Bulawayo, (New Ziana) – The rampant smuggling of second-hand clothes and blankets into Zimbabwe is severely undermining efforts to revive the once-thriving textile and clothing industry, an industry player has said.

In an interview, National Blankets’ business development manager Shepherd Nyambirai said the flooding of cheap imports, particularly from Asia, alongside second-hand clothing (locally known as mabhero/bales), has created an uneven playing field, suffocating the local industry.

“Competition is healthy, but only when the ground is level. Right now, we are drowning under a tidal wave of smuggled goods. You see vendors selling items for a dollar for two items, how is that possible? Did they pay duty or follow proper import channels? The math doesn’t add up,” he said.

He highlighted that smuggled textiles dominate informal markets across Bulawayo and other regions, with restricted items like blankets flooding shops despite strict import licensing requirements.

“Blankets are supposed to be controlled imports, yet they are everywhere. This isn’t just unfair competition, it’s outright illegal trade killing our industry,” he said.

Nyambirai pointed to the Covid-19 pandemic as an unexpected boon for local manufacturers, as smuggling plummeted due to movement restrictions.

“Waverly Blankets’ sales surged five-fold during that period. Why? Because smuggling was cut off. That alone proves how much damage illicit trade is doing to us,” he said.

He said once a thriving industrial hub, Bulawayo’s textile sector now operates at a fraction of its capacity, with most factories either shut down or drastically downsized.

Nyambirai said Zimbabwe’s textile industry currently consumes only 15 percent of locally produced cotton, with the rest exported raw, describing it as a major missed opportunity for value addition.

“Even the 15 percent reserved for local production isn’t fully utilised because our factories can’t keep up. The industry is on life support,” he said, adding decades-old machinery, lack of working capital, and climate-induced cotton shortages have also further crippled the sector.

“Our machines in Bulawayo average 22 years old, while global competitors use cutting-edge, third-generation technology. How can we compete when we are stuck in the past?” he asked.

Nyambirai called for duty-free imports of spare parts to ease maintenance costs and urged investment in modern equipment to boost efficiency.

Despite the gloom, Nyambirai said he sees opportunities in value addition, regional trade, and niche markets like school uniforms and workwear.

“China won’t import school uniforms for us, that’s our space to dominate as local manufacturers,” he said.

He also highlighted the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and Southern African Development Community trade agreements to open new markets, but only if Zimbabwe moves beyond raw cotton exports.

“We must stop being just cotton growers and start producing finished goods such as yarn, fabric, clothing. That’s where the real profit lies,” he said.

Nyambirai underscored the need for investment in modernisation, and policy support for local industry.

“The demand for local textile products is there, but we’re losing to smugglers and delays in enacting decisive policies. We should act now,” he said.

New Ziana