Zimpapers Logo

Government has said it is weighing the option of buying vehicles for ministers and parliamentarians from local vehicle assemblers to promote domestic industry and reduce foreign currency expenditure. 

This is in line with austerity measures being undertaken by Government as it works towards turning around the economy. 

The vehicle assemblers have said such a move will create thousands of jobs and revive the vehicle assembling sector. 

Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said recently that Government was considering buying the next batch of ministerial vehicles from local assemblers after suspending vehicle imports for the current crop. 

The car assemblers have said they have been forced to scale down operations owing to a low uptake from their biggest customer, the Government.

They have said in the event Government resumes buying from them, they will increase capacity thereby creating new jobs and this will also benefit downstream industries. 

The assemblers said they had the capacity not only to meet Government demand for vehicles but also the quality of vehicles required by government ministers and parliamentarians. 

Government should take the lead in consuming locally produced products and only import those products that cannot be produced locally. 

We want to therefore implore Government to seriously consider buying vehicles from local assemblers and save the much needed foreign currency. 

The consumption of locally produced products should, however, not be limited to just vehicles but all products produced by our industries.

We can only grow our industries by consuming the products they produce thereby creating new jobs and also protecting existing ones. 

We have said in the past that it is not economically sustainable for Zimbabwe to remain a retailer of imported products. 

We want closed industries to re-open and the existing ones expanded and this is only possible if the bulk of the locally produced goods are consumed by Zimbabweans. 

What is, however, imported is for the manufacturing industries to uphold business ethics and correctly price their products so that they remain competitively. 

It is a fact that many Zimbabweans are buying groceries from neighbouring countries such as Botswana and South Africa yet most of the products constituting their grocery basket are produced locally. 

The reason for this negative development is the exorbitant prices of the locally produced goods. 

What is even mind-boggling is that some of the products which are produced locally are cheaper in neighbouring countries hence                                                                                   people are attracted to shopping there. 

We want to once again implore Zimbabweans to consume local products while manufacturers on their part should correctly price the products so that they remain competitively and affordable