the social media to incite people to engage in violence and cause civil unrest. We want to once again implore government to move swiftly to put mechanisms in place to regulate social media whose effects can be too ghastly to contemplate if left unchecked.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter