MPS SAY NO TO PROPOSED LAW ON ‘DUBAIS’

MANZINI – Some Members of Parliament (MPs) want government to do away with restricting the models of vehicles import car dealerships sell.

This follows the proposed Used Motor Vehicles Import Permit Specification Notice, 2020, which shall come into force in the next three months. 

The proposed legislation, which was published in a gazette a fortnight ago, stated that a used motor vehicle requiring a permit shall not be older than seven years at the date of its purchase. 

The import car dealerships bring into the country vehicles that have seen many emaSwati owning cars as they are cheaper than regionally assembled  ones.

These vehicles christened ‘Dubais’ by the populace are usually imported from countries like Japan and Singapore. 

Following the notice to introduce this legislation by government, through the Ministry of Finance, some MPs said this was a move that would set up government against the people. They bemoaned that the proposed law would make purchasing vehicles more expensive for the masses as they would approximately cost over E100 000. 

Majority 

This amount, the legislators claimed, was too high for an average citizen as a majority of the working class earned between E3 000 and E10 000. The politicians purported that for an average employee, the proposed lifetime of the imported vehicles would be to their detriment. 

One of the legislators, Mduduzi Simelane, said the proposed legislation would be to the disadvantage of his constituents as many were using the vehicles.

The Siphofaneni Constituency MP said barring import car dealerships from bringing into the kingdom these vehicles would lead to many people losing what they had already procured.

He said: “When banning the importation of vehicles older than seven years, those with vehicles older than that will face a challenge when seeking spare parts as the import car dealerships also import spares for these vehicles.”

This, he said, would take the country back to donkey’s years as people would have dysfunctional vehicles with minimal places to buy spare parts.

Furthermore, he said the filter effects of the new legislation would be loss of income for many as some of these vehicles were used by taxi operators. 

Also, he said those who hire out vans and mini-trucks would face a challenge as most of the trucks they used were older than the  time frame proposed by government.

Simelane said government was also acting against legislation it had set before. Explaining his logic, he said, government through the Neal Rijkenberg-led Ministry of Finance had introduced the fuel levy. He said by virtue of introducing the Used Motor Vehicles Import Permit Specification Notice, 2020, there would be minimal levy to collect by government as fewer people would have vehicles to refuel.

The fuel levy introduced by government came to life through the Finance Bill, No.5 of 2019, which was assented into an Act. The fuel levy is currently E3.85 cents over and above the fuel price. This Act altered certain taxes, duties, levies, tolls and fees and amended certain enactments relating to taxes, duties, levies, tolls and fees and to provide for other matters relating thereto.

Address 

Also sharing Simelane’s views was Hosea Constituency MP Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza. He said the electorate who sent him to Parliament had been calling him endlessly seeking that legislators address this issue.

Mabuza said a majority of his constituents were driving these vehicles and would not afford those manufactured not more than seven years ago. He said these vehicles would be expensive for them as many people were low income earners while others bought them (cars) to venture into business.

“These cars are as good as locally manufactured vehicles and my first car was worth E7 000 in 2003. That car is still functioning and someone is using it to run his spaza shop,” Mabuza said.

The view of the legislator was that government was crossing the line to protect a few people with business interests and neglecting the masses it is meant to serve.

Expensive 

This, he said, was because a few percentage of the citizenry could afford to purchase a regionally assembled vehicle as many were expensive and the sale packages were too high for an average citizen.

“These cars are ‘starter packs’ for the middle class and any person who seeks to venture into business, as they allow mobility and bringing this law into effect is against serving the people.”

Also, Lomahasha Constituency MP Ndumiso Masimula said many people in his constituency were living within the minimal income range and afforded vehicles that were on average manufactured 15 years ago.

He said the new legislation would make buying a car quite expensive for an average man on the street as it would retail at over E100 000. Like the other legislators, he pointed out that some of his constituents used the vehicles for business.

“Hawkers and taxi men use these vehicles and they pay tax while going about their business,” Masimula said. He said altering the law would mean that these people would lose their source of income and fail to afford basic necessities.

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