The Sunday Mail
Sunday Mail Reporter
More than 250 bales of second-hand clothes have been recovered since the start of the year as police intensify efforts to curb smuggling of cheap garments.
Police have said that they will step up the blitz against second-hand clothes by targeting flea markets.
Speaking to The Sunday Mail last week, National Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said; “From January 2 to date, the ZRP have recovered 257 bales of second hand clothing. Some of the clothes were recovered in Marange, Chipinge and Chikombedzi. We are warning those involved in smuggling of these clothes that police are carrying out operations and we are even going to target the flea markets which sell these second hand clothes.”
Snr Asst Comm Charamba said police recovered 136 bales of clothes in Marange, Manicaland province after a truck driver transporting the used attire dramatically jumped out of the vehicle and fled when he was stopped by law enforcement agents.
“On January 2, 2016 at about 2000hrs, police received a tip-off that some bales of clothes were going to be smuggled through Forbes Border Post and via the Himalaya area en route to Harare.
“Our officers laid an ambush and after some time, two lorries arrived at the ambush site. The police officers tried to stop the vehicles but the drivers did not comply.
“One shot was fired at the front tyre of one of the vehicles causing it to veer off the road. The other vehicle then sped off, while the driver of the FAW truck jumped out the vehicle and sped-off, disappearing into the dark,” she said.
Snr Asst Comm Charamba said as well as the 136 bales of clothing in the truck, police also found a national identity card and driver’s license belonging to William Kanoyangangwa of Mutsahuni Village, Chief Makoni in Rusape.
On January 6, police recovered 30 bales of clothes in Malipati and arrested Jaison Banda of Shonhayi Village under Chief Handizvihwi, and Pius Kudakwashe Zinyonia of 2 Tekeshe Road, Rutendo Kwekwe.
Another 91 bales were recovered in Chipinge. Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa announced the ban on second-hand clothes in the Mid-Term Fiscal Policy Review Statement last year as part of measures to promote the local textiles industry.
