Nightmares of cross border traders
Zimbabwe Cross Border traders are stripped and violated at borders every time they leave to trade with other countries such as Zambia, Mozambique or South Africa as a standard requirement to ensure that they adhere to the requirement of only having 2 million Zimbabwean Dollars.
This is a sad but harsh reality of the many dilemmas CBT go through. Tendayi Jiri is 51 years old. She is a single mother of two and supports her family through the same.
Tendayi complained of the random nudity checks.
‘When we give them out passports, the next procedure is going through a toilet were a female police woman asks you to take off all your clothes and forces you to insert your finger into your vagina to check if you are not hiding any other money other than that which is stipulated,’ Tendayi narrates.
This is purely an act of human dignity violation and has lead to many women stopping the business and therefore contributing to the growing poverty levels in the country.
Another restricting factor to cross border trade are the currency exchange rate fluctuations and the ever increasing bus fares from Zimbabwe.
Anilliah Masaraure aged 46 has been a CBT since 1984. through her business she has managed to support 10 dependants under her roof as a widow. She travels to Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia and South Africa.
Anilliah complained over the currency acquirement procedures and the lack of foreign money in the country.
‘I travel to Mozambique to buy Rice and Beans, corruption is rampant there and it is perpetuated by the immigration officers due to the stringent money requirements and the absurd laws when applying for a double entry Visa, they say one has to carry a letter from an Organization, but they forget that most of us are individuals trying to survive,’ narrates Anilliah.
The Immigration Department seems to be on an urgent campaign to deter the trade. Traders have to have at least 1000 Rands for Visa fees and one has to apply for traveler’s cheques and the Bank charges 500,000 Zimbabwe Dollars for the Bank to process the request when traveling to South Africa.
The SASF gathering should ways of facilitating for the change of such laws that only promote poverty, corruption, fraud and human rights abuses. The Social forum gathering should from here provide alternatives for making another world possible.
Zimbabwe Cross Border traders are stripped and violated at borders every time they leave to trade with other countries such as Zambia, Mozambique or South Africa as a standard requirement to ensure that they adhere to the requirement of only having 2 million Zimbabwean Dollars.
This is a sad but harsh reality of the many dilemmas CBT go through. Tendayi Jiri is 51 years old. She is a single mother of two and supports her family through the same.
Tendayi complained of the random nudity checks.
‘When we give them out passports, the next procedure is going through a toilet were a female police woman asks you to take off all your clothes and forces you to insert your finger into your vagina to check if you are not hiding any other money other than that which is stipulated,’ Tendayi narrates.
This is purely an act of human dignity violation and has lead to many women stopping the business and therefore contributing to the growing poverty levels in the country.
Another restricting factor to cross border trade are the currency exchange rate fluctuations and the ever increasing bus fares from Zimbabwe.
Anilliah Masaraure aged 46 has been a CBT since 1984. through her business she has managed to support 10 dependants under her roof as a widow. She travels to Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia and South Africa.
Anilliah complained over the currency acquirement procedures and the lack of foreign money in the country.
‘I travel to Mozambique to buy Rice and Beans, corruption is rampant there and it is perpetuated by the immigration officers due to the stringent money requirements and the absurd laws when applying for a double entry Visa, they say one has to carry a letter from an Organization, but they forget that most of us are individuals trying to survive,’ narrates Anilliah.
The Immigration Department seems to be on an urgent campaign to deter the trade. Traders have to have at least 1000 Rands for Visa fees and one has to apply for traveler’s cheques and the Bank charges 500,000 Zimbabwe Dollars for the Bank to process the request when traveling to South Africa.
The SASF gathering should ways of facilitating for the change of such laws that only promote poverty, corruption, fraud and human rights abuses. The Social forum gathering should from here provide alternatives for making another world possible.
posted by Olivia Phiri at 2:13 AM
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