High pricing affecting Buy Zimbabwe campaign

Business reporters
LOCAL institutions have criticised the Buy Zimbabwe campaign calling for scrutiny on the current pricing regime considered to be too high.

This was highlighted last week Friday at the official handover ceremony of a new 65-seater Zhongtong bus and Messey Ferguson tractor bought by Mutare Junior School.

Mutare Junior School headmaster Mr Rodger Sithole said they resorted to buying the bus and tractor from local dealership agents in Harare due to the hefty prices of the locally assembled vehicles.

The 65-seater Zhongtong bus bought at Frontier Com Investments in Harare cost $122 000.

Speaking on the sideline, Mr Sithole said while every Zimbabwean might want to support the Buy Zimbabwe campaign, with limited income due to the prevailing liquidity crunch in the country, the current pricing regime must be addressed as well as the push factors such as the high costs of doing business.

“In view of our current economic situation most schools cannot afford to buy expensive buses. As much as we want to support local production we want quality but affordable pricing of goods. Buy Zimbabwe should be pro-poor campaign, but in most cases the high prices are scaring away locals. Something has to be done . . .

“We are nonetheless happy that we bought the tractor from local dealership companies,” said Mr Sithole.

The School Development Committee chairperson, Mr Ranson Choofamba said the bus would cut costs of hiring buses for school functions.

“It was really expensive to hire a bus when going to conferences or sports meetings, so this is a welcome development. We had planned this on the first annual general meeting of this year but it took us a lot of time to raise funds for this bus.

‘‘We were the only school left out without a bus in Mutare since our sister schools Chancellor and Baring had already bought buses,” said Mr Choofamba. Early this year Government approved the setting up of a National Competitiveness Commission tasked to identify areas of concern and cost drivers within the economy.

The Bill is expected to be tabled soon in Parliament to repeal the National Incomes and Price Commission Act and establish the National Competitiveness Commission.

The NCC is among the 13 investment Bills tabled for the Eighth Parliament session that resumed mid-September.