Government’s decision to impose restriction on the importation of school uniform in order to promote local production and build sustainability of the local textile and clothing industry may have had some unintended consequences.
With the start of the new school year, many children have been forced to show up to class in what the fashion police would deem to be inappropriate attire. Parents have had to devise a solution after being unable to purchase uniforms, which are severely in short supply.
One parent who had to hop from one store to the next in search of uniforms told this publication that she ended up buying school uniforms on the black market because the store she usually buys from was out of stock.
“My two sons’ uniform sizes are not available at Pep Store. The shopkeepers informed me that what they had in stock was their last batch for the foreseeable future. One of my sons currently wears jeans to school despite threats from school officials that they will not be allowed in class,” said one woman who spoke to this publication anonymously. She stated that her only remaining option is to look for uniforms on the black market, where a shirt and a pair of trousers can fetch as much as P350 – a nearly 250 percent increase from the prices before the school uniform importation ban.
As the school uniform shortage persists, some nefarious criminal enterprises are taking advantage of the situation to prey on desperate parents who are unable to obtain uniforms. An anonymous black market dealer involved in uniform smuggling told this publication that he is just a small player at the bottom of the supply chain.
“I can’t provide you much information, but you should know that there are big business people, transporters, and “runners” behind this illegal school uniform importation business,” said the dealer, adding that the aim is to cash in on parents’ desperation.
While this publication pressed him to reveal the source of his contraband which was of good quality but pricey, he refused and abruptly ended the interview.
A cursory examination of prices reveals that uniform prices have risen by up to 200 percent. Shirts that used to cost around P34 in Pep have risen to P120 at Choppies. However, some parents have expressed concerns about the quality of uniforms sold by Choppies.
The Apparel and Textile Association of Botswana (ATAB) indicated that Choppies “are not in the business of buying and selling uniform,” but simply allow “ATAB members to sell their uniform stock through their selected stores and wherein Choppies would sell it on their behalf providing weekly reports of what has been sold and paying each supplier for stock sold accordingly”. They also urged the public to be patient as “the industry gears up to full capacity following the start-up challenges”.
Although the Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS) has not yet commented on uniform smuggling, they confiscate all goods in all cases of smuggling. They imposed heavy penalties on people caught smuggling vegetables into Botswana ranging from as little as P2 500 to as much as P150 000. The only problem is that these criminal enterprises are one step ahead of law enforcement, with clear ungazetted points of entry through which they bring in their school uniforms purchased in South Africa at very low prices.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry introduced a Statutory Instrument (SI) restricting the importation of school uniforms, which was published in the Government Gazette on September 24, 2021. By ensuring that the purchase of school uniforms from local manufacturers is in line with the goals of Vision 2036 and the Reset Agenda, particularly those related to citizen economic inclusion and value chain development, the SI seeks to assist the local textile and garment industry.
