Caught between a Rock and hard Place: Zim Cross-border Traders in Zambia

By Mutinta Himunyanga

Zimbabwean Cross-border traders find themselves caught between a rock and hard place as they allegedly face extortion from the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) Carders and waves of anti-Mugabe protest back home in Harare.

PF Carders at Lusaka’s largest bus station Intercity Bus Terminal are collecting levies from Zimbabwean cross border traders, who come into Zambia with small commodities such as sweets, perfumes, and Mazoe juice.

The carders have taken control of the station and it is women and men dressed in PF regalia who you see collecting the so called levy.

The cross border traders are threatened to be chased out of the station or have their commodities taken away if they did not pay the K5.00 (US$.50) per day. This figure looks small but is very significant in Africa where the majority of families are estimated to live on less than US$1.25/day by the UN.

During the run-up to the August 11 general elections the bus stations and markets have been heavily politicized, with those supporting the opposition were being beaten and had their shops broken into.

The cross border traders are made to pay for selling on the streets (open places) and yet Zambians go around selling freely.

The levies must only be collected by the local government authority who in this case is the Lusaka City Council. And levy is collected from someone at a market or station who has been allocated a stand or a shop.

Lusaka City Council Public Relations Officer, Chanda Makanta said street vending is illegal and that the local authority has time and again tried to remove all street vendors but it’s been a challenge because they are not cooperative and keep coming back on the streets.

Makanta said the council is the only authority that is charged with the duty of collecting levy from markets and that this goes towards the maintenance of the markets and bus stations.

The cross border traders prefer to sell at the station because of the traffic of people who go through this station every day.

The traders interviewed said, they bring in the small commodities as a way for them to earn some little money to keep them going during the 2-3 days that they spend going around Lusaka’s popular markets Kamwala and COMESA buying items that they late resell in Zimbabwe.

Sihle Moyo (Not real name), said the money she gets from selling these sweets and Biscuits is what goes towards her food during the 3-4 days that she spends going around COMESA market getting items that she resells in Zimbabwe.

She added that some cross border traders bring in the small commodities also to keep them going for the period that they will take to find orders or companies that they can supply to in Zambia.

Moyo added that some cross border traders bring in work suits which they supply to Indian shops and the Indians ask them to come and collect their payment after 2-3 days and the small commodities is where they get their food money from.

Moyo also said that the PF carders also demand payment from Zimbabwean that sleep at the station as a result of not been able to afford some decent accommodation.

“For sleeping just out here on the open we are made to pay K3.00 ($0.30 cents),” said Moyo.

Moyo added that the economic hardship in Zimbabwe is what has forced many Zimbabwe to go into cross border trading.

And another trader Charity Mhlanga (Not real name) said, the money that they are making from the cross border trading is what keeps their families and sends their children to school.

Mhlanga was quick to note that the situation in Zimbabwe has worsened and banks have gone as far as imposing withdrawal limits.

She added that most civil servants are only allowed to withdraw $100.00 per day and this has created a lot of challenges.

Mhlanga said what she makes as profit from buying and reselling is very little and that it sometimes takes her 3 months to collect all the money for an item that she sold for as little as $30.00.

However, she believes that what she is doing is far better than just staying at home.  “With the way things are in Zimbabwe, the riots that are spreading across the country am very uncomfortable in putting my money in the bank and this is something that has happened before in Zimbabwe people woke up and all their money was gone,” said Mhlanga

Asked if she felt threatened by the PF carders and the political situation in Zambia, Mhlanga said even if she does get threatened it does not change anything as the problems in Zimbabwe seem far worse.

“If I was in Zimbabwe, I would never speak to a journalist and I would not easily believe that one is a journalist, I would suspect you are from the intelligence office, we have lost most of our family members, people are been killed and no answers are given to the families,” said Mhlanga.

Meanwhile, Happiness Mukanya (Not real Name) challenged President Robert Mugabe’s government to quickly address the problems that Zimbabwe is facing.

Mukanya noted that denying that there is a problem will not solve the political and economic problems. She noted that Zimbabwe is going back to 2008 when there were no commodities in the shops and Zimbabweans were forced to get everything from the neighbouring countries.

Mukanya said she hopes teachers will not go on strike as this will affect pupils.

“Am busy suffering and doing all this because I want my son who is now in form 4 to finish his school, I only hope teachers do not strike when schools open this September,” said Mukanya.