Source: The Herald – Breaking news
Thupeyo Muleya-Beitbridge Bureau
THE Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) has committed a total of US$2,4 million for the acquisition of high-tech equipment to enhance security at the country’s ports of entry as a way of curbing leakages and maximising its revenue collection capacity.
It is understood that the country is losing millions of dollars to smuggling rackets which either import or export goods via illegal crossing points and even formal borders evading the payment of duty or export levies.
The Herald understands that the revenue collector is also boosting its mobile cargo scanning hardware at busy borders including Beitbridge.
Zimra’s corporate affairs executive, Mr Gladman Njanji yesterday said the organisation was spearheading a Government Project involving the acquisition of a drone surveillance system to monitor smuggling activities at major border posts along the borderline.
“The hardware for the system which includes the drones and associated equipment will be acquired at a cost of US$2,4 million to cover all the major border posts and the borderline,” said Mr Njanji.
“The drones project will be implemented by ZIMRA together with other law enforcement agents and stakeholders that are responsible for the security of the border posts and the borderline.
He said the implementation of the anti-smuggling drones surveillance will result in the; increased revenue inflows, and the improvement in compliance levels.
Through the program, Mr Njanji said they were looking at boosting day and night surveillance and reconnaissance to gather information and intelligence on criminals activities.
He added that in the long term, the initiative would reduce illicit trade and use of illegal crossing points.
“We are not relenting in our quest to increase border security and building capacity on our ability to operate in all terrain and under extreme weather conditions,” said Mr Njanji.
A raft of measures is also being rolled out countrywide with the view of reducing corruption and illegal trade activities. We want to enhance transparency and accountability.
In addition, there is a strong need for the creation of a fair and level playing field for the business sector by stopping and suffocating syndicates.
He said in some instances the local industry was being affected by the flooding of the markets with smuggled products and hence the Government was moving to restore sanity.
Where local production is increased, he said there was a likelihood of an increase in the volume of legal business activities and creation of employment.
Mr Njanji said they were also concerned with the peoples exposure to undesirable and harmful products, which in some instances was related to increased drugs abuse.
During a recent visit to Beitbridge with the national security working group, Defence Minister, Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said the tightening of security along the country’s border with South Africa had helped to build the capacity of the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) to collect more revenue from imports and export going through the Beitbridge Border Post.
She said more patrol vehicles, material and human resources was gradually being dispatched.
Revenue collections in 2022, the minister said had improved drastically by 8 percent in July, 11 percent in August and 38 percent in September as more people are now using the border post.
“We have had feedback from Zimra and other stakeholders that their capacity has of late improved as security and defence members continue to suffocate criminal at the main border and border flanks,” said the Minister.
“You will note that, our members have been doing their best to curb crime in that area and we will continue to come up with strategies on how best to use technology to assist us in the good work that is being carried by security and defence forces.
“We understand there also some very serious issues that we need to assist them with especially on the deployment of more patrol vehicles, fuel and allowance for those deployed to the border front.”
She said the security along the border had been improved following zero tolerance to cross borer crimes.
Such a move, the minister said had ensured that people use designated border control areas and that the volume of commercial traffic had peaked from 200 during the Covid-19 era to 900 daily.
This benefits Government in terms of revenue collection to fund its commitments and obligations.
Zimra’s Commissioner for Customs and Excise, Mr Batsirai Chadzingwa said recently that the separation of traffic, automation of the border and upgrading of security was paying dividends.
He said they were making use of sniffer dogs, baggage scanners mobile cargo scanners to detect contraband.
Mr Chadzingwa said they were scanning 33 percent of imports and 43 percent of exports through the Beitbridge Border Post.
Zimra was at an advanced stage and expecting delivery of two new fast commercial cargo scanners with the capacity to scan 120 commercial trucks per hour tentatively in the first quarter of 2023.
“At least 70 percent of incoming traffic is cleared with three hours unlike before the border upgrade where this will go beyond 24 hours. As for the buses we are clearing 40 to 50 daily going either way of the border,” he said.
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