Zambia considering imposing a ban on salaula (second- hand cloths)

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salaula piles
salaula piles

The Zambian government is considering imposing a ban on the importation of second-hand cloths to support and promote value addition in the local textile industry, the Times of Zambia reported on Friday.

The move follows numerous complaints from various industry players who have said the increase in the importation of second- hand cloths was killing the local textile industry. Several textile firms have collapsed due to stiff competition.

Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Robert Sichinga said the importation of second-hand cloths had robbed the local textile industry of value addition and the country has failed to export cotton products.

“We are seriously looking to ban the importation of second-hand material to promote value addition to the local textile industry,” he was quoted as saying by the paper.

According to him, the government has made significant progress to revive the country’s textile industry following the closure of textile companies which could not compete with imported second- hand cloths.

This is not the first time that Zambia is banning the importation of second-hand clothing. In 2012, the government banned the importation of second-hand under-wears on health grounds.

But the business of second-hand under-wears as well as other cloths is still thriving in major cities, especially Lusaka, the country’s capital, where the traders have literally taken up spaces besides roads in the Central Business District.

With the unemployment levels still high, the banning of the second-hand clothing will face still resistance as many are earning a living from the business, known in local languages as Salaula (loosely translated choosing).

 

Source

26 COMMENTS

  1. Kindly approach me for new t-shirts starts from 12 kwacha best quality 160 gsm . For bulk order call me 0971700182

  2. Instead of imposing a ban on second-hand clothes, why don’t they impose a ban on tenth-hand cars which are flooding the country like a plague?!

  3. Salaula that’s where most of poor people wear quality clothes and its their only chance. Including some well up people. Salaula has helped a lot

  4. awe nt ifyo bena bafwala ifyadula ukufuma kuma saube…its nt fair emo tusangako utukali naifwe,mwebuteko fili shani?pilato one on one nobuteko alilabako iyi.lol

  5. GRZ should ban the sale of salaula on the streets and encourage thrift shops like DAPP and the Green Shop coz not all of u can afford to shop from Mr Price and the likes.

  6. GRZ should ban the sale of salaula on the streets and encourage thrift shops like DAPP and the Green Shop coz not all of u can afford to shop from Mr Price and the likes.

  7. We need more our own factory’s our tailor’s our own designers…we have to be creative export. It we create employment

  8. not everyone in Zambia can afford to buy clothing from boutiques…will end up seeing people half naked because they cant afford clothing going at higher prices

  9. They should not ban salula but ban the sale of saluala in the streets… city centre roads look pathetic…find them a market place…

  10. We are not civil servants who look at their payslips & smile.as they ban salaula let them consider us garden boys & others.is this developing the country???????? Mayb.elyo twalachula worse noomba. Meali meal K100 now,fuel balunda,subsidies zero & now salaula…fili eko tuleya.

  11. they shud just ban salaula underwears.and enforce the law that prohibits importation of substandard goods.

  12. its an excellent plan! tailoring and the newly revived textile industry will thrive. town will finally look saner and cleaner without salaula

  13. it means am finished,reason?its them buying for us or what?let them ban kwacha from depreciating against dollar

  14. it means am finished,reason?its them buying for us or what?let them ban kwacha from depreciating against dollar

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