ZIMBABWE is yet to receive 114 000 tonnes of maize it ordered from Zambia despite paying US$28 million in December. This forced government to pay another US$18 million to South Africa for the importation of a consignment of maize estimated to be between 100 000 and 130 000 tonnes for the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) to boost the country’s low maize stocks.
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon Gono told President Robert Mugabe at a function last Saturday that the country would not have imported maize from South Africa had Zambia delivered the consignment on time.
“We paid US$28 million for the importation of 150 000 tonnes of additional maize from Zambia. Only 36 000 tonnes were delivered. We paid US$3 million for additional maize being delivered from South Africa. Last month we paid US$15 million to South Africa,” said Gono during the handover ceremony for farm equipment last week.
Reliable sources said Zambia had delayed in delivering the maize because of a misunderstanding with the GMB on the labour needed to load an estimated 200 trucks carrying the maize to Zimbabwe.
“Zambia insisted that Zimbabwe raise the foreign currency to pay for the labour that would load the trucks. GMB has been finding it difficult to raise the foreign currency and Zambia has been doing it at its own pace,” said one RBZ source.
GMB reportedly attempted to send some of its workers to Zambia to load the maize but they were turned back as they did not have the necessary travel documents. GMB general manager Isaac Mandizha was not available for comment but Mashonaland West GMB provincial manager, John Mafa, confirmed the developments.
Mafa said GMB was hoping that Zambia would soon finish loading the maize and send the trucks to Zimbabwe by weekend.
“Our guys were turned back as they had no work permits. We are desperately trying to fix that and as we speak, Zambia is loading that maize for us. However, they can only do it at their own pace since we were supposed to send the labour,” Mafa said.
Mafa said GMB was also finding it difficult to convince their labour force to volunteer to go to Zambia.
“They are not willing to go there. We are looking at other strategies including the use of uniformed forces with passports. We are hopeful that if we do, we can get the maize at the latest by Sunday,” he said.
Asked to confirm whether workers were reluctant to go to Zambia because GMB had failed to guarantee an allowance for them, Mafa referred businessdigest to Mandizha.
“I would not know about that. Please phone head office, they can tell you more,” Mafa said.
Gono would not be drawn into elaborating the reasons behind the failure by Zambia to deliver the maize on time.
Zimbabwe’s maize stocks are at a critical level. Mugabe told a rally in Inyathi that government had also imported another 300 000 tonnes of maize from Malawi.
Mugabe said the maize from Malawi would complement deliveries from Zambia.
This is the right time to take agri-business seriously. there’s a saying in Asia that goes like ‘make an order from china, your goods will be delivered within 24hrs and make another from india and you’ll be guaranteed to have your goods within 48hrs’ with the kind of money that is being talked about, we can even load for our customer for FREE.
I agree with you Zulu 83.
Zim is a sleeping giant and could easilly come back. maize and sugar prices are on the rise worldwide due to demand. the right time to put enough tractors on our farms is now.
Sata died and went to heaven. When he got there he knocked long and hard on the Heavenly gates. St. Peter came out and asked his name.
You don’t know my name? I’m the King Cobra Michael Chilufya Mulenga Sata, he roared at St. Peter. St. Peter looked at his list and could not find his name. Sorry said St. Peter, you’re not on the list.
What do you mean I’m not on the list??? Do you know who I’m? As a matter of fact I do, said St. Peter, but your name is not on the list, That’s not good enough, I’m a very important person, my name should be on the list, maybe try to search under Zondwe? St. Peter tried to explain that he knew who Sata really is and that it’s not easy to get into heave
You see, you have to be a good person especially to women and other tribes besides yours among other things. When Sata hears this he starts to complain. So St. Peter says that had Sata been good to women and other tribes, he would have some chance.
WellL, roared Zondwe, you know that I have been very good to all the girls in Addis Ababa Avenue. That’s why only two weeks ago to celebrate a bye-election victory I invited 10 Addis Ababa call-girls for a romptuous night with me at Guy Scott’s house and paid each one of the K 1,000. Just last month at a rally I becried Chiluba’s predicament at a full rally, even if he is Katangese and I’m Nwacusa. Now, what do you have to day for heaven Mr. S
Adamson, You have the intelligence of the capital city of stupid.
There’s a bigger opportunity for Zambia to leverage this sort of gaping hole in the market. When Zim turns around, we’ll have no answer to the whites that will flock back there as well as the global corporations.
#1, isn’t it a shame that great minds think alike and foolish minds likewise? GRZ mucks about too much, we’re sitting on a minefield but aweh, mpaka Zim dollar is stronger than Kwacha that’s when they’ll wake up!
US$28 Million is a lot of money and for sure we’re not selling at a loss, money as little US$ 100,000 can hire you 100,000 strong unemployed young men to load for our client. don’t be greedy lets share wealth by creating jobs for all.
One million US Dollar can hire you 100000. that’s what I was trying to say.
Mugabe wanted to treat Zambia as if Zed is part of his country. He had not paid for the maize but went public that people in zed were not delivering maize to his hungry people. How can he decide to send people to load his maize without obtaining work permits for those loaders? He is a desperate man and whether those whites leave our country and go back to Zimbabwe it will not affect our economy. White farmers from zim are just destroying our land by growing tobbaco. They cut a lot trees and grow none.
Kashimani,
white farmers have given jobs to 20,000 Zambians, in the year 2005 Zambia had a bumper harvest because of the white farmers. The kwacha is one of the best performing currency due to forex which is gotten from tobacco exports. It is easier for white farmers to get loans from european banks than it is for Zambians and some of these European banks are now willing to give loans to Zambian farmers because of white farmers. White farmers have built brick houses for their employees. Face it, we need the white farmers for our economy, and now that there is a land reform process in Namibia and South Africa, we need to welcome these white farmers before Zimbabwe’s economy goes back on..
cont…
track and we lose this much needed investment. If only 200 white farmers can manage to put 20,000 Zambians in employment, imagine what 2,000 or 20,000 white farmers can do, not only in the agriculture sector but also for the whole economy. Lets stop this racism, we are in the 21st century, its time to swallow our pride and think about the good of our economy and the future of our children. Lets not only rely on mining or agriculture. If anything, instead of exporting maize, we should export mealie meal since it is a finished good. Just my thoughts anwayz. Lets not be consumers but producers
#8. You Kashimani
You dont know what you are talking about. Those white farmers have given zambia bumper crops. We have a lot to learn from them.
With your 2 skinny cows and chickens growing 5 beds of sweet potates zambia had to import maize before the white farmers came.
In mukushi there are whole comunities funded by these same farmers.
iwe which bumper harvest…. akabuzi 50pin.. beans 5liter tin 50pin which bumper haverst. tell us.. all farm products price is times 2. teach us….bout bumper haevest.
iwe which bumper harvest…. akabuzi 50pin.. beans 5liter tin 50pin which bumper haverst. tell us.. all farm products price is times 2. teach us….bout bumper harvest may be its price highest
Shame that we have been made to deny our brothers and sisters their already paid for maize due to our being stupid and tools of forces of imperialism.
#3-4 Waawoo! Mr, but you love Sata so much that even if the topic is not about him you still bring in!!
It is all nonsensical cries and mumbo-jumbo from a finished desperate government. If Gono and Mugabe can still not read the writing on the walls that’s their own indaba. What a way to wind up your life on earth…I feel sorry for Mugabe!!
Good call, Zambia. Delay delivery until after elections so that the rural vote is not bought with this maize consignment by Baboon Mugabe and his Zanu-PF monkeys!
Sometimes i wonder why these people (the Mugabes and other shoddy investors) take us for granted? How can they send loaders without travel documents, instead of paying Zambians? Which country on earth can allow that? Go go Zambia you’re on track. Its time people respected our country even if they desperately want to win their elections!
#17, mind your language.
#17, Don’t be so irresponsible in your language. I fail to understand how we treat one another this side of the world at times. Our folly amazes me and I am sure others continue to laugh at us as well.
Things generally don’t get done on time. you wonder why we are still poor. Let’s learn from China and India. Give sekuru Mugabe what he deserves which he has already paid for.
Dont forget that some 10 years ago, we used to get most of our food and groceries from Zim. Now we depend on South Africa.
I agree with crazy_zambian.
We need white farmers in Zambia to help bridge the gap.
The white farmers are upgrading our nations image.
Why cant white people and black people co exist without taking precautions.
Why cant we be like zebras, neither white nor black.
People, wake up.
We need each other to survive.
Levy and His government cant do it all by them selves.
give mugabe his milisi or maybe they are waiting for the cheque to clear…who knows maybe ama half nabakongwesha balelolela interest. bapinde…
Elo naboma.H E. Michael Sata has fired MPs who were thinking about there potckets only.Indeed, that was a right move.Manje more bye-election and we are scooping all the seats.
#17
Our government is the one that’s acting like it’s run by monkeys. as it is, we are living beyond our means. we import more than we can export and that’s not the way to fight unemploymet and poverty. countries like Mauritiase, Egypt, South africa etc are on rise because they’ve realised the importance of exporting and whenever a chance to export comes, they grab it with both hands.
#11 Pat, I think it is you who is stupid and does not know what you are talking about. Go to Choma and find the deforestation that I am talking about. That is a fact and in the long run that land will be a desert. Do not expose your insults to me here and think that I will not answer you back. Next time you do that I will insult you in the same way, I will not spare my words and call a spade a spade. Here we accept constructive critisim like what crazy zambian has said. Do not treat everyone as if they are your cousins.
Interestingly the GRZ has not given a comprehensive response to the cry of Bob over the maize. They are afraid of being spanked.Bob is feared in the region. Remember what he told Bush and Blair.
# 22 are you sure we were happy getting groceries from Zim? These pipo made us look stupid they allowed us to buy 750mls of cooking oil, 2 loaves of bread, 1 tablet of butter. if you buy more they would confiscate and throw whilst you look. i was in LSTONE by then when our economy was down. Guys we had it rough and those custom officers were so arrogant in the sense that they would take the bread from us and give it to monkeys. Those are the days when we used to have Tip Top, Quench and Tarino. What goes around comes around.
#29. It is true but now they have learned a lesson. This is the reason why we should be good to Zimbabwe as a Christian nation and repay not evil with evil but evil with good. Zimbabwe will respect us and lessons learned will never be forgotten. Besides, they are brothers and sisters and none of us should or does mistreat our family members once we are well-off because they used to be mean when we were young. God bless Zambia, God bless Zimbabwe.
Zambia has never being a big exporter of food, there is a lot to learn as we r not as efficient in this area as compared to copper logistics. This is very timely as Zambia is one of the few countries with fertilizer support programs and may even perform better next year despite floods! Zim due to inflation measured in tons, has no fertilizer support programs like Zed, they will still need our maize next year, if not more! So what capacities r we building for ourselves as we proudly take up the role of food busket for the region and further ie. Darfur? Agric is good employment for over 70% of Zambians, we r now changing from subsistence/peasant to commercial and we must move even faster!
Dear Zambians/Zimabweans/South Africans and all stake holders in Africa,Europe,Asia and USA
We all need to move together ,upwards/fwd and live,work,unite,share all we have at hand fairly as human beings …we need to live and love one another in the 21st Century…
we all need one another at all times/from time to time as history has taught us already in that Region..South Aficans,Zimbabweans,Zambians etc. have had on needs/problems and depended on either of/all the other countries for own needs…
LET US ALL STAND UP TOGETHER/FOLLOW THE VISION OF OUR FORE-FATHERS IN AFRICA(OAU), who all looked and worked beyond ..Look at EU,ASIA,CHINA etc.we have lots to learn and move fwd in progress
What is the different between a human being in Zimbabwe and one in Zambia.Help the ordinaly person out there and do not look people youhate in gorvement.If they have paid why not deliver as many poeple are dying and we can’t just sit down and wach
Zambians should learn to be professional, once goods or services are purchased and paid for, the onus now falls on the supplier to ensure that they timely deliver the goods or serivces. Excuses in such a case are not acceptable.