Harare, Dec 18 (IANS): Zimbabwe is intensifying a campaign against the smuggling of goods through its borders as the festive season approaches, said Permanent Secretary for Presidential Affairs in the Office of the President and Cabinet Tafadzwa Muguti.

Speaking at an anti-smuggling coordination meeting held in the national capital of Harare, Muguti said Zimbabwe is losing up to 1 billion US dollars in revenue from smuggling along its borders.

Smuggling of goods across the borders peaks during the Christmas and New Year holidays as Zimbabwean expatriates return home and bring goods mainly from South Africa and other neighboring countries.

Smuggled products on the market include a wide range of food items, clothes, drugs, beverages, fertilizers, cement, vehicles, electrical gadgets, and solar panels, among other goods, said Muguti, Xinhua news agency reported.

To curb the illegal practices, the authorities launched an anti-smuggling campaign in November. Taskforce teams, including tax authorities, police, immigration officials, local authorities, consumer protection bodies, and monetary authorities, were set up to deal with the situation.

Muguti said smuggling affects the collection of customs and excise duties, discourages investment, and negatively affects employment levels and job creation as smuggled goods flood the market.

"It has resulted in unfair competition which has curtailed growth of local industry, given the unfair advantage in the form of tax evasion that illicit traders have over legitimate businesses, also negatively affecting employment levels and job creation," he said.

Smuggling not only undermines the economy but also threatens security and endangers public health and safety as smuggled food items, medicines, and alcohol are subject to health and safety controls, said Muguti, adding that it has also led to the rise of organized crimes, such as armed robberies linked to the smuggling of guns.

As part of the anti-smuggling measures, second-hand clothes will be confiscated and destroyed at the nearest police stations and all smuggled foodstuffs will be donated to charity, while drugs will be destroyed at the Ministry of Health and Child Care's district and provincial hospital incinerators, said Muguti.