The Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) has seized 2 560 bales of second-hand clothes commonly known as Salaula, for smuggling contrary to Section 149 of CAP 322 of the Laws of Zambia.
The seizure was done in the April and May, 2022 with 5 trucks intercepted. Four trucks were intercepted in Nakonde and 1 in Chanida. The total revenue loss exposure was in excess K 1,590,758.02
The attempted smuggling was intercepted by alert ZRA Customs Officers at Nakonde and Chanida border posts when they discovered that the importers had no documentation.
The physical inspection revealed that the goods were second hand clothes.
Both the trucks and goods have since been seized under the offence of smuggling.
ZRA has stepped up enforcement activities in all regions in order to curb smuggling and all other avenues that lead to loss of government revenue.
The Authority has also gone ahead to ensure that where there is attempted smuggling, both the truck and goods are seized.
Smuggling is a a crime and we need to release that it destroys the economy through unfair and uncompetitive pricing. It also deprives the government of the revenue needed to provide the social and economic services.
The Authority wishes to advise everybody in the entire business chain of importing and exporting goods to take full responsibility and ensure that they are doing the right thing.
Not exactly a major catch of contraband isn’t it? This will only have a negative impact on poor Zambian women with a salaula stall
The crime of smuggling mere salawula is nothing compared to the appalling crime of privatisation, which HH presided over. Yet he is free today. This salawula is what is probably helping a parent somewhere to send their children to school.
Africans governments love pulling their own citizens down. The amount charged for these cheap second hand goods is ridiculous. These clothes are given for free and African government want to charge the maximum fees to these poor traders trying to make ends meet. Meanwhile the mining companies that make billions are given tax incentives….when will the black African wake up and support their own ???
ZRA and ACC are same, both are sabotage to citizenry.
Salawula is what killed Zambia’s textile and clothing industry especially in Ndola…people commenting here dont know that these cheap clothes are from companies in Europe masquerading as Charities helping “cloth poor African kids” yet they are in it for profit source the clothes from charity bins placed in the streets. How can we be allowing people to sell second hand underpants and under garments?
Good work ZRA…now burn that contraband.
The f00l above does not realise that salawula became a business to many families after his so called president sold our mines and other national assets for peanuts during privatisation. Today the f00l calls for the burning of someone’s source of income whilst sat in the comfort of the whlte man’s land. Do you see why I call him a big North England dog
Karl – Who told you that these clothes are given free…yes Govt have a right to charge maximum tax as they are killing their manufacturing industry and basically using your country as a dumping site.
In 2015, countries in the East African Countries (EAC) announced that second-hand apparel would be banned from their markets from 2019. In Rwanda’s case, the government said wearing hand-me-downs threatened the dignity of its people. Rwanda increased tariffs on imported used clothes from $0.20 (£0.15) to $2.50 (£1.90) per kg in 2016. The eventual aim is to phase out all used-clothes imports.
Its government hopes the move will help nurture their garment industry and create more than 25,000 jobs (BBC News, 2018),
This move upset the mighty US, It began when a trade organisation in the US filed a petition with the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR).
The organisation, called the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMRTA), said that the EAC’s 2016 decision to phase out used-clothing would impose “significant economic hardship” on America’s used-clothing industry.
It estimated that EAC’s second-hand apparel ban could cost 40,000 US jobs and $124m (£93m) in exports.
Those figures have raised some eyebrows. According to Reuters, SMRTA has not publicly disclosed the survey of its members used to calculate the job losses in the US, saying it contains proprietary information.
By March 2017, USTR threatened to remove four East African countries – Kenya, Uganda,…
This move upset the mighty US, It began when a trade organisation in the US filed a petition with the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR).
The organisation, called the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMRTA), said that the EAC’s 2016 decision to phase out used-clothing would impose “significant economic hardship” on America’s used-clothing industry.
The US retaliated because EAC’s second-hand apparel ban could cost 40,000 US jobs and $124m (£93m) in exports and threatened to remove them from African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) which allows them to export textile in US. MOst of the East African Countries got cold feet and backed away leaving Rwanda to fight ot alone for its industry. This is not as simple as packaging cheap clothes and sending them to Africa tax-free its a big business killing you.
ZRA is just doing its job as vested on itunder the respective the ZRA law, if for whatever reason, they did not catch this, you will be the same big mouth condemning the same, You are always NEGATIVE about almost everything !!!!
Salawula has become a business to many families in ZAMBIA, yes and no questions about that, but who give you the right to smuggle? averting TAXES that should help pay off current debts. Any drop of revenue into GOVERNMENT coffers is needed at this point in time. STOP this nonsence, connecting ZRA action to MINING tax incentives. Is your point then to get mining taxes and let salaula smuggling? What is your argument about?
There is the UK based Troll/ Impostor doing what it excels at doing!!
SALAULA KILLED OUR CLOTHING INDUSTRY BACK IN THE DAY
AS DID JAPANESE SECOND HAND CARS
WE ARE VICTIMS OF OUR OUR STUP1DY
AND I AGREE ZRA IS NO BETTER THAN RSTA AND ROAD TRAFFIC PATROLS
@Tarino Orange, pay that troll no attention, Ignore it. It is irrelevant. They lost.
Headline:ZRA seize 2 560 bales of second-hand clothes commonly known for smuggling
Story: The Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) has seized 2 560 bales of second-hand clothes commonly known as Salaula
As I said, DOGS!
Salaula has helped millions of poor Africans getting dressed and looking decent every single day .
Most working class citizens would never get anywhere closer to second hand clothing. These clothes are meant for the poorest citizens . Zambia , Malawi etc are some of the poorest countries in the world and ordinary people need help .
What’s the unemployment rate /record in Zambia ?
How much does an average Zambian or Malawian earn per month ?
Second hand clothes are donated to the charity shops to help the poor . It is extremely expensive to send these second hand clothes plus ridiculous local customs fees.
Karl – Please Karl open your eyes and look at the bigger picture…what would you rather have a Factory in Ndola manufacturing mens shirts and trousers employing people paying tax and have a stable or someone selling cheap used apparel on the black market? When I was going to grade 8 we used to buy the last stock of blue secondary in Zambian state company outlets on Freedom way and Cairo Road…this company not only had manufacturing base in Ndola it had outlets in major towns.
Read my post again these are donated clothes but end up as exported goods in the system…creating thousands of jobs in the West…wake up ffs.
Just Google Rwanda bans secondhand clothes.
In the UK , there are still numerous charity shops where poor people can buy very cheap second clothing . Growing the economy which ultimately employs people is key to getting rid of salaula and 2nd hand tyres . Increasing taxes on these won’t bring back Dunlop , Michelin etc as these companies are driven by decent profit .
Smuggling is a crime but the customs fees imposed by Customs Authority are overly exaggerated and a crime in itself .
Karl – Yes there are outlets on the high streets that sell UK second hand goods but remember these outlets are staffed by volunteers and the bunk of their funding comes from people donating though direct debit donations which backed by a massive sophisticated marketing door to door campaign by third party companies who work on a fee basis.
You are now just contradicting yourself …lets agree to disagree ..you are now mentioning Dunlop and Michelin do you think if SA during apathied decided to import second hand tyres instead of manufacturing them …they would be where they are today? Think think we are just going round cycles!!
*Karl – Please Karl open your eyes and look at the bigger picture…what would you rather have a Factory in Ndola manufacturing mens shirts and trousers employing people paying tax and have a stable income or someone selling cheap used apparel on the black market? When I was going to grade 8 we used to buy the last stock of blue secondary shirts in a Zambian state company outlets on Freedom way and Cairo Road…this company not only had manufacturing base in Ndola it had outlets in major towns.
Read my post again these are donated clothes but end up as exported goods in the system…creating thousands of jobs in the West…wake up ffs.
Just Google Rwanda bans secondhand clothes.
Customs fees imposed by Customs Authority anywhere are supposed to be strategic not arbitrary. Donald Trump tried to play around with these to discourage Chinese imports although he found banning more effective. South Africa doesn’t allow in the country all those second hand Japanese cars that are popular in Zambia to protect its local second hand industry. The Japanese cars would increase unemployment. Salaula killed Kafue and Mulungushi textiles apart from numerous other textile companies in Zambia
Nkolola – We Zambians are lazy consumers we dont see the bigger picture ..take the example of ZESCO who were about to give a contract to supply wooden poles to foreign firms from RSA and Zim when there is ZAFFICO. If it was not for the uproar ZESCO would have give precious forex to Zim and RSA instead of sitting down with ZAFFICO, thankfully this tender has now been awarded to ZAFFICO and its increasing capacity and procuring new equipment.
Dumping ground!
#plant a tree please.