(Last Updated on April 3, 2021 by GERALD NCUBE)
HARARE – Government has moved to restrict the importation of second-hand vehicles through the gazetted Statutory Instrument which came into effect on Friday.
The new restrictions put into effect the measures proposed by Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube in his 2021 Budget proposal, with citizens now requiring a special permit to import second-hand vehicles over 10 years old
“Second-hand motor vehicles aged ten (10) years and above, from the date of manufacture at the time of importation shall require an import license from the ministry of industry and commerce,” read part of the SI published in the government gazette.
However, the SI exempted commercial vehicles such as tractors, haulage trucks, earth moving equipment and other specialized vehicles used in the mining and construction sectors.
The new measures will come as a big blow to the general public who have for years relied on importing cheap second-hand vehicles from the United Kingdom and Japan mainly, with the local industry not able to meet the demand and out of reach for many due to exorbitant prices.
Professor Ncube proposed these new measures in this year’s budget presentation, arguing that the country was spending too much on importing vehicles.
However, analysts have argued that the country needs to first deal with the local industry capacity before imposing such policies.