Government crackdown on businesses continues countrywide
By Tichaona Sibanda
2 August 2007

MDC legislator Editor Matamisa claimed on Thursday the government crackdown on businesses was possibly revenge for their perceived links with the opposition.
The Kadoma central MP said the Zanu (PF) regime has in the last 7 years accused business leaders of funding the MDC. Lately the government was accusing the entire business community of colluding with the MDC to sabotage the country’s economy.

Amid this claim the regime has continued with its crackdown as more business managers were arrested countrywide in the last two days, on charges of overpricing, repackaging goods, operating without licences and failing to display prices.

‘These are all lies. What are these business people overpricing or repackaging when there is nothing in the stores or supermarkets. There is no production of any kind in the country today, so there are no goods from manufacturers to retailers as purported by the government,’ Matamisa said.
The legislator pointed out that no businesses or businessmen with links to Zanu (PF) have been targeted so far.

‘The plot behind this exercise is to target business leaders who sympathise or whose companies are believed to be funding the MDC in most urban areas. What is the rationale of sentencing the chief executive of OK to do some community work. It’s a message to all OK managers countrywide to stop helping the MDC in your areas,’ said Matamisa.

Among those arrested in the capital Wednesday were BAT sales and marketing manager Innocent Mtize and Fairways Old People’s Home owner Futter Marrison.
Police allege that Marrison was not only overcharging but was also quoting rents in foreign currency. So far over 6500 business people have been arrested countrywide for the alleged price control offences.