Fear Of The Unknown Grip Zimbabwe Informal Sector Ahead Of the Economic Census

By Shingirai Vambe

The Zimbabwe Statistics Agent (ZimStats) inaugural Economic Census expected to start in 2025 and scheduled to take place every five years, with the goal of tracking changes in economic activities over time has faced critical challenge of collection and capturing of quality data, the Post can report.

Majority of entrepreneurs have failed to reveal their actual annual turn over with the fear that their business will be placed inside ZIMRA tax brackets. Some have directed enumerators to their superiors as they couldn’t respond on this particular subject.

ZimStats data is open and accessible to any citizen, government institution and or parastatal.

Speaking during the training of enumerators for the Economic Census Listing Exercise, ZimStats Acting Director-General Fadzai Ndlovu emphasized the importance of the census in providing concrete evidence about the state of Zimbabwe’s economy.

“This comprehensive data collection will enable the government, private sector, academia, and other stakeholders to better understand the country’s economic landscape and make informed decisions,” said Ndlovu.

Enumerators confirmed having challenges with some business and individuals for giving questionable figures and incorrect data with fear of giving information which is not of public consumption while others for fear of thieves coming and masquerading as ZimStats agents while others fear Zimra and local authorities.

Zimbabweans have raised issues on multiple taxes that have been placed on their heavy shoulders by the government and they try as much as possible to hide and runaway from taxes.

Economic analysts told this publication that citizens see no reason to contribute into the fiscus as most of the funds collected by the Government are misappropriated and put to luxuries aiding the governing party ZANU PF politicized programmes and projects that only benefit their members.

The census is scheduled to run until the end of 2026. Preparations, such as mapping business locations, is over and currently on the listing exercise. Preliminary results are expected by the end of the first quarter of 2027, with final results released by the second quarter.

Data collected will also be used in the formulation of the national budget.

However, citizens lack trust of their government as they continuously lose their money one way or the other and the trend in Zimbabwe financial and monetary sector has made the banking sector under perform and divert from their mandate and banks but operating as micro finances and loans sharks and this has resulted in many Zimbabweans leaving out banks in their transactions regardless of the command banking that the government push in different ways.

The current process has left out the largest number of informal traders in the country as they focus more on those in buildings structures. The backbone of the country has flooded the streets as cost of rentals have become inhibitive and exorbitant and the country is experiencing economic challenges.