Mozambican traders allege harassment at border

Attempts by the Zimbabwean authorities to stamp out smuggling across its eastern border with Mozambique have resulted in increased friction with Mozambican traders, who accuse immigration officials of harassment. Mozambican cross-border traders, mostly women, at the Forbes border post told IRIN that they were excessively searched and allegedly sometimes beaten by the Zimbabwean police. A Mozambican trader, Maria Duncas, told IRIN: "The Zimbabwe police and the soldiers are cruel. They ask us to remove our clothes when searching us ... most of the time the body search is done by men. We complained to the governor of Manicaland province, but the soldiers are not changing their behaviour." The traders have threatened to march from the Forbes border post to Mutare - about 30 km away - to protest to Zimbabwean officials over the alleged mistreatment. Last year the Mozambique government launched an inquiry into claims that a Zimbabwean soldier had shot and killed a trader returning to Mozambique from Zimbabwe. At the time, the governor of Mozambique's western Chimoio Province, Dario Jane, said his government had contacted Zimbabwean officials to verify the killing, and allegations of abuse of Mozambican civilians by Zimbabwean border officials. The acting director of public relations for the army, Sipho Masuku, confirmed this week that a Zimbabwean soldier had accidentally shot a Mozambican national near Nyamapanda border post in December. Masuku said when the incident happened, the trader was attempting to cross the border from Zimbabwe into Mozambique with a group of people while carrying illegal goods. "They were found in the bush and ordered to stop, but they started running away. That is when one of our guards accidentally discharged his firearm and shot him." Price controls imposed by Zimbabwe on basic foods, such as cooking oil, salt and other products, have made it a cheap alternative for Mozambicans. Traders try and smuggle the goods illegally across the border to avoid customs controls, which the Zimbabwean authorities say is fuelling shortages for local consumers. The scale of the smuggling has reportedly led to sales of more expensive Mozambican-produced sugar dropping significantly. Zimbabwean soldiers were deployed to help customs officials control the border crossing points. In a joint operation between the two countries, several illegal traders were arrested, Masuku said. IRIN was told that some smugglers were caught and taken to Grand-Reef Infantry battalion, about 20 km from the Zimbabwean border city of Mutare, for corporal punishment before being asked to pay about Zim $30,000 (US $10) in fines. Zimbabwean officials have also accused Mozambican traders of hoarding Zimbabwean currency. At the height of Zimbabwe's cash crisis last year, a high-powered delegation of Zimbabwean businessmen traveled to Manica, a Mozambican town about 30 km from the border, to reportedly locate local currency rumoured to be in circulation in the neighbouring country.