The Government has ramped up anti-smuggling measures at the Beitbridge Border Post through the deployment of additional drones, aiming to tighten surveillance and seal illicit trade routes at Zimbabwe’s busiest entry point.
The enhanced drone monitoring forms part of a broader multi-agency initiative that has already yielded notable results in curbing smuggling, protecting local industries, and fostering a fairer market environment for domestic manufacturers.
Speaking at a 2026 post-budget meeting in Bulawayo on Monday, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said the drone programme at Beitbridge and other border posts is delivering tangible outcomes, despite complaints from some business sectors about perceived heavy-handed enforcement by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra).
“I receive reports every week that smuggled materials are being seized across the country. We also introduced the drone monitoring programme to support the anti-smuggling initiative, and we want to deploy drones at all our border posts,” Prof Ncube said.
Beitbridge, handling the bulk of Zimbabwe’s cross-border traffic, has long been identified as a key smuggling corridor, with illicit goods often evading customs duties and regulatory controls. Authorities say the aerial surveillance helps close gaps along porous border sections and track suspicious movements in real time.
The crackdown, initiated late last year, is coordinated by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in partnership with Zimra, the Consumer Protection Commission, and other law enforcement agencies. The operation targets importers and cross-border transporters involved in smuggling and other practices that undermine local industries and threaten consumer safety.
Prof Ncube affirmed the government’s full support for Zimra’s enforcement, including routine vehicle and bus searches.
“As Government, we have been tough on smuggling. I am aware of complaints that Zimra is stopping buses and searching them. It is their job to search, and if they suspect anything, they should search,” he said.
The crackdown responds to ongoing complaints from local manufacturers and retailers who have lost market share to cheap, untaxed imports. Smuggled goods are frequently sold below market prices, undercutting compliant local products, distorting competition, and threatening the survival of domestic businesses.
Authorities have also raised concerns about public health and safety risks posed by illicit imports, many of which are substandard, counterfeit, expired, or fail to meet local quality standards.
While acknowledging concerns from parts of the business community, Prof Ncube said he had proposed reviewing import duty rates to encourage compliance but stressed that enforcement must remain firm.
“The blitz should be intensified. I am pleased they are searching because they were not searching before. They should make sure that goods are not smuggled,” he said.
The operation is already showing impact in several sectors, particularly beverages, with major players such as Delta Corporation and African Distillers attributing recent volume growth to the removal of smuggled products from the market.
Source – The Chronicle
