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rages on whether it is really necessary or not. Our Features Editor ISDORE GUVAMOMBE (IG) talks to Peter Gamundani (PG) president of Totalmotormart, a Japan-based Zimbabwean company that exports cars into Sadc.

IG: You have been bringing new and used vehicles into Zimbabwe for more than 10 years. What do you think about the Government’s decision to rescind the October 31 2011 ban on used vehicle over five years old?
PG: For starters, we have been bringing in vehicles or doing business in the entire Sadc region, Zimbabwe included. We have bonded warehouses, which means we can bring a car right into Zimbabwe and pay duty after the vehicle has arrived, not at the border.
Then to the issue of the ban, while the Government must be applauded for such a bold move to try and protect the local vehicle manufacturer and to deal with pollution or emission, the implications seem not to have been debated exhaustively.
For a country coming out of an almost economic comatose, it will take some time to harness our resources and raise income levels to make buying a new vehicle a reality for most workers.
It is a wonder thus how the majority of workers earning below the poverty datum line would even dream of owning a vehicle in Zimbabwe should this be enforced.
Other cars are just too expensive for an ordinary Zimbabwean. Just stand on the street and count second hand cars and ask yourself, if all these cars were off the streets, what would Harare look like?

IG: How much revenue would Zimra lose had the ban been effected?
PG: If we assume that at Beitbridge 100 cars are being cleared on a daily basis, then we are talking potential revenue loss of US$100 000 per day, had the government enforced the ban. I would leave you to do the computations for potential revenue loss in a month. Definitely the gap would just be too big to plug. It is money the country needs at the moment and also the general worker also needs affordable cars.

IG: What would you advise government to do with the ban?
PG: Firstly, I would like to implore the government to revisit in future, this statutory instrument and not perform a wholesale embargo. This will hit the low-income earners hardest and they know ministers and parliamentarians get new vehicles. A vehicle is no longer a luxury item, it is a basic necessity and my own caveat is…as long as it is not an unnecessary big engine gas guzzling monster, let it come in. Those must be getting a punitive tariff but for my headmaster at Chivende Secondary School in Hurungwe dreaming of driving a Corolla, please we beg you not to extinguish that dream.

IG: How many days does it take to ship a car and what are the costs in terms of percentages you incur?
PG: Delivery is normally in four to six weeks depending on the shipping schedule. At Totalmotormart we normally charter a vessel into Beira as we use containers rather than open roll on-roll off ships. Containerisation in our view is better and costs can range from US$800 to US$1300 depending on the size of the vehicle to be containerized.

IG: Briefly outline how you bring in vehicles from Japan?
PG: We are using Beira and the Mozambican, former President Joachim Chissano often argued that it is cheaper and easier for Zimbabweans to use the Beira Corridor. Our vehicles are carried by container, straight to Beira and there is no risk of them suffering sea salt damage. Beira is just 288 km from Mutare and you can even drive from there.

IG: What about cyber purchasing?
PG: That one is a gamble. Cyber purchasing can be a headache and there is no way of ensuring the company you saw on the Internet will deliver as promised. Once they take your money, it is literally like lotto. You just never know if you will “win”.
IG: But you have middlemen?
PG: No not us. We have offices in Saitama, Japan and Harare. There is no middleman so the pricing has no surprises at delivery. No hidden costs and we are speaking a language you are comfortable with.
In at most 40 days your unit will be in Harare and you don’t have to have headaches on port handling and duty. We put the unit in a bonded warehouse in Mt Pleasant, Harare as you raise your duty.

IG: What vehicles to you deliver?
We have delivered top of the range customized Land Cruiser, Lexus, Mercedes Benz vehicles to various corporate bodies and individuals.
IG: What do you do with the Japanese tyres when you bring the cars into Zimbabwe?
PG: When we get the cars in Japan, they are fitted with regular tyres and winter tyres and as a Zimbabwean company we replace all winter tyres for vehicles we ship home as these will easily puncture and in the worst case scenario burst in our generally hot tropical conditions.
Unfortunately we have seen individuals drive their vehicles on seemingly good tyres but they are explicitly written “winter tyres”.

IG: What is your advice?
PG: No matter how good the thread looks, it is best to replace the tyres. In fact, it should be mandatory as you will be a danger to yourself and other road users should you drive your vehicle on such tyres.
IG: There are allegations that Zimbabwe is becoming a dumping ground for old Japanese cars.
PG: That is largely a myth as far as we are concerned. These vehicles are real value for money that is why South Africa with a major vehicle manufacturing industry has banned them. In Japan and other developed countries it is very easy to get vehicle financing hence individuals find it cheaper to dispose an older vehicle and just remain with a new car. Nyama inonaka inotaura yega! If they were junk they would not find a market, it is that simple really.

IG: Let us do a bit of mathematics. Compare the prize of a new 406 going for US$27 000 in Zimbabwe and how many good, used or new cars you can buy in Japan?
PG: Okay. For that amount you can buy a good Toyota Coaster 28 seater with a fitted fridge and dvd player if you want to get into business or a very nice Prado.
If you are buying a Toyota Ipsum then you can easily get four of those inclusive of duty and delivery into our market! So what is the point if you can buy four cars?

IG: You are intermittently in and out of Zimbabwe driving in both Japan and Zimbabwe, how do you think we should tackle the menace of commuter omnibuses?
PG: That is a very worrying area. Vans that were used to transport laundry and fruits are fitted with seats and presto they are licensed to carry people! This area needs serious attention. People bringing in commuter buses must only get licenses for them with their original factory seats not the benches being fitted at Gazaland and Mbare. One just needs to see how our neighbour South Africa has achieved it. Finance arrangements can be put in place to recapitalize transport operators as the “vans” are phased out.
But this can only go so far as there is a need for a new breed of commuter drivers with proper etiquette in handling passengers.

IG: Left-Drive vehicles are definitely on their way out, is there an alternative?
PG: Government must be applauded for allowing units which were already in the country to be allowed to run till they reached their life span. This legislation of course is guided by regional legislation and we must not be an island of mediocrity or hot-headedness.

IG: What vehicle policy then, do we require as a nation presently?
PG: Trucks and luxury sedans cannot be painted with the same brush. People are buying low priced fuel guzzlers, the people in Japan, Dubai, Singapore and UK are disposing off at low value as they will no longer be economic to run due to high fuel costs. Sadly these are finding their way into our markets yet they serve no economic value to the wider economy.
Those who can afford the running costs must buy such monsters. I would even suggest motorist consult before buying guzzlers even when buying them brand new! Trucks and commuter buses over five years old still have room in our market. One just needed to be at the tobacco auction floors to see how these grey imports have been very handy to farmers.

IG: What vehicles are they buying?
PG: People are buying V6 and V8 vehicles that require at least 300 litres a month for someone driving from Chitungwiza into town. They are cheap to buy yes, but not many can meet the needs of their thirsty engines. It is no wonder the owners of these beasts compete with Kombis for passengers even fitting stools in the baggage area to get those extra three or four passengers. It is a ticking time bomb and police must be commended for Operation “Siirai Mabhazi” as this new breed of driver is slowly becoming a menace on our roads!

IG: What about reckless drivers?
PG: Ah! Reckless drivers must be banned and a re-test is not enough, they must have attended customer care courses and know the difference between red and amber and most importantly remember to slow down at traffic intersections and not floor the gas pedal as is their norm. At the same time, efforts must be continued to decongest the city centre as it is near impossible to drive downtown during work hours. You just have to go to Chinhoyi and Kaguvi streets to experience what we are saying.