At a time, the nation is still reeling from the new tax regimes that are a product of the 2024 national budget presentation, more misery was in store, with the gazetting of the new toll fees, AND the clandestine addition of a new tollgate just before Chivhu and another one between Harare and Marondera!
These measures, coupled with the increase in toll fees on both highways, that were designated as ‘Premium Roads’, will have a devastating effect on our membership, as it will lead to increases in transport costs. It should be borne in mind that Chivhu lies on the gateway to Zimbabwe’s main trading partner, South Africa, whilst the Harare-Mutare highway is equally the gateway to Mozambique, where many informal traders procure goods, and the link to farming communities from where small-scale farmers commute to farming markets in Harare. As a result of these additional costs, inevitably traders will be forced to pass these on to consumers, resulting in price increases, it’s a vicious circle! What makes these toll increases unpalatable to stomach, is that government officials, members of parliament, and other unspecifiable entities are exempt from paying toll gate fees. Further, particularly with the onset of the rainy season, the state of road infrastructure is appalling, fuelling suspicions that these fees are being misappropriated, as has been disclosed in the past from the Zimbabwe National Road Authority (ZINARA).
All these issues could not have come at a worst time, as consumers are battling to recover from the most miserable festive season ever, back to school, price increases on basic commodities such as meat and bread, and a more restrictive operating environment for traders, again on the back of the measures implemented from the national budget.
Our appeal to government as Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET) is that in case they didn’t get the memo, people are suffering and barely surviving! If indeed ‘leaving no one behind’ is to be a reality, then it is time to show compassion and alleviate the suffering of the majority through creating a conducive environment, not just for the foreign companies, but for even the ordinary trader, so they can scale up their operations, and be able to equally create more employment. Only through that will we be able to get to the national aspiration of being a middle-income economy!
