ZIMBABWEANS EXPRESS DISGUST ON IMPORTS BAN

I've seen a rich man beg,
I've seen a good man sin,
I've seen a tough man cry.
I've seen a loser win and a sad man grin.
I heard an honest man lie.
I've seen the good side of bad
and the down side of up and everything between.
I pray you never had to walk a mile in these shoes.
'Cos then you really might know what it's like.
36 years of suffering that outweighs my happiness.
by X.Sithole 2016

WE went on Facebook checking how Zimbabweans reacted to the ban of imports. Surely THE PEOPLE are not happy. We wish to apologise to those quoted if they didn't mean what they wrote but we found their words valuable.

"So the Zimbabwe Government has banned importation of cremora baked beans, camphor cream, maheu and mineral water amongst other basic commodities? ah! scary signs of crises times ahead. He who has an eye, let him perceive the signs of the TIME and be prepared."- Prince Khumbulani Malinga (Public Speakers Hub International)

"This stupid ban on food is a direct attack on people from Matabeleland who get their food in times of drought like these from South Africa. Legal experts can advise on challenging this Statutory 64 of 2016". Michael Mdladla Ndiweni (Human Rights Activist -Bulawayo)

"A sip from the cup of power makes them get drunk forever. They will deny that a zebra is black and white,they paint the sky with a purple colour and they will tell you a down slide of 36 years is temporary"-Xolani Sithole ( A media and promotions Cadre based in South Africa)

"Flip-flop, Flip-flop ...

Just a few days ago, the regime went into the archives and excavated an old Rhodesian law (Control of Goods Regulations) made by Ian Smith, yes, Ian Douglas Smith back in 1974. He was responding to his own set of sanctions after declaring UDI 9 years earlier.

Smith's successor, President Mugabe used it last week (36 years after independence and 42 years after it was first enacted) to enact a statutory instrument (SI 64 of 2016) with the intention of effectively banning the importation of certain goods unless one has a permit. Without prior notice, they started implementing it on Saturday, but it was met with some severe resistance by travellers and traders at Beitbridge border post.

It's a desperate measure, one made ostensibly with the intention of promoting locally produced goods. But the horses have already bolted, industry in Zimbabwe is struggling, dead even in some cases, and it's capacity to meet demand is severely limited. Of course those with power to issue licences were rubbing their hands with glee - yet another rent-seeking opportunity and besides, we all know who would get licences to import scarce goods anyway. And there would be huge opportunities for smuggling cheap goods and a parallel market would likely flourish, the the joy of profiteering politically-connected persons. It's an idea that sounds good but an ill-thought-out idea in the circumstances.

But just a couple of days into implementation, the regime has suspended the new SI. Maybe someone was not comfortable with the colonial surname it carried. They were so hasty that one page of the SI had the wrong heading - it was headed "Constitutional Court Rules"! No proof-reading but more likely not much thought invested beforehand, anyway.

So there we have it, the regime and its apologists are always accusing others of flip-flopping, but here they are demonstrating they are flip-flippers-in-chief. This, after the indigenisation policy, in respect of which they they have flip-flopped a number of times they are probably not sure where they are right now." Alex Magaisa ( A Legal Expert- www.alexmagaisa.com )