Foreigners Tighten Grip On Harare’s Retail Sector

Foreign nationals from countries including Nigeria, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, India, China, and Tanzania are reportedly expanding their presence in Harare’s central business district, operating retail shops across key commercial zones such as Chinhoyi Street, Kaguvi Street, and George Silundika Avenue.

This growing trend comes despite legal restrictions that reserve the retail sector for Zimbabwean citizens under the country’s indigenisation and economic empowerment regulations.

Many of the foreign traders are alleged to be operating either without the proper business permits or under licences registered in the names of local Zimbabweans.

Beyond running shops, some have taken full control of entire commercial buildings, which they subdivide into mini-markets.

These spaces are then leased out to local vendors, effectively turning them into foreign-managed shopping complexes.

According to The Herald, one such example is on Sir Seretse Khama Street (formerly Angwa Street), where a Congolese national is reportedly managing over 20 retail units within a single building.

Commenting on the issue, Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) president Denford Mutashu said that some foreign nationals enter the country claiming they intend to invest in manufacturing, mining, or other productive sectors—only to divert into retail, which remains a protected sector under Zimbabwean law. He said: 

We also have reports of some investors who come into the country purportedly to invest in manufacturing, mining or other productive sectors, only to divert into retail; that is not only unfortunate but unacceptable.

CZR will soon take stock of who should remain or vacate the sector to pave the way for locals. It is also disheartening that others have become a nuisance by pushing illicit drugs, entering into marriages of convenience.

Mutashu further claimed that some of these foreign traders are not merely flouting business regulations but are also involved in more serious offences, including funding opposition political activities, engaging in money laundering, and showing a general disregard for Zimbabwe’s laws. He added:

Others have operated retail and wholesale businesses with no traceable investment locally. There are some who came into the country as ‘refugees’ but sneak in and out of the country to build mansions in countries they ‘ran away’ from.

Ministry of Industry and Commerce Permanent Secretary, Thomas Utete Wushe, reinforced that foreign nationals are prohibited from operating in sectors legally reserved for Zimbabweans—unless they have received explicit authorisation from the Minister.

According to Zimbabwe’s Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment framework, several sectors are legally reserved exclusively for Zimbabwean citizens. These include transportation services such as passenger buses, taxis, and car hire; retail and wholesale trade; barber shops, hairdressing, and beauty salons; employment and estate agencies; valet services; grain milling; bakeries; tobacco grading and packaging; advertising agencies; as well as the provision, marketing, and distribution of local arts and crafts. Artisanal mining is also among the sectors restricted to locals.

More: The Herald

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