The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority is strengthening the sharing of intelligence with revenue collectors in the SADC to disrupt smuggling networks.

In an interview with NBC News on the sidelines of the just-ended 2026 Zimbabwe Economic Development Conference in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) Commissioner-General Regina Chinamasa said the development is a move aimed at plugging border revenue leakages.

Chinamasa emphasised that working with revenue agencies in neighbouring countries in sharing information would go a long way in helping to detect illicit movements of goods and improve enforcement.

Since borders are porous in the SADC region, Chinamasa said regional cooperation was critical, given the scale of porousness of boundaries and the challenges posed by informal crossing points.

“We remain vigilant and focus on technological initiatives that can assist us to detect. We are also collaborating with our partners, Botswana Unified Revenue Services and South African Revenue Services, as well as the Zambia Revenue Authority and many others, to ensure that we share information, especially on people who are engaging in cross-border transactions, and we also get intelligence that helps us to then identify these smugglers.”

According to the 2025 Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) report, illegal cross-border smuggling through unauthorised entry points along Namibia's borders with Zambia and Angola cost the government an estimated N$2.8 million in lost revenue.