In Zimbabwe, complying with government tax rules can be more expensive than paying the tax itself. Small business owners are expected to buy special electronic devices, hire consultants, and in some cases, make informal payments just to comply with the country’s tax authority. But a new tool, priced at just $10 monthly, is offering a lifeline for these entrepreneurs.
Roundihmp, short for Round Internal Hub Management Portal, is a software platform built by a self-taught developer in Zimbabwe. The tool allows small businesses to issue receipts, invoices, and quotations that meet the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority’s (ZIMRA) standards—without the need for expensive, government-approved machines or professional intermediaries.
The app works on mobile, making it accessible and affordable for Zimbabwean small businesses who pay taxes. There’s also a provision in-app for them to comply with ZIMRA fiscalisation. This process requires businesses to use special machines, called fiscal devices, to send every receipt and invoice from their business operations to ZIMRA in real time.
These devices are far from affordable. A single fiscal machine can cost up to $1,000. Setting it up typically requires hiring experts or agents, which adds another $200 to $300.
Additionally, businesses end up paying an extra $250 to expedite the process which is usually painfully slow. Yet, non-compliance is not an option as penalties cost up to $1,000.
“People were being forced into compliance without being given tools that work for them,” said Thamsanqa Bhala, Roundihmp founder and CEO. “That’s why I built this.”
Bhala began building Roundihmp in 2023, two years after teaching himself to code on YouTube. Since then, he’s been adding new features based on feedback from early users. He currently runs the platform alone, occasionally bringing in freelancers when needed. His goal is to grow the startup, build a team, and expand to other Southern African countries like Zambia, South Africa, and Malawi.
Right now, the app is only available in English, but Bhala is working on adding local languages such as Shona and Chichewa to make it easier for more people to use. One big challenge he faces is the high cost of mobile data in Zimbabwe. With 1GB costing over $43.75—one of the highest rates in Africa—many users can’t stay online for long.
“We get a surge of users, and then they go away because of data prices,” Bhala told TechZim. Yet, he believes the platform’s value will keep users coming back. “They will have to pay taxes, and I have made it simple for them. I believe they will always return.”
Helping small businesses get out of a fix
For many of Zimbabwe’s estimated 3.4 million micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), the government’s digital tax compliance process is simply out of reach. Government reports suggest that only 14% of small Zimbabwean businesses are formally registered, in part because of how expensive and bureaucratic the ZIMRA fiscalisation process is.
Munyaradzi Tumbare, a business consultant and website developer in Harare, Zimbabwe, said Bhala’s tool has become a valuable part of his tax-paying process. “Roundihmp has proven to be efficient and fast for my clients’ fiscalisation needs,” Tumbare told . “With Roundihmp, I can complete filings quickly and accurately, ensuring timely compliance as the fiscalisation is done in real time to ZIMRA’s Fiscal Management Data System (FMDS).”
“You have to pay around $250 to revenue officials and other people to help you set it up,” said a gadget shop owner in Harare, who asked to remain anonymous. “It can take several days, and it’s frustrating.”
According to Bhala, the entire setup on his app can be completed in under 12 hours.
The platform runs entirely in the cloud as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model. It also helps users avoid the errors and transaction delays that have plagued the government’s system, the Tax and Revenue Management System (TaRMS), which launched in October 2023.
To its credit, ZIMRA has acknowledged challenges with the system and has made some efforts to improve access to digital tax services. TaRMS was introduced as a modernisation initiative aimed at streamlining filings and reducing manual paperwork, replacing the former SAP TRM. But for many business owners, the system remains difficult to navigate, plagued by slow response times and limited usability on mobile devices.
In an effort to address these shortcomings, ZIMRA also announced plans to release a mobile app tailored to the needs of small business owners by March 2025. That app has yet to arrive. In the meantime, users are left with a technical self-service portal or physical tax kiosks—both of which can be inaccessible to those without formal training.
“The government’s tools are built for large companies with computers and staff,” Bhala explained. “Mine is for business owners who don’t have anything but a phone or computer.”
Zimbabwe’s tax compliance challenges reflect a deeper tension between rigid systems and the realities of informal economies. While ZIMRA works toward institutional reforms, tools like Roundihmp demonstrate how locally-built solutions can fill critical gaps—not through complexity, but accessibility.
For now, Bhala’s vision remains modest: keep refining, keep simplifying. But in a region where small businesses power economies yet struggle with visibility, such innovations suggest a path forward—one where compliance doesn’t come at the cost of survival.
