Staff Reporter

Government is preparing to overhaul its legal framework to introduce tougher, more prohibitive penalties for smuggling and tax evasion in a bold effort to protect local industries and stabilise the economy.

This renewed crackdown was revealed by the Permanent Secretary for Presidential Affairs and Devolution in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Engineer Tafadzwa Muguti, during an interview with the media yesterday.

He confirmed that Government raids, inspections at border posts, and arrests will intensify, and a new legislative agenda is on the cards to categorise smuggling as one of the most serious economic crimes.

“The raids will continue, the inspections at all border posts will continue, and the arrests will continue. We are now going to be also looking into the legislative agenda to ensure that smuggling is one of the greatest crimes of tax evasion in this country. We need a national law that we put in place so that people who are smugglers actually see jail time. We need to protect the economy; we need to protect our currency,” said Engineer Muguti.

Smuggled goods continue to flood the local market, undercutting formal businesses and weakening domestic manufacturing.

Engineer Muguti said the tough measures already in place are beginning to yield results.

“For the first time in as much as 10 years, we did not see a leap of the currency on the black market. We actually saw stability in both the black market and the formal market in February, and we have been stable since. One of the reasons why we were so strong on anti-smuggling is that we need to start promoting our local industries. We cannot afford to sabotage our local industries,” he explained.

Government has already set up an anti-smuggling task taskforce, which works in collaboration with law enforcement agencies to monitor border activity and apprehend offenders.

In addition, public awareness campaigns have been launched to educate citizens about the damaging effects of smuggling on job creation, economic growth, and national revenue.

As Zimbabwe continues its push for economic recovery and industrialisation, officials believe that stemming the tide of smuggling is key to safeguarding the country’s economic sovereignty.