Tanzania violence burn Zim livelihoods

ANESU MASAMVU

The violence that erupted in Tanzania after last week’s disputed polls that saw President Samia Suluhu Hassan winning by over 98% hit hard on locals in the southern African country but while Zimbabweans did not immediately feel the hard knocks of physical confrontations and the noise of gunfire, many were hit where it matters the most, the pocket.

Tanzania is a hub for many Zimbabwean businesses from small to large scale because of its strategic location providing access to landlocked countries.

From vehicle imports to quality clothing trade, thousands of Zimbabweans flock mainly Dar es Salaam for trade but all that was affected after the recent violent clashes that saw a yet unknown number of people dead and several others injured.

For Zimbabwe, the shockwaves are already being felt and this is from stranded vehicles and delayed cargo to financial ruin.

One of the affected, Christopher Chiroroma, a Harare-based small-scale importer whose business, KC Motors, depends on the Tanzanian corridor.

Chiroroma claims he has lost US$22,500 worth of vehicles that were caught in the unrest.

“We had four vehicles that had already been cleared from the Port in Dar es Salaam but due to technical challenges at the Tanzania–Zambia border, there were delays,” Chiroroma said.

“Eventually, the border was shut down ahead of the Tanzanian elections. We were advised that operations had been suspended because of political unrest and we were forced to leave the vehicles behind and return home.”

Days later, he received the message that would change everything.

“Out of the four vehicles awaiting clearance, two had been extensively damaged following the political violence that rocked Tanzania last week. The two vehicles are a Nissan X-Trail we imported at a cost of US$13,000, and a Honda Fit we procured at a cost of US$9,500. From our assessment, the vehicles are now a complete operational loss. This will significantly affect our investment because we are small-scale importers. This is our source of income. I am shaken. I am in pain.”

Nineteen more of his vehicles remain stuck at the port with no updates from Tanzanian authorities.

“We are now very sceptical about having them released because we fear the same thing could happen again,” he said. “We are asking the governments of Zimbabwe and Tanzania to engage urgently to allow safe passage of the vehicles currently stuck at the port.”

The unrest has also rippled across the region.

In Malawi, authorities have been forced to secure emergency fuel supplies from Zimbabwe and Mozambique after the violence in Tanzania disrupted its main fuel route.

Some 120 tankers were blocked from crossing the border, while port delays held up 48 million litres of petrol and diesel. The shutdown has worsened Malawi’s crippling fuel crisis and further underscored how instability in Tanzania has become a regional problem.

For Zimbabwean logistics operators, the Tanzanian corridor has always been a lifeline. Andrew Motsi, Chief Executive of Motsie Multimodal Logistics, said he narrowly avoided the same fate as Chiroroma thanks to early warnings from his agent in Dar es Salaam.

“Normally, when my agent in Tanzania clears the vehicles from the port, they are then moved to service stations, and others are moved to Temasa, where they incur a storage fee of US$2 per day,” Motsi said. “Ahead of the election, my Tanzanian agent Angela cautioned me against clearing my vehicles because they were anticipating violent skirmishes, which eventually happened. Unfortunately, many of my colleagues in the industry suffered serious losses because their vehicles had already been cleared for transit.”

He said the situation left many Zimbabwean drivers stranded, their vehicles vandalised as violence swept through the streets. “I have 28 vehicles yet to be cleared from the port. I will only do so based on advice from my agent so that I make an informed decision,” he said. “It is unfortunate that the insurance we take out in Tanzania, in Zambia, and in transit is all third-party cover. Even if these vehicles had comprehensive insurance, no company covers total losses caused by political violence. No insurance company covers that.”

While importers count their losses, the response from the Zimbabwean government has been cold. Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu dismissed the matter, saying it was beyond his jurisdiction.

“I don’t see how this is relevant to me,” Ndlovu said. “When people are importing, standard practice is that they insure their consignment. Secondly, it is not in any case within the jurisdiction of Zimbabwe.”

He added that any claims should be handled by Tanzanian authorities. “The damage has taken place in the jurisdiction of Tanzania. Have they sought any recourse there? Unless you are suggesting that because they are destined for Zimbabwe, we should be quantifying their loss and taking it up. What will they be hoping for from Zimbabwe?”

For small importers like Chiroroma, that response is devastating. “Recovering these vehicles will be extremely difficult,” he said. “If the authorities, particularly the government, are sincere, they should consider assisting so that we can at least get back on our feet.”

What was once dismissed as Tanzania’s internal political turmoil has become an economic nightmare for Zimbabwean entrepreneurs. From Harare to Lilongwe, the crisis has revealed just how connected the region truly is and how a fire lit in one capital can quickly burn through another’s economy.

As Tanzania’s army tightens its grip on Dar es Salaam and the curfew drags on, small businesses down south are left counting losses that no one seems ready to acknowledge. The violence may be hundreds of kilometres away, but for those whose fortunes move through the Dar es Salaam corridor, it feels painfully close.

Vice President Chiwenga conceded after his attendance at the swearing in ceremony that what had happened in Tanzania was disturbing and should not happen again.