The follow-up to the Peace Day Tournament has left all involved with BSA even more breathless than the games we played during the event. Meeting, PR activities, thank you letters and evaluations, have left all grappling with the limited resources at hand and the bureaucratic obstacles to deal with.
The main problem dealing with customs officials for the release of the sports wear and clothing donated to BSA before I left from Malta.
I take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped with the donations: from all those who contributed financially, donated sports wear and material, to those who facilitated the freighting of the garments to Lusaka safely. The list would be too long to mention everyone individually here, but as our friend George W. Bush would put it, “make no mistake” you will be all thanked personally and rewarded for your generosity and good-heartedness.
To cut a long story short and avoid boredom, the ordeal lasted a total of five days, endless telephone calls, e-mails and personal pleas to everyone we knew could possible help. The main problem being the hefty import duty customs wanted to slap on me for the release of the goods.
No amount of personal letters from myself or the director of the academy would convince the stone-faced officials to waiver even a cent of the duty. Registration certificates, description of activities, letters of introduction, even the times article featuring yours truly collecting the goods were enough to break the seal of officialdom in this case.
Several factors led to this stand: primarily the addressee of the consignment – Me; secondly the price of the freight as indicated in the freight statement – way too high; thirdly the description of the goods – sports wear; thirdly, the addressee of the consignment – Me, a Muzungu.
Nothing would bend the resolve of the uniformed barrier behind the desk. They even pocked their fingers through the boxes to verify that the goods were actually second hand and not new, and the sight of a brand new football did not help amidst the 130 kgs of otherwise used garments.
In the end, with storage charges looming for every further day the goods stayed put, I decided to consult the donors who had contributed financially to the project before I left Malta, to see whether they were willing to spend their money on the taxes that needed to be paid. Thankfully, their understanding was overwhelming and I rented the first truck I could find that would not charge me an arm and a leg to take me to the airport.
Papers were presented … again, please made unsuccessfully and the gates only opened once the fresh colour of the Kwachas (Zambian currency: €1 = KWA 5000) I held in my hand were seen by the watchful eyes of the unsympathetic taxman.
Truth be told, a sort of discount was given to us when instead of using Euros as the currency denomination for the calculation of the charges, the weaker Dollar was applied to the formula and resulted in a € 100 reduction of my tax bill. Instead of KWA 2 million (€ 400), I paid KWA 1.5 (€ 300), with the academy paying the clearing charges and fees they would have had to do so in any case.
So six and a half hours later, I was squeezed between the front seat of the 4 x 4 used to transport us back and the boxes of sports goods for the children - the truck having abandoning us after having filled-up with diesel and an hour of waiting around.
Christmas became a mid-September feast as I anxiously unwrapped and ripped the boxes apart to ensure everything was there. I counted and re-counted; folded and re-folded; packed and re-packed several times in sheer glee until I slumped into bed past midnight with exhaustion and peace of mind.
Lessons learned: Address goods directly to a registered and certified tax exempt NGO; Do not include hefty freight costs on statements; Account for “mishaps” (as one wise person pointed out to me recently!); Never pay your transport bill before you actually get home! Keep your resolve – at the end of the day if you give up, the kids will suffer!
