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Gershem Pasi

THE Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) has the capacity to revive the country’s ailing motor industry within six months under its proposed resuscitation plan, Commissioner-General Gershem Pasi said on Wednesday. He said the plan, which is still under discussion, would take a year to turn the motor industry into a profit making sector and is part of Zimra’s initiative to revive economically strategic industries.

“We can revive, and I can assure you within six months, one (company) so that by the end of a 12 month period it’s a functional (sector) turning back into profitability,” he said after touring Quest’s assembly plant in Mutare.

Zimbabwe’s automotive sector comprises four motor vehicle assemblers—Willowvale Mazda Motor Industries, Quest Motors, Deven Engineering and AVM Africa Limited. There is also a cluster of companies that have developed international franchise arrangements with global brands such as Toyota, Mercedes Benz, Nissan, Volkswagen, Chevrolet, Ford, Isuzu, Audi, Mitsubishi, Audi and Volvo. Pasi said the plan could involve making statutory arms of government such as the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF), Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and parastatals buy only from local assemblers.

“When we look at the motor industry, to revive it we are looking at the whole value chain. Because we are limited and we don’t have resources at the moment, we can come in and say Zupco should not import full buses and instead, give us the order.

“We give the order to Quest (Motors Corporation) to say supply the 200 buses (to Zupco),” Pasi said, adding that such a strategy would breathe life back into the productive local firms. — Wires