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Lawrence Chitumba Correspondent
THERE is need to remove red tape in Government systems to avoid unnecessary inconveniences that can scare away investors and scuttle the devolution agenda, Local Government, Public works and National Housing Minister July Moyo has said.

Unclear regulations and legislation, cumbersome administrative procedures, uncoordinated approach in the administration of requisite fees by Government agencies, outdated legislations, as well as insecure property rights for investors have been scaring away prospective investors.

Speaking during a Mashonaland Central consultative meeting held in Bindura recently, which is a precursor to the Investment Conference to be held in March, Cde Moyo said in the past, investors were subjected to unnecessary bureaucracy.

“In the past, we used to experience red tape or bureaucracy where things would take forever to happen, but in the new dispensation we want to do things differently so that we don’t scare away potential investors for the envisaged devolution agenda,” he said.

“There are provinces where on seeing an investor, they start engaging in little courts until the investor leaves and in some instances the investor maybe of Indian origin who respect cattle and you find some traditional leaders demanding that they bring a cow to their courts before they can start any negotiations.

“So you need to talk to your chiefs and other stakeholders so that the investors’ journey through them is not punitive because they can easily go back, you need to promote investment, we don’t want a situation where an investor who intended to invest in Mashonaland Central ends up investing in another province.”

He said sometimes people would demand bribes on behalf of an unknowing Minister of State.