Zimbabwe shippers blame
manpower shortage for
customs delays
Zimbabwe's director of customs, Ranga Munyaradzi, continues to assert that Operation BhadariÑmore rigorous inspection of imports Ñ has greatly reduced smuggling.
While refusing to divulge details, the director says: We have come across startling discoveries. Traders have not been coming forward to clear their goods, thinking that we will relax. It is still going on and it will live on. Munyaradzi says there is a maximum of three months to clear containers.
I appeal to all importers to clear their goods before they are auctioned. Customs staff work seven days a week.
The director's remarks appear to be an attempt to explain the huge build-up of uncleared containers at the two depots in Harare, Manica and Bak Storage. This was made worse by the closure of the Bak depot because of food riots in Harare.
Shippers take a very different view, saying that the backlog is largely due to the closure of the railways' Lochon depot. Said one international company, which refused to be named because of possible victimisation by the Department of Customs: There are uncleared containers, but they are being brought in by individuals and companies that no-one has ever heard of. All the established organisations are clamouring to clear theirs as quickly as possible, because of nervousness over the way the Zimbabwe dollar is going.
The simple fact is that it takes days and days, because there are not enough
customs officers to do the inspections. But trying to
get any cooperation from
the department is, well, like trying to turn water into wine.
The Shipping and Forwarding Agents Association of Zimbabwe said recently that there are serious delays, which are affecting the whole industry.
By Martin Rushmere
