adminSports Correspondent
ZIMBABWE’S senior women football team players who represented the country at the Rio Olympics have to fork out duty for cellphones that were given to all participants by giant electronics company, Samsung.
Sports and Recreation Commission acting director-general Joseph Muchechetere said the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority had asked the players to pay duty for the phones. Muchechetere, however, said they are still negotiating for the duty to be waived.
“It is unfortunate the Mighty Warriors could not individually take hold of the phones in Rio as they would have brought them in as used items and they had to come as a bulk package and Zimra is demanding duty to be paid for their entry. We have been engaging and they said had it been sporting equipment, it would have come in without any problems but since its phones duty has to be paid,” he said.
Muchechetere said they are hoping to approach higher offices to intervene and waiver the charges.
The South Korean company gave all athletes their latest phone model S7 during the Olympics in August last year but the Mighty Warriors were based outside the Olympics Village and their consignment was brought into the country by Zimbabwe Olympic Committee officials.
The Mighty Warriors thought they had received a just reward for becoming the first football team to qualify for the world’s biggest sporting showcase in the form of the Samsung phones as they were offered little in return for doing the country proud.
derick.khumalo