Harare Tribune

The Zimbabwe Cross Border Traders Association (ZCBTA) has successfully negotiated a one-year trading visa with the Republic of South Africa, an official has said.

ZCBTA Secretary General Augustine Tawanda said the visa was granted after five years of negotiations with the South African government.

He said the special visa would greatly aid cross border traders' operations. "It took us five years to negotiate for the trading visa which will enable our members to carry out trading activities legally in SA," he said.

The visa, he said, would not only improve access to South African markets but offer security to traders who hitherto have not been protected by law in the country.

Highly restrictive visa procedures and requirements had affected operations of most cross border traders, resulting in the sector failing to recoup maximum profits.

"Traders previously used a holiday visa which did not have room for trading activities. Common barriers to cross border trade such as corruption and extortion at border posts and unfair application of rules of origin which resulted in poor payment would be minimized," he added.

The visas became functional in October last year. He said 50 traders had to date benefited from the new arrangement and more were expected to benefit as administrative bottlenecks had been smoothened.

Tawanda said the association would have a group foreign currency account that would be used by members to access the visa. Traders would be able to cash their South African travelers' cheques in Zimbabwe to facilitate traveling, he said.

He said the association had also begun to engage Zambia to create favorable conditions for cross border traders.

"We are at the moment engaging Zambia and will continue to enhance the capacity of small scale traders to create wealth through development of viable linkages and advocating an enabling environment nationally and globally," he said.

Formed in 2000, the ZCBTA has a membership of over 10,000 and more than 65 chapters across the country.