Zimbabweans in border town protest against import ban, set wearhouse on fire

Zimbabweans protesting against restrictions on imports of basic goods from South Africa forced the closure on Friday of the border post between the two(2) countries and set fire to a warehouse

The Zimbabwean government said on June 17th it was suspending imports of products including bottled water, furniture, building materials, steel products, cereals, potato crisps and dairy products, most of which arrive via South Africa.

National police spokeswoman Charity Charamba said protesters in Beitbridge, a border town 600 kilometers south of the capital Harare, had barricaded a road with rocks and burning tires to prevent vehicles and people from crossing into South Africa.

She said a warehouse owned by tax agency ZIMRA and used to hold illicit goods seized from people crossing the border, had been set alight by the protesters, and that the border post was still closed as at 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT).

More than 85 percent of working age Zimbabweans have no formal job and most people make a living by buying goods in South Africa to sell in Zimbabwe