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Leonard Ncube Vic Falls Correspondent
Zimbabwe Cross Border Traders Association president Dr Killer Zivhu has implored Government to introduce a facility that will enable Cross Border Traders to access foreign currency on the formal market.

With more than two million members, Dr Zivhu said the association was the biggest employer in the country and sustaining lives of many families.

This comes at a time when a majority of citizens are out of jobs and surviving on vending.

Speaking in an interview Dr Zivhu said the association’s members were struggling to replenish their stocks outside the country because of foreign currency shortages.

“There used to be a facility from the Central Bank were cross border traders would access foreign currency at the official exchange rate as opposed to what is happening in the parallel market,” he said.

“The facility has now been given to big companies and our prayer is that we need to be supported at all cost to access foreign currency through the bank than from the black market. We have more than two million members who are all in need of foreign currency and we urge RBZ to create a facility for us at bank rate.”

The Central Bank once availed $15 million to cross-border traders for them to buy wares for resale  outside the country, after Dr Zivhu lobbied for the move.

Dr Zivhu said foreign currency shortages was a huge blow to the association’s members who could not afford to buy from the parallel market.

Dr Zivhu, who is Chivi South member of National Assembly and outgoing Chivi Rural District Council chairperson, said cross border business and vending was now the cornerstone of the economy. He said the majority was failing to buy goods outside the country for resale locally because they could not access foreign currency, which is expensive on the parallel market. Dr Zivhu said hope lies with the new Government of President Mnangagwa to resuscitate industry and create more jobs.

Women and graduate youths make up the bulk of cross border traders who export locally made goods such as curios and other handmade items for resale around the world.

Dr Zivhu said the campaign he launched before the elections dubbed: “Vote First Before You Travel” ensured that many cross border traders voted for President Mnangagwa.