Zimra, ZNA importing low quality uniforms from China

Published: 12 March 2014

The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) and Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) are reportedly importing low quality camouflages and corporate wear respectively from China, snubbing local manufacturers who can produce better quality, Parliament heard Wednesday.

Zimbabwe Clothing Manufacturers Association (ZCMA) president Jeremy Youmans told parliamentarians that he was hurt to see ZIMRA personnel clad in low quality corporate wear that could probably be done better locally.

He said local clothing manufacturers were losing close to $120 million annually through imports and procurement prejudices.

"This is a lot of money, if given to local manufacturers it could assist local companies and increase revenue collections," he said.

Kingfisher Prints managing director and Zimbabwe Textiles Manufacturers Association (ZITMA) member Deon Dunsham made shocking revelations that the national army had at least three camouflaged types of uniforms, all imported.

"You might think that the country has three different army departments, yet it is one force with three different garments used to make the camouflage," he said.

Dunsham said the State Procurement Board (SPB) should lead the way in procuring locally, and to champion the cause for local clothing companies to clothe the country, in order to revive the whole textile to clothing industry value chain.

"Government needs to create a market for the whole value chain. We need the SPB to buy from local companies instead of imports.

"We can do better quality uniforms than what is being imported by the army and ZIMRA. Though we are making inroads with the army, they had previously indicated to us that only David Whitehead had the capacity to produce.

"But we are observing that the army has over three makes of camouflages. We have state of the art machinery to produce that camouflage in its original colour, but we can't get the job.

"If local companies get at least 40% of what government departments consume annually, it would provide a better market for our products and help strengthen our cash flows," he said.

Dunsham appealed to government to suspend duty on key raw materials that are not manufactured in the country like dyes. He also implored government to increase duty tariffs on all products that are manufactured in the country to ring fence the industry from unfair competition from imports from the region and abroad.
- zimmail