SHANNISE DZOBO
MASVINGO – The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) has procured long-range drones to be deployed at all ports of entry as a way of curbing smuggling.
The Government revenue collector is in the process of installing closed circuit televisions at all ports entry in preparation for the deployment of the drones any time soon this year, The Midweek Watch can reveal.
ZIMRA revealed at a recent media engagement cocktail in Masvingo that the country is losing millions of dollars in revenue as a result of smuggling of goods like; footwear, fuel, restricted or controlled goods, electrical items, alcoholic beverages, motor vehicles, wildlife, minerals, and tobacco products through official ports of entry and illegal entry points.
Speaking during the cocktail engagement under the theme ‘ZIMRA Transformation – Past, Present and the Future’ tax collector’s spokesman, Francis Chimanda said that they have intensified efforts to curb smuggling and corruption
“We have procured drones that are able to fly at night and that can be monitored from control rooms, both at the border and in Harare.
“As an organisation we have intensified efforts to curb smuggling and corruption by procuring long-range drones that are able to fly at night and they are going to be monitored from control rooms both at the border and in Harare,” said Chimanda.
“These long-range drones have a capacity to travel in one direction up to 200km and are able to come back and land safely and the other ones will be operated at ports of entry so that they assist management in monitoring movements and operations at the borders and these drones will also shoot videos for evidence’s sake”.
