In 2011, Zimbabwe’s finance minister, Tendai Biti, was shocked to discover many Zimbabweans bought used underwear from flea market stalls.

He immediately had a full-on meltdown, in the style of Marie Let-Them-Eat-Cake Antoinette.

“How does that happen? If you are a husband and you see your wife buying underwear from the flea market, you would have failed.”

“If I was your in-law, I would take my daughter and urge you to first put your house in order if you still want her back.”

He then passed a law forbidding the importation of second-hand undergarments of any type.

The move was billed as an opportunity to help protect Zimbabwe’s struggling domestic textiles industry and a chance to improve public hygiene and self-esteem.

But here’s the reality:  Zimbabwe has no textiles industry to speak of so the primary beneficiaries of the new law are importers of cheap Chinese undergarments.  And corrupt government officials who can now collect a bribe for allowing bales of second-hand undergarments to be smuggled across the border.

The losers?  Zimbabweans were buying used underwear because they couldn’t afford anything else.  Passing a law does not change this fact.

And by the way, even the poorest Zimbabweans take hygiene very seriously.  They don’t need a law for that, either.