Bus Operators Challenge Zimra’s ‘Inland Boarders’

Bus operators have raised concerns regarding alleged harassment by law enforcement for passenger transgressions and have appealed to authorities including the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) to dismantle illegal inland borders.

Through their lawyer, Admire Rubaya, the Zimbabwe Passengers Transporters Organisation (ZPTO) has written to the Zimra Commissioner General to protest unfair penalties.

The letter dated 21 November, 2025, which was copied to the Police Commissioner General, the Ministry of Finance and the President’s Office alleges that operators are being forced to pay a US$5 000 fine to release their buses if a passenger is found with undeclared goods.

Furthermore, the operators raised concerns that impounded buses are taken to Bak Storage, a facility that refuses to accept local currency.

They argue their duty is limited to transport following border clearance; therefore, complicit crews—not the companies—should face prosecution.

They further object to the establishment of “inland borders,” noting that buses already cleared by Zimra at official entry points are being subsequently impounded for undeclared goods.

The operators argue that since Zimra officials face no liability for cleared goods, neither should bus owners.

Instead of impounding buses, they urge authorities to prosecute complicit crews, warning that “inland borders” foster corruption and undermine the government’s “ease of doing business” agenda.

“The buses only reload the passengers and the cargo after the ZIMRA Official responsible has been satisfied that all the goods belonging to the passengers and the crew have been accounted for and declared, as well as that all the passengers have been subjected to immigration processes.

“In reality, as a matter of both fact and law, the transporters do not have control over the clearance processes which occur at the official border posts, for most, if not all, of them will not be at the border and are not the ones conducting the clearance.

“The clearance of all the cross-border passengers and their goods is conducted by ZIMRA Officials. It is common cause that at the border, there will also be other law enforcement agents who are deployed at the border for purposes of conducting checks and balances in a bid to fight smuggling,” Rubaya said.

They contend that law enforcement stifles business efficiency by setting up inland checkpoints only kilometers away from where goods have already been cleared.

“It is unfortunate that you have created inland border posts along all major roads which lead to major cities around the country from the respective border posts. What boggles the mind is why you are installing unofficial inland border posts to do exactly that which would have been done by other ZIMRA officials at the official port of entry or border post.

“This creates a perplexing allegory of a gatekeeper who, after meticulously checking a passport at the gate, is followed by another who demands to see it again a mile down the road, suggesting a fundamental breakdown in trust and process.

“Why don’t your officers’ conduct thorough checks at the official border posts rather than create undeclared inland border posts where passengers and bus crews are harassed by members of various law enforcement agents which include among others members of ZACC, ZRP, CID and ZIMRA to name just but a few.”

They argue that law enforcement stifles business efficiency by setting up inland checkpoints only kilometers away from where goods have already been cleared.

“We know your aims are for stability and security, but we are certain you can find a better way to achieve them; one that does not carry this negative perception and that aligns with our shared commitment to progress and liberty as we pursue the shared aspiration of attaining an upper middle class economy by 2030,” read part of the letter.

Operators feel unfairly targeted, noting that while their buses are seized, the smuggling passengers and the border officials responsible for initial clearance go unpunished.

“It is unfortunate that if there is anything wrong with the clearance of goods, none of the ZIMRA officials that would have cleared the goods at the border are taken to task, including those from other law enforcement agents that would have left the bus to leave the border.

“The ZIMA officials, in a move that suggests a coordinated revenue-generating scheme rather than a legitimate law enforcement operation, simply proceed to impound and/or seize the bus whenever it isdiscovered that the goods that belong to the passengers would not have been properly cleared.

“Once the bus is impounded, the passengers who would have been found with the improperly cleared goods are then left to go to their places of residence without any charge whatsoever. The bus operators are then ordered to pay US$5,000 as a penalty if they want their buses to be released.

“This US$5,000 penalty is unjustified because the bus operators have no obligation to police the ZIMRA Officials as they conduct clearance processes regards the various passengers’ goods. There is no obligation at law that the bus operators have to make sure that every passenger is in possession of properly cleared goods before the bus leaves the border post,” Rubaya said.

Rubaya, in the letter, said no air operators have their planes impounded if they are caught with passengers possessing illegal articles.

“It is baffling as to why bus operators are being ill-treated in this manner. No one has ever heard of an aircraft which was impounded because, at one point it was either carrying a passenger who had drugs or who had goods that were not properly cleared at the port of entry. Why is the law being selectively applied in this manner?” he said.

The operators deny benefiting from duty evasion and argue that if contraband is found inland, the border officials who originally cleared the bus—not the transport company—should be held accountable.

“In all this, the million-dollar question is, where does the bus operator become involved in this, given that the owner of the goods will be the passenger, not the bus operator? Why punish the bus operator as if he/she is the one who is obliged to search passengers as they board the bus after going through the clearance processes at the official border post?

“In the event that the bus crews were involved in any smuggling syndicates, the law enforcement agents ought to deal with the responsible bus crews, not to penalise the bus operators through impounding the buses and penalising them to pay US$5,000, which cannot even be raised with one trip to and from any of the international trips. This is akin to seizing the farm because a single hired hand is accused of poaching, a disproportionate and destructive collective punishment,” part of the letter reads.

The operators urged authorities to devise a mutually convenient solution, warning that the current system is creating a breeding ground for corruption.

“The operation that has been launched along all the major roads has sometimes resulted in corrupt activities benefiting those who make up the enforcement teams who times without a number have been soliciting for bribes from bus crews and passengers caught on the wrong side of the law. Instead of being the solution to the smuggling problem, the inland border posts manned by the members of the law enforcement agents have created more problems for passengers, bus crews and bus operators,” Rubaya said.