Smuggling, fronting shake school uniform industry
Brilliant Manje | Wednesday January 21, 2026 06:00
According to a report dated January 13, BEMA carried out the visits to assess industry readiness, compliance with the school uniform import restriction policy, and to investigate complaints previously reported to the association. The report was submitted to the Ministry of Trade and Entrepreneurship.
Before the inspections, BEMA received multiple reports alleging the smuggling of restricted school uniform products, fronting by local citizens on behalf of non-citizens, poor product quality, overpricing, and the operation of staged manufacturing facilities that allegedly import finished uniforms. These concerns were particularly reported in Francistown and Gaborone.
During the site visits, BEMA said it observed several irregularities that raised red flags. Some factories appeared too small to justify the volume of school uniforms available in retail outlets linked to them. In some stores, uniform colours and patterns were found that could not be traced back to known local manufacturers. There were also instances where retailers claimed to have placed large orders with factories, yet those orders had not been fully collected, despite the retailers’ shelves being fully stocked.
BEMA further noted suspicions of front factories operating under the guise of compliance while sourcing products externally. Samples of school uniforms labelled “Made in China” were reportedly found on shelves, despite restrictions on imports.
The association warned that such practices could undermine the school uniform import restriction policy and threaten local manufacturing. BEMA emphasised that the sector plays a critical role in Botswana’s economy, with many manufacturers having operated for more than 30 years and providing employment to large numbers of citizens who depend on the industry for their livelihoods.
To address the identified gaps, BEMA recommended closer collaboration between the Ministry of Trade and Entrepreneurship, enforcement agencies, and industry stakeholders to strengthen inspections and enforcement. The association cautioned against the dumping of low-quality products on the local market.
Proposed interventions include quarterly factory visits beginning within 15 days, investigations within 30 days, enforcement actions within 60 days, coordinated anti-smuggling efforts within 45 days, the development of an SME capacity-building framework within 90 days, and industry stakeholder meetings starting within 60 days.
BEMA concluded that failure to address the compliance issues could weaken the intent of the import restriction policy and place local jobs at risk.