Stop smuggling, economic sabotage

EDITOR - It is election time again and the old enemy-sponsored and crafted script is playing again. Suddenly there is a dubious exchange rate, devilish price increases and artificial commodity shortages.

The desired end is a collapsed economy, extended hardships and a revolt against the ruling revolutionary party. Surprising, the main actors in this whole regime change agenda are Zimbabweans themselves, with the sponsors in the background.

So we destroy our country first so that we can rebuild it after our preferred Government comes in power.

They did it in Iraq, Libya and Syria. Is this what we want to happen to our country? What happened to smart, convincing politics, where brains, policies, and informed discourses win the day for aspiring candidates?

Unfortunately, for all who were or are part of this corrupt, dirt and devilish plan, this time it will not work and the response by Government to this madness has been drastic and assertive. Do it and go to jail.

I believe the mandatory 10 years is lenient. Corruption and economic sabotage should be treated like rape or murder. This reminds me of another vice that is destroying our economy - smuggling.

All smugglers and their accomplices must be rounded up. Nations across the world are suf- fering serious economic prejudice due to illegal importation or exportation of commodities, either through illegal entry points across borders or at border posts, with perpetrators of this act allegedly working in cahoots with border control officials.

Zimbabwe has not been spared of this illegal and costly activity and both legal and illegal crossing points have been used for different commodities.

Cigarettes, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, second-hand clothes bales, skin lightening creams and other foodstuffs are some of the products which are being smuggled across borders.

While we cannot dispute the fact that our economy is not at its best, it is not in the best interest of the same economy to allow illegal activities such as smuggling to continue unchecked because in the long run it will do great damage to the same economy we are trying to fix.

You cannot correct a wrong by doing another wrong. No wonder why recently a Mutare magistrate, Ms Perseverance Makala, lamented the prevalence of cases of smuggling and called for stiffer penalties for all those caught on the wrong side of the law.

As a responsible citizen, I cannot agree more than her because smuggling is a serious crime which prejudices the state of millions of dollars if not billions every year.

Following Ms Makala’s call for stiffer penalties, the nation is happy to note that Mutare provincial magistrate, Mr Tendai Mahwe took a cue from her and sentenced four Harare men who were arrested for smuggling 416 bales of second-hand clothing worth $145 000 to two years imprisonment.

I think this is a step in the right direction in terms of applying the law to curb this economic sabotage activity.

While the courts are playing their part, the nation also calls upon law-enforcement agencies to resist the temptation to spare some well-known smugglers, some of whom are resident in this city for whatever reason.

Some of these smugglers have become so arrogant and big-headed. They threaten anyone and everyone who dares challenge them or stand in their way. They don’t observe speed limits, they don’t give way and they cause several accidents.

Something has to be done as soon as possible. Fuel is being smuggled into the country, both through legal and illegal entry points, and last year a truck loaded with fuel from Burma Valley crushed into a river and caught fire, killing all its occupants.

The list is long of the negative outcomes of these illegal activities and the sooner authorities take a firm action to eradicate this, the better, lest we find ourselves going round a vicious circle.

Shame Isaki, Mutare