Author: TSA Press

HARARE
–
Zimbabwe’s
poor
infrastructure
and
policy
inconsistencies
are
worsening
the
impact
of
depressed
lithium
prices
on
producers
of
the
material
mainly
used
in
battery
technologies,
a
Zimbabwean
unit
of
China’s
Sinomine
Resource
Group
(002738.SZ),
said.

Africa’s
top
producer
of
lithium
has
attracted
over
$1
billion
investment
from
Sinomine
and
its
Chinese
peers
such
as
Zhejiang
Huayou
Cobalt
(603799.SS),
and
Chengxin
Lithium
Group
(002240.SZ),
since
2021
as
China
sought
to
maintain
its
grip
on
critical
metals.

However,
lithium
prices
have
fallen
sharply
from
their
2022
peak
as
a
wave
of
new
supply
has
overwhelmed
weaker
than
expected
demand
for
electric
vehicle
batteries.

The
price
slump
“is
making
it
difficult
for
lithium
companies
to
stay
afloat,
with
most
mining
entities
downscaling
production”
and
laying
off
workers,
Sinomine
unit
Bikita
Minerals
told
visiting
lawmakers,
according
to
a
presentation
seen
by
Reuters
on
Tuesday.

“The
lithium
mines
continue
to
operate
in
an
environment
with
risks
which
include
fragile
power
supply,
capital
constraints
and
foreign
currency
shortfalls,”
the
company
said.

There
was
also
lack
of
“clear
and
consistent
policies
on
licensing,
taxation
and
export
regulations”,
it
said.

Bikita
Minerals
added
that
Zimbabwe’s
foreign
currency
regulation
requiring
exporters
to
trade
25%
of
their
hard
currency
earnings
for
a
rapidly
weakening
local
unit
called
the
ZiG
was
resulting
in
loss
of
value.

“Lack
of
basic
infrastructure,
such
as
roads,
transportation,
power
and
water
supply
in
lithium-rich
regions
is
hindering
exploration
and
extraction
of
lithium
reserves,
significantly
influencing
production
costs,”
it
said.

The
government
could
help
lithium
miners
by
introducing
tax
breaks
and
lower
royalties,
the
company
said.

Both
the
mines
and
finance
ministries
were
not
immediately
available
to
comment.

HARARE
–
Jailed
fraud
suspects
Mike
Chimombe
and
Moses
Mpofu
claim
their
constitutional
rights
have
been
violated,
adding
they
will
raise
the
complaint
with
the
court
as
trial
starts
this
Wednesday.

The
business
partners
are
accused
of
embezzling
US$7
million
state
funds
under
a
botched
goats
supply
tender
issued
by
government.

“Our
clients’
constitutional
rights
…
have
been
violated
left,
right
and
centre,”
lawyer
Lovemore
Madhuku
told
journalists
after
court
adjournment
Tuesday.

Madhuku
said
under
the
circumstances,
his
clients
will
not
be
afforded
fair
trial.

He
added,
“When
rights
are
given,
they
ought
to
be
enjoyed.”

Madhuku
is
taking
instructions
from
Ashiel
Mugiya
who
is
representing
Chimombe.

In
court,
Madhuku
said
he
needed
some
time
to
acquaint
himself
with
the
case
as
he
got
instructed
only
recently.

Tapson
Dzvetero,
representing
Mpofu,
also
said
his
client
will
raise
complaints
over
alleged
constitutional
violations.

He
told
court
that
prosecutors
have
failed
to
furnish
the
defence
with
sufficient
particulars
they
required
to
prepare
for
the
trial.

“We
are
not
ready
to
proceed.
On
September
20,
we
wrote
and
asked
the
state
to
furnish
us
with
further
particulars.

“The
state
wrote
back
and
furnished
us
with
some
of
the
particulars
but
not
all.

“We
have
had
an
engagement
with
my
colleagues
and
agree
that
we
have
to
sit
down
and
identify
documents
they
can
give
us
and
which
ones
they
cannot.
After
that,
we
can
commence
the
trial,”
he
said.

Witness
Mabhaudhi,
representing
the
State,
consented
to
trial
postponement.

Prosecutors
say
the
fraud
charges
emanate
from
tender
documents
submitted
by
the
two
suspects
through
a
company
called
Blackdeck
Private
Limited
in
September
2021
when
the
Lands
and
Agriculture
ministry
invited
bids
for
the
supply
of
632,001
goats
under
a
scheme
worth
US$87,757,168
to
distribute
goats
nationally,
whose
beneficiaries
would
pass
on
the
animals
to
the
next
needy
household
after
kidding.

They
say
after
winning
the
tender,
it
was
Blackdeck
Livestock
and
Poultry
Farming,
an
unregistered
company,
which
signed
documents
with
the
ministry.

Mpofu
represented
the
company
and
Chimombe
acted
as
a
witness.

On
further
review
of
Blackdeck
Private
Limited’s
documents,
it
is
alleged
that
the
company
had
no
valid
tax
clearance
certificate
from
the
Zimbabwe
Revenue
Authority
for
2021,
and
that
a
QR
code
attached
to
the
National
Social
Security
compliance
certificate
belonged
to
a
different
company
called
Skywalk
Investments.

Both
documents
were
required
for
one
to
be
eligible
to
bid
for
the
tender.

Acting
on
the
misrepresentations,
prosecutors
say
the
ministry
went
on
to
pay
30
percent
of
the
contract
in
the
local
currency,
an
amount
of
ZWL1.6
billion
which
was
allegedly
equivalent
to
US$7,712,197
in
two
instalments
on
April
21,
2022,
and
June
29,
2022.

Following
delays
in
delivering
the
goats,
the
ministry
engaged
Blackdeck
and
was
informed
that
the
company
had
mobilised
32,500
goats
across
the
provinces
which
were
ready
to
be
distributed
to
the
beneficiaries.

A
verification
process
by
the
ministry
at
various
sites,
it
is
alleged,
however
showed
that
the
company
only
had
3,713
goats.

“After
the
ministry
of
lands
realised
that
they
were
being
deceived
by
the
accused
persons,
they
then
cancelled
the
contract
on
August
29,
2022,”
charges
the
National
Prosecuting
Authority
(NPA).

To
date,
the
prosecution
says
4,208
goats
worth
US$331,445.25
have
been
delivered
and
the
ministry
was
prejudiced
of
US$7,380,751.85.

The
two
deny
the
allegations.

PRETORIA,
South
Africa
–
The
Pretoria
High
Court
has
sentenced
three
illegal
Zimbabwean
nationals,
Edison
Ngamiko,
38,
Amos
Hassan
Masiya,
38,
and
Edron
Panashe
Chisanako,
39,
to
two
life
terms
each
for
two
counts
of
murder.

They
were
also
sentenced
to
10
years
of
direct
imprisonment
each
for
attempted
murder
and
12
months
imprisonment
for
being
illegal
in
the
country.

The
charges
arose
from
a
tragic
incident
that
occurred
on
17
February
2023,
when
the
three
men
were
approached
by
three
young
girls
aged
15,16,
and
23
at
Mashanganeng
Tavern
in
Olievenhoutbosch.

The
girls
requested
money
from
the
trio
to
purchase
alcohol,
and
the
men
initially
provided
them
with
R40.

When
the
girls
asked
for
an
additional
R20
to
pay
a
male
companion
who
was
going
to
accompany
them
home,
the
accused
complied,
bringing
the
total
amount
given
to
R60.

Later
that
night,
as
the
girls
were
leaving
the
tavern,
the
accused
accompanied
them.

When
they
reached
Mamello
Street,
Chisanako
demanded
sexual
favours
from
the
15-year-old
girl.

When
the
girl
refused
and
the
16-year-old
reprimanded
him,
Chisanako
shot
the
16-year-old
in
the
neck,
resulting
in
her
immediate
collapse.

He
then
shot
the
other
two
girls
multiple
times,
leading
to
their
deaths
at
the
scene.

A
shot
fired
during
the
chaos
hit
Ngamiko
accidentally.
Upon
realizing
the
16-year-old
was
still
alive,
Ngamiko
attempted
to
finish
the
job,
but
the
firearm
had
run
out
of
bullets,
thereafter
they
fled
the
scene.

The
surviving
victim
crawled
home
and
report
the
incident.

The
police
discovered
the
two
bodies
of
the
deceased
girls
after
patrolling
the
area
that
same
night.

The
police
investigation
led
to
Ngamiko’s
arrest
three
days
later,
on
20
February
2023,
while
he
was
receiving
treatment
for
his
gunshot
wound.

Masiya
was
arrested
on
9
October
2023
on
unrelated
charges
but
was
later
linked
to
the
murder.

After,
he
identified
Chisanako,
who
was
apprehended
the
next
day
on
10
October
2023.

During
the
trial,
all
three
accused
pleaded
not
guilty,
with
Ngamiko
and
Masiya
acknowledging
the
incident
but
claiming
that
Chisanako
was
the
one
who
committed
the
offence.

Chisanako
denied
being
present
on
the
day
of
the
incident.

However,
Prosecutor
Advocate
David
Molokomme
successfully
presented
compelling
evidence,
including
witness
testimonies,
that
established
the
trio’s
common
purpose
in
committing
the
crimes.

During
sentencing,
the
defence
sought
leniency,
appealing
to
the
court
to
consider
their
family
responsibilities
in
Zimbabwe.

However,
Advocate
Molokomme
argued
firmly
for
life
sentences,
reflecting
the
serious
nature
of
the
offences
and
the
lasting
impact
on
the
victims’
families.

He
emphasized
the
defendants’
lack
of
remorse
and
their
previous
convictions
for
violent
crimes
including
robbery
and
house
breaking.

He
highlighted
the
significant
emotional
trauma
inflicted,
supported
by
a
Victim
Impact
Statement
(VIS)
facilitated
by
the
Court
Preparation
Officer
Legobang
Lebese,
which
revealed
the
lasting
psychological
effects
on
the
surviving
victim
where
the
victim
indicated
that,
she
still
has
flash
backs
of
the
day
of
the
incident
and
still
experiences
pain
where
she
was
shot.

The
Acting
Judge
Matlapeng,
upon
reviewing
the
evidence
and
arguments,
agreed
with
the
State’s
position,
noting
the
lack
of
remorse
and
the
brutal
nature
of
the
act.

He
noted
that
the
three
men,
while
seeking
a
better
life
in
South
Africa,
instead
chose
a
path
of
violence
and
disrespect
for
the
law.

Moreover,
it
was
the
responsibility
of
the
court
to
protect
society
from
such
acts
of
violence,
emphasising
that
illegal
immigrants
must
respect
the
laws
of
South
Africa.

Therefore,
he
found
no
substantial
and
compelling
circumstances
justifying
a
deviation
from
the
prescribed
minimum
sentences.

The
National
Prosecuting
Authority
(NPA)
welcomes
the
sentencing
of
the
three
men,
considering
it
a
crucial
step
towards
justice.

Story
based
on
unedited
statement
by
South
African
National
Prosecuting
Authority

HARARE
–
Rains
are
expected
to
lash
Zimbabwe
“from
November
onwards”
as
October
–
which
usually
sees
the
onset
of
rains
–
will
remain
fairly
dry,
climate
minister
Sithembiso
Nyoni
briefed
cabinet
on
Tuesday.

Nyoni
said
Zimbabwe
will
receive
“normal
to
above
normal
rainfall”
in
2024/25.

“The
month
of
October
is
expected
to
be
drier
than
the
long
term
average,
but
from
November
onwards
the
forecast
is
for
normal
to
above
normal
rainfall.
Farmers
and
the
whole
nation
are
guided
to
plan
accordingly,”
Nyoni
briefed
ministers,
according
to
a
post-cabinet
readout
by
information
minister
Jenfan
Muswere.

Poor
rains
last
year
into
this
year
affected
yields
leaving
20
percent
of
Zimbabwe’s
15
million
people
at
risk
of
famine,
according
to
the
World
Food
Programme.

Farmers
in
rural
Matabeleland
say
cattle
are
dying
owing
to
depleted
open
pastures
and
drying
water
bodies.
A
prolonged
dry
spell
could
devastate
heads,
particularly
in
parched
Matabeleland
South.

HARARE
–
Town
clerk
Hosiah
Chisango
has
been
suspended
by
Harare
mayor
Jacob
Mafume
over
a
slew
of
alleged
misdemeanours
which
include
the
embattled
city
boss’s
awarding
of
a
streetlighting
tender
to
a
blacklisted
company.

His
suspension
is
effect
from
September
30
but
is
with
pay
and
other
benefits.

Chisango
faces
corruption
allegations
emanating
from
his
awarding
of
a
US$9,2
million
Harare
streetlighting
deal
to
jailed
businessman
Moses
Mpofu’s
company.

He
was
arrested
in
July
this
year
and
was
later
released
on
US$500
bail
September
17
this
year.

In
a
letter
outlining
the
reasons
behind
Chisango’s
suspension,
Mafume
said
“The
employer
has
a
good
cause
to
believe
that
you
have
committed
a
serious
misconduct
in
that
you
contravened
Section
4(a)
of
the
National
Code
i.e.
S.I.
15
of
2006
otherwise
known
as
‘Any
act
or
conduct
or
omission
inconsistent
with
the
fulfilment
of
the
express
or
implied
conditions
of
his
or
her
contract’.
You
did
so
in
one
or
more
of
the
following
ways;

“You
misconducted
yourself
in
the
procurement
and
award
of
a
tender
for
streetlights
to
Jukula
Enterprises
in
that
you
awarded
the
contract
to
a
blacklisted
company
which
had
a
record
of
breaching
its
tender
obligations.

“Or
that
you
awarded
a
tender
to
a
company
owned
by
proprietors
of
blacklisted
companies
thereby
exposing
Council
to
potential
financial
losses
and
which
company
in
this
case
had
not
won
the
tender.

“In
doing
so
you
have
failed
one
of
your
primary
functions
as
the
accounting
officer
which
is
to
protect
the
council’s
interest.”

Among
the
grounds
of
his
suspension,
Chisango
was
also
accused
of
“failing
to
secure
effective
Enterprise
Resource
Planning
(ERP)
software
for
the
management
of
the
council’s
billing
and
accounting
systems
over
five
years”.

“As
the
Accounting
Officer,
you
have
failed
to
secure
an
effective
Enterprise
Resource
Planning
(‘ERP’)
Software
and
System
support
for
the
management
of
the
Council’s
billing
and
accounting
systems
for
about
5
years.

“This
has
resulted
in
failure
to
carry
out
statutory
audits,
to
obtain
timeous
budget
approvals
and
also
has
led
to
adverse
reports
by
the
Auditor
General,
Moreso,
you
have
generally
mishandled
the
(‘ERP’)
procurement
and
tender
processes
leading
to
several
court
challenges
and
attracted
negative
publicity
thereby
putting
the
name
of
the
organisation
into
disrepute,”
Mafume
wrote.

The
Town
Clerk
is
accused
of
extending
his
contract
indefinitely
after
its
expiration
in
July
2023,
without
the
required
authorization.

“You
effected
changes
to
the
council
organogram
and
structure
by
appointing
senior
council
officers
to
Grades
1,
2
and
3
without
Council
Authority
and
without
the
approval
of
the
Local
Governance
Board
in
terms
of
Section
134(1)
of
the
Urban
Council’s
Act.

“In
particular,
you
appointed
a
senior
council
official
to
Grade
1B
without
the
requisite
approvals.

“You
also
appointed
more
senior
officials
from
Grade
4
to
Grade
3
without
the
necessary
approvals.

“In
doing
so
you
abused
your
authority
and
also
undermined
the
authority
of
Council
and
the
Local
Government
Board.

“At
the
expiry
of
your
fixed
term
contract
around
July
2023,
you
proceeded
to
give
yourself
a
contract
without
limit
of
time
without
the
knowledge
and
authority
of
the
council
and
without
the
approval
of
the
Local
Government
Board
in
terms
of
Section
132(1)
of
the
Urban
Council’s
Act.

“In
violation
of
the
circular
issued
on
the
26th
of
June
2014
paragraph
2.2
by
the
Ministry
of
Local
Government
and
approved
by
Cabinet”.

Chisango
was
barred
from
visiting
his
workplace
during
the
period
of
his
suspension.

“During
the
period
of
your
suspension,
you
shall
not
be
allowed
to
attend
the
workplace
or
carry
out
any
duties
unless
directed
to
do
so
by
the
Mayor.

“You
are
requested
not
to
interfere
with
Council
staff
and
other
witnesses
in
the
matter,”
further
reads
the
letter.

Nearly
four
decades
ago,
Ben
Moyo,
who
was
24
years
old
and
a
trainee
teacher
in
Zimbabwe’s
Matabeleland
North
Province,
experienced
a
sad
turn
of
destiny
when
a
deadly
genocide
erupted
in
the
country.

The
genocide
left
Moyo
in
a
wheelchair.
He
was
one
of
the
victims
of
many
roadblocks
mounted
by
marauding
soldiers
that
randomly
killed
villagers
in
Tsholotsho
where
he
worked.
On
that
fateful
day,
he
barely
escaped
death.

The
genocide
came
to
be
known
as
“Gukurahundi,”
and
raged
on
from
1982
onwards.
Elements
within
the
Zimbabwean
army
targeted
the
minority
Ndebele
tribe.
Gukurahundi
is
a
term
drawn
from
the
Shona
language
which
loosely
translates
to
“the
early
rain
which
washes
away
the chaff before
the
spring
rains.”

Moyo,
who
is
a
Ndebele-speaking
native
from
Plumtree,
a
town
on
the
border
between
Zimbabwe
and
Botswana
in
Matabeleland
South
Province,
was
beaten
up
by
the
soldiers
for
failing
to
speak
in
Shona.
The
Shona
people
and
language
dominate
most
parts
of
Zimbabwe.

“I
was
beaten
up
at
a
roadblock
mounted
by
the
soldiers.
I
dislocated
my
spine
and
thereafter
developed
chronic
back
pain.”
Years
later,
he
still
suffers.
“The
trauma
is
not
gone.
Apart
from
the
chronic
pain,
I
remember
my
colleagues
who
were
killed
during
the
genocide,”
Moyo
said.

After
the
Tsholotsho
encounter,
Moyo
moved
to
Kezi,
a
village
in
the
Matobo
district
in
Matabeleland
South
province
where
he
found
a
teaching
position.
This
relocation
did
not
bring
any
reprieve
for
him
as
he
continued
to
witness
more
genocide
horrors.
A
concentration
camp
was
set-up
nearby,
in
Balagwe,
where
many
Ndebele
people
were
rounded
up
and
killed
in
masses.

Many
more
people
recount
the
horrors
of
the
genocide.
Unrelated
to
Moyo
despite
the
similarity
in
surnames,
79-year-old
Sawudeni
Moyo,
who
lives
in
Tsholotsho,
also
suffered
during
the
past.

“We
see
the
hot
sun.
This
year
people
will
be
killed
by
hunger,”
Sawudeni
said
as
he
expressed
his
sadness
at
the
ongoing
El
Nino
drought
in
Zimbabwe.
But
to
him,
this
cannot
surpass
what
many
like
him
went
through
during
the
1980s’
genocide.
“I
suffered
during
Gukurahundi.
My
right
hand
and
cheek
were
broken.
I
am
disabled
now.
I
am
not
afraid
to
speak
about
Gukurahundi
because
I
was
persecuted
then.
If
someone
is
talking
about
Gukurahundi,
it
is
something
that
is
so
painful,”
Sawudeni
said.

Gukurahundi
was
stopped
by
the
signing
of
the Unity
Accord
in
1987
between
then
prime
minister
Robert
Mugabe
and
nemesis
Joshua
Nkomo,
who
headed
a
Ndebele-dominated
opposition
political
party
known
as
the
Zimbabwe
African
People’s
Union
(ZAPU).

Fuzwayo,
a
coordinator
for
a
pressure
group
known
as
Ibhetshu
Likazulu,
based
in
Bulawayo,
says
“the
Gukurahundi
victims
are
suffering
in
different
ways
and
forms.
Some
of
them
can’t
access
medication
because
of
the
economic
situation.
Others
wish
to
know
where
their
relatives
were
taken
to
so
that
they
can
bury
them.
These
are
the
challenges
that
our
people
are
going
through.” 

Mbonisi
Gumbo,
an
interim
secretary
for
information
and
publicity
in
the
Mthwakazi
Republic
Party
that
has
over
the
years
been
pushing
for
the
restoration
of
the
historical
Ndebele
State,
blames
the
state
for
inaction.
“Many
who
were
injured,
raped
or
witnessed
their
parents,
brothers
and
or
close
relatives
being
killed,
were
never
counselled
and
had
their
property,
forcibly
seized
by
the
fifth
brigade
army,
replaced,”
he
says.

Zimbabwean
president
Emmerson
Mnangagwa
has
expressed
commitment
to
address
the
Gukurahundi
issue
to
forge
national
unity.

Jeffrey
Moyo is
a
journalist
based
in
Harare. 


moyojeffrey@gmail.com

Harare,
Zimbabwe
– Kimberley
Dube
takes
great
care
with
her
appearance.
She
always
looks
sharp
and
fashionable
in
smart-looking
jeans,
t-shirts,
sweatpants,
tops,
and
designer
sneakers.

“I
love
jeans
–
can’t
get
enough
of
them,”
the
35-year-old
says.

But
while
she
may
give
the
appearance
of
someone
with
money
to
spend
on
expensive
apparel,
the
self-employed
entrepreneur
laughs
when
she
says,
“You
are
wrong!
These
clothes
are
inexpensive;
I
get
them
from
secondhand
clothes
sellers.”

Dube,
who
lives
in
Harare,
is
just
one
of
a
multitude
of
Zimbabweans
who
have
turned
their
backs
on home-grown
fashion
brands,
opting
for
the
booming
market
in
secondhand
–
or
“pre-loved”
–
imports
from
overseas
instead.

“There’s
no
shop
in
this
country
where
you
can
pay
as
little
as
$2
for
a
pair
of
jeans,”
she
scoffs.

Dube
is
particularly
drawn
to
the
stylish
individuality
that
buying
second-hand
clothes
affords
her.
”Most
clothing
stores
carry
mass-produced
items,
which
you’ll
see
all
over
town;
the
stuff
here
is
unique.”

“Here”
is
a
small
market
next
door
to
a
suburban
shopping
centre
in
a
middle-class
neighbourhood,
where
we
are
perusing
the
wares.
Dube’s
equally
trendy
friend
and
fellow
millennial,
Gamuchirai
Mpofu,
a
huge
fan
of
preloved
clothes,
has
also
come
along.

“The
nice
thing
about
shopping
here
is
that
though
the
clothes
are
used,
they
are
durable,
unlike
the
Chinese
stuff
sold
in
most
shops,”
she
says.
Both
of
them
say
buying
used
clothes
gives
them
access
to
a
variety
of
brands
and
items
they
can’t
find
in
Zimbabwean
shops.
“It’s
about
uniqueness
and
individuality,”
Mpofu
says.

Winnie
Mutsokoti,
an
effervescent
seller
at
the
market,
welcomes
us
with
a
warm
smile.
She
has
four
frame
tents,
each
laid
out
like
a
section
in
a
clothing
store.
We
head
straight
to
the
one
in
which
various
styles
and
sizes
of
denim
wear
are
neatly
displayed
on
hangers.
Some
of
the
merchandise
on
offer
here
appears
new
or
hardly
worn.

”You
will
not
find
anything
other
than
denim
in
this
tent,”
she
explains.
“It’s
different
from
my
other
tents,
where
you
can
find
dresses,
jumpsuits,
shorts,
hoodies,
jerseys,
and
other
things.”
Mutsokoti
has
been
running
her
secondhand
clothes
import
business
for
six
years
now.

Today,
all
of
Mutsokoti’s
winter
stock
is
in
the
end-of-season
sale
as
the
weather
gets
warmer.

Some
of
her
items
have
store
labels
and
price
tags
on
them.
This
happens
when
the
clothes
come
from
“broken”
size
ranges
from
retailers.
A
broken
size
range
is
a
collection
in
which
several
sizes
have
sold
out.
The
remaining
items
usually
sell
at
a
reduced
price
and
end
up
in
bales
of
used
clothes
destined
for
Africa.

Imported
used
clothing
sold
in
Zimbabwe
is,
according
to
the
authorities,
brought
into
the
country
illegally
through
the
porous
borders
or
official
border
posts
with
the
collusion
of
customs,
immigration
and
law
enforcement
officials
after
it
is
brought
off
ships
from Europe
and
North
America.

While
it
is
possible
to
apply
for
a
licence
to
bring
used
clothes
into
the
country
for
re-sale,
nobody
does
this
as
it
is
expensive
and
the
import
duties
are
high.

Mutsokoti
buys
her
stock
from
a
“runner”,
who
in
turn
buys
his
stock
in
Zambia.
She
pays
on
delivery
so
she
doesn’t
risk
losing
her
money
if
the
runner
gets
arrested
and
the
clothes
are
impounded.
She
pays
anything
from
$150
to
more
than
$250
for
a
bale
of
clothes,
depending
on
the
quality
of
the
content.
“One
has
a
choice
as
the
bales
are
graded
and
labelled
accordingly.”

Pile
‘em
high,
sell
‘em
low

In
another
part
of
the
city,
the
sprawling
markets
are
busy
in
Mbare,
a
poorer,
working-class
neighbourhood
and
Harare’s
oldest
Black
residential
area,
known
as
Harare
African
Township
during
colonial
times.

Most
of
the
houses
in
the
oldest
parts
of
Mbare
have
fallen
into
disrepair.
The
hostels,
which
were
home
to
single
men
who
worked
in
white-owned
factories
during
colonial
times
and
now
house
families,
are
in
need
of
refurbishment
or
demolition,
but
nothing
has
been
done
about
them
yet.

In
one
of
the
markets
here,
spread
out
in
a
dusty
open
space
between
the
hostels,
business
in
secondhand
clothing
is
brisk.

Most
of
the
selling
takes
place
in
makeshift
sheds
covered
with
plastic
sheeting,
with
some
clothes
laid
out
on
tables
or
displayed
on
hangers.
Mostly,
sellers
pile
the
clothes
on
plastic
sheets
on
the
ground.

Prosper
Matenga,
the
owner
of
a
pile
of
men’s
and
women’s
clothing,
keeps
a
close
eye
as
prospective
customers
rummage
through
it,
some
of
them
trying
on
dresses
out
in
the
open.
His
prices
range
from
$3
to
$10
depending
on
what
a
customer
wants
to
buy
and
its
quality.

He
tells
Al
Jazeera
he
has
been
trading
in
secondhand
clothes,
also
imported
via
a
runner
from
overseas,
since
2018.
“I
couldn’t
find
a
job,
so
I
tried
this.
I
am
happy
I
did
because
I
can
look
after
my
wife
and
child,”
he
says. Like
Mutsokoti,
his
stock
also
comes
from
overseas.

Matenga
says
he
makes
more
than
a
lot
of
people
in
formal
employment.
”In
the
early
days
of
winter,
I
sometimes
made
as
much
as
$1,000
a
day;
now,
it’s
down
to
around
$200,
but
I
am
not
complaining;
I
love
being
my
own
boss.”
By
comparison,
in
Zimbabwe,
civil
servants
earn
about
$350
a
month.

The
low
overheads
are
also
attractive:
“I
don’t
pay
the
city
council
to
sell
here;
I
just
pay
the
guy
who
cleans
this
space
$2
per
day
and
$20
per
week
for
overnight
storage.”
He
shrugs
off
the
notion
of
paying
any
sort
of
vendor
fee
–
mandatory
for
most
legitimate
businesses
–
to
the
city
council
with
a
smile.
None
of
the
street
vendors
selling
from
downtown
Harare’s
pavements,
outside
their
homes
or
from
the
backs
of
their
trucks
or
cars,
pay
a
vendor
fee.

Prices
here
are
not
dissimilar
to
Mutsokoti’s
and
those
charged
by
other
vendors
in
the
more
middle-class
areas.
However,
the
Mbare
market
generally
offers
more
bargains
and
the
emphasis
is
on
durability
rather
than
fashion.
Shouts
of
“Dollar
for
two”
ring
across
the
market;
some
use
bullhorns
to
attract
the
attention
of
potential
customers.

Others
have different
priorities,
however.
Odera
Moyo,
in
his
late
20s,
is
shopping
for
clothes
at
the
Mbare
market
today
but
draws
a
line
at
secondhand
clothes
for
his
child.
“It’s
OK
for
me
and
my
wife
to
wear
used
clothes,
but
I’ll
always
buy
new
stuff
for
my
baby
boy,”
he
says.

Moyo
completed
high
school
nine
years
ago
but
has
never
been
employed
formally
since
then.
“I’d
love
to
have
a
salary,
but
jobs
are
difficult
to
find
because
of
our
country’s
economic
situation.”

Zimbabwe
has
been
facing
economic
challenges,
including
high
unemployment
rates
and
inflation
for
more
than
20
years,
causing
a
cost
of
living
crisis
for
many
people.
Moyo
depends
on
odd
menial
jobs
and
sometimes
buys
clothing
from
the
market
when
the
prices
fall
in
order
to
resell
them
on
the
street
in
areas
where
there
are
no
secondhand
clothes
markets.
“I
watch
the
prices
come
down
to
sometimes
a
dollar
for
four
items
and
then
buy,”
he
explains.

Tough
times
for
retailers

While
consumers
are
clear
winners
due
to
the
explosion
of
the
secondhand
foreign
clothes
market,
the
influx
of
used
clothing
sold
at
low
prices
has
hit
Zimbabwean
clothing
manufacturers
and
retailers.

Bekithemba
Ndebele
is
chief
executive
officer
of
Truworths
Zimbabwe,
a
clothes
retail
chain
founded
in
1957
when
the
country
was
still
a
British
colony
known
as
Rhodesia.

“We
are
competing
against
secondhand
clothing
that
comes
into
the
country
without
any
duties
paid
and,
unlike
bricks-and-mortar
retail
operators,
without
the
overhead
costs
like
occupancy
costs,
rates,
and
rents
because
these
people
are
trading
off
the
street,”
he
tells
Al
Jazeera.

“If
you
compare
the
selling
prices,
the
informal
sector
sells
at
less
than
the
raw
material
cost
–
the
fabric
cost
itself.”

While
the
dysfunctional
economy
has
been
a
major
factor
in
Truworths’s
waning
fortunes,
Ndebele
says
the
popularity
of
used
clothing
has
been
nothing
short
of
a
disaster
for
the
chain,
which
has
three
distinct
chain
brands:
Truworths
Man,
Truworths
Ladies
–
both
of
which
cater
to
the
higher
end
of
the
market
–
and
Number
1.

The
latter
mainly
sold
clothes
in
commercial
farming
areas
before
Zimbabwe’s
fast-track
land
reform
programme
launched
in
2000.

“We
had
to
close
dozens
of
branches
since
thousands
of
farm
workers
lost
their
jobs,”
Ndebele
says.
From
53
branches
at
its
peak,
Number
1
is
now
down
to
a
mere
six.
Over
the
years,
Truworths
has
closed
all
but
34
of
the
101
stores
it
operated
in
the
late
1990s.

The
difficulties
also
affected
Truworths’s
manufacturing
division,
Harare-based
Bravette,
which
was
forced
to
reduce
its
250-person
workforce
to
80
to
cut
costs.

Issues
such
as
high
unemployment,
mass
emigration
of
skilled
people
to
countries
like
South
Africa,
Botswana,
Australia, the
United
States and
the
United
Kingdom;
hyperinflation;
and
Zimbabwe’s
decades-long
general
economic
malaise
have
also
contributed
to
the
industry’s
downturn.

A
few
weeks
after
Al
Jazeera
interviewed
Ndebele,
Truworths
filed
for
bankruptcy
protection.
He
declined
to
speak
to
Al
Jazeera
again
about
the
reasons
for
this.

‘Sticking
a
bandage
on
a
festering
wound’

Currency
instability
has
also
been
a
significant
problem
for
struggling
businesses.
In
April,
Zimbabwe’s
central
bank
introduced
a
new
currency
called
the
Zimbabwe
gold
or
ZiG
to
rein
in
hyperinflation
and
currency
instability.
It
is
the
sixth
local
currency
used
since
the
2009
collapse
of
the
Zimbabwe
dollar
when
hyperinflation
hit
231
million
percent
before
the
government
stopped
measuring
it.

The
ZiG,
which
the
government
says
is
backed
by
gold
reserves,
foreign
currencies
and
precious
metals,
held
steady
against
major
currencies,
such
as
the
US
dollar
which
is
used
in
some
90
percent
of
transactions
in
the
country,
for
a
few
weeks
but
has
rapidly
lost
its
value
against
the
major
currencies
over
the
past
several
weeks
on
the
parallel
or
so-called
black
market.

This
stokes
inflation,
which
was
officially
recorded
at
1.4
percent
in
August.
With
prices
rising
still,
the
September
figure
is
expected
to
be
higher.

However,
some
experts
believe
inflation
is
already
much
higher
than
this.
Johns
Hopkins
economics
professor
Steve
Hanke
argues
the
government
is
massaging
the
real
inflation
figure.
He
claims
the
real
rate
is
894
percent,
the
highest
in
the
world.

The
government
has
dismissed
Hanke’s
method
of
calculating
inflation
as
misleading.
The
South
African
rand,
the
Botswana
pula,
and
the
British
pound
are
also
currencies
within
the
“multi-currency
basket”
that
are
legal
tender
in
Zimbabwe.

Some
economists
predicted
the
ZiG
would
follow
its
five
predecessors
into
the
dustbin
and
likened
the
introduction
of
the
ZiG
to
sticking
a
bandage
onto
a
festering
wound.

Among
them
was
Gift
Mugano
of
the
Durban
University
of
Technology,
who
was
pilloried
by
some
government
officials
for
warning
the
ZiG
would
fail,
but
now
feels
vindicated.
He
told
Al
Jazeera
that
a
lack
of
competitiveness
is
among
a
litany
of
reasons
that
all
these
iterations
of
Zimbabwean
currency
have
failed.
“Zimbabwe
is
not
competitive
in
terms
of
production
at
this
time.
We
have
had
a
drought
of
production
over
the
last
two
decades.”

He
noted
that
Zimbabwe’s over-reliance
on
imports
has
“destroyed”
local
manufacturing,
not
just
the
clothing
and
textile
sectors.

Second
to
the
lack
of
competitiveness,
Mugano
said,
is
the
issue
of
confidence.
“People
don’t
trust
the
local
currency,
and
they’d
rather
have
US
dollars
whose
value
is
predictable.
This
raises
the
demand
for
the
greenback,
putting
pressure
on
the
local
currency,”
he
said.
The
government
itself
demands
payment
for
passports
in
US
dollars.
Fuel
is
also
sold
in
dollars.

One
of
Truworths’s
major
selling
points
was
offering
pay-as-you-wear
credit
to
its
customers,
whereby
they
pay
off
whatever
they
bought
over
an
agreed
period.

However,
with
Zimbabwe’s
economy
on
a
downward
trend
and
an
estimated
80
percent
of
Zimbabweans
not
formally
employed,
the
pool
of
eligible
customers
for
this
has
shrunk
since
only
those
employed
officially
and
paid
in
US
dollars
qualify
for
the
credit.

‘They
have
reduced
the
country
to
a
supermarket’

Other
clothing
companies
have
been
similarly
affected.
Energy
Deshe
is
the
General
Manager
of
Kingsport
Investments,
a
company
specialising
in
manufacturing
protective
clothing,
promotional
wear,
corporate
clothing,
screen
printing,
and
embroidery.

He
is
also
the
vice
chairman
of
the
Zimbabwe
Clothing
Manufacturing
Association.
He
shares
Ndebele’s
exasperation
about illegal
imports and
laments
the
lack
of
action
from
the
authorities.
“The
clothes
are
brought
into
the
country
illegally;
by
allowing
their
open
sale,
it
seems
the
authorities
have
given
the
green
light
to
the
traders
to
do
what
they
want,”
he
said.

The
impact
has
taken
a
massive
toll
on
jobs
in
the
sector,
he
said.
“It
currently
employs
just
over
4,000
people,
down
from
more
than
30,000
at
its
peak
around
2001.”

Those
who
do
operate
within
the
law,
he
said,
are
effectively
punished
for
doing
so
via
relatively
high
labour
costs,
taxes,
and
the
cost
of
applying
for
licences.
“We
just
can’t
compete
with
these
clothes
dumped
into
the
country.
They
have
reduced
the
country
to
a
supermarket.”

Kingsport,
which
employed
700
people
at
the
end
of
2022,
has
been
forced
to
scale
down
to
400
employees
since
then.
While
exports
could
boost
earnings,
he
says
government
regulations
act
as
a
disincentive.
“The
government
deducts
25
percent
of
whatever
we’ll
have
earned
from
exports
in
US
dollars
and
pays
us
the
equivalent
in
local
currency.”
This
refers
to
the
requirement
by
the
Central
Bank
that
Zimbabwean
exporters
convert
at
least
25
percent
of
foreign
earnings
into
local
currency
at
the
official
exchange
rate,
which
is
significantly
higher
than
the
more
widely
used
black
market
rates.
Businesses
say
this
leads
to
losses
for
them.

Being
required
to
pay
taxes
in
US
dollars,
facing
difficulties
with
importing
raw
materials,
new
machinery
or
spare
parts,
and
an
erratic
power
supply
all
present
additional
obstacles
for
manufacturers
in
Zimbabwe.

In
2015,
Zimbabwe banned
imports of
secondhand
clothes
for
resale
in
an
attempt
to
boost
the
clothing
manufacturing
sector.
However,
the
government
relented
to
pressure
from
people
dealing
in
used
clothes
and
introduced
new
import
taxes
on
used
clothing
instead
in
2017.
Furthermore,
anyone
wanting
to
import
preloved
clothes
is
required
to
apply
for
a
licence
to
do
so.

A
customs
official
who
spoke
to
Al
Jazeera
on
condition
of
anonymity
as
he
is
not
authorised
to
talk
to
the
media
said
importers
are
not
inclined
to
obtain
a
licence
as
a
“punitive”
customs
duty
of
$5
per
kilogram
plus
15
percent
tax
is
then
charged
on
those
imports.

“If
anybody
pays
those
extra
charges
on
secondhand
clothes,
it
would
not
be
viable,”
he
concluded.
In
any
event,
he
said,
the
department
has
no
record
of
any
duty
being
paid
on
used
clothes
bales.

While
the
police
do
sporadically
intercept
trucks
with
bales
of
secondhand
clothes,
he
said,
“It
seems
it’s
not
enough.

“Every
once
in
a
while,
the
police
call
us
to
say
they
have
intercepted
a
truckload
of
secondhand
bales,
but
judging
by
the
amount
of
clothes
on
the
street,
it’s
clear
most
of
the
bales
get
through.”

When
Al
Jazeera
contacted
the
Ministry
of
Industry
and
Commerce
department
that
issues
import
licences,
an
official
there
said
that
the
department
had
not
issued
a
single
licence
for
the
import
of
secondhand
clothes.

Zimbabwe
Republic
Police
spokesperson
Commissioner
Paul
Nyathi
confirmed
that
the
smuggling
of
secondhand
clothes
into
the
country
is
common.
“We
have
an
ongoing
operation
against
smuggling
which
includes
used
clothing;
we
have
recovered
bales
of
clothing,
which
we
have
surrendered
to
the
customs
department,”
he
told
Al
Jazeera.

He
added
that
the
police
had
arrested
some
customs,
immigration
and
law
enforcement
officers
for
working
with
the
smugglers.

Despite
all
that,
the
secondhand
clothes
trade
continues
to
flourish
in
Zimbabwe,
with
some
sellers
openly
advertising
on
social
media,
where
their
phone
numbers
and
addresses
are
clearly
on
display.

‘We’d
buy
local
–
if
the
price
was
right’

Some
countries
in
Africa have
banned the
import
of
used
clothing
altogether.
“We
can
learn
something
from
Uganda
and
Rwanda,
who
enforce
bans
on
used
clothing,”
said
Kingsport’s
Deshe.
“Their
textile
and
clothing
industries
are
flourishing.”

Clothes
designer
Joyce
Chimanye,
who
worked
for
various
clothes
manufacturers
before
launching
her
own
brand
of
clothing
named
Zuvva,
said
she
believes
enforcing
the
law
and
changing
government
policy
could
revive
the
ailing
clothes
retail
and
manufacturing
sectors.

Before
the
secondhand
clothing
craze,
she
said,
“There
was
a
very
high
level
of
domestic
apparel
consumption,
and
the
manufacturing
sector
was
vibrant;
the
factories
exported
clothes
for
brands
such
as
Littlewood,
JCPenney,
Gap,
Levis
and
Banana
Republic”.
But
that
was
before
the
country’s
economic
woes
took
hold
and
many
have
since
shut
up
shop.

Chimanye
said
she
believes
Zimbabwe
could
learn
from
Bangladesh,
which
implemented
market-oriented
policies,
including
industry
privatisation
and
trade
liberalisation
in
the
1980s,
to
become
the
second-largest
garment-producing
country
in
the
world.

According
to
data
from
the
Bangladeshi
Export
Promotion
Bureau,
the
county’s
textile
and
garment
industry
now
employs
more
than
4
million
people.

While
the
customers
of
preloved
clothing
that
Al
Jazeera
spoke
to
are
happy
with the
low
prices,
the
quality,
and
the
variety
of
used
clothes
they
have
access
to,
they
said
they
would
also
be
happy
to
buy
locally
manufactured
clothes
on
condition
that
the
cost
and
quality
are
right.

“We’d
buy
local
clothes
if
the
prices,
quality,
and
variety
are
addressed,”
Kimberley
Dube
says.