Should Zimbabweans buy imported second hand clothes?
βYou see people selling tracksuits for $2.50 yet the fabric for making tracksuits is no less than $3 per metre. So I donβt see how you come up with those numbers."
βI look good and no-one else has itβ.
In Zimbabwe the trade in second hand clothing is booming. Sold in markets or just out of the back of cars or from homes, the clothes are popular with those struggling with the cost of living, but also with those who just want good quality affordable fashion.
But the clothes are imported illegally and no tax is paid. Many shops also sell cheap, but poorly made, imports from China.
Manufacturers in the country say they just canβt compete and recently one firm, Truworths, went into corporate rescue to protect it from bankruptcy, while other firms have also closed their doors.
So is it time to ban the import of second hand clothes from the west? And could that be enforced?
Presenter: Alan @Kasujja
Reporter: Ish Mafundikwa @tallish
Guests: CEO of Truworths Bekithemba Ndebele, market stall holder Winnie, and shoppers Kimberley Dube and Gamu Mpofu.
Podcast
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